New Adelaide General Manager of High Performance Ian McKeown has worked with an array of athletes from around the globe across his more than two-decade career in the industry.

But he says none have impressed him more than the players he’s working with at the Crows.

McKeown joined Adelaide in November following stints at NHL team Philadelphia Flyers, fellow AFL Club Port Adelaide, the Australian Institute of Sport, and Football Federation Australia.

Speaking to AFC Media at the South Australian Sports Institute, McKeown said he had been impressed with what he had seen so far, and Adelaide’s players rivalled some of the world’s best with their fitness and athleticism.

“These guys stack up with all the best athletes on the world stage, AFL in particular is such an impressive sport to play, so I think the players we have here at the Crows can compare themselves to any athlete in the world,” McKeown said.

“The likes of (Riley) Thilthorpe, DC (Dan Curtin), and even the Keaysy’s (Ben Keays) and the guys who are a little bit older, they have done such a great job.

“It’s been amazing, I know everyone gets seduced by pre-season and everyone is killing it on the track, but this group really has been phenomenal.

“They are all incredibly diligent, their attention to detail is first class, the level of intensity they bring to everything they do is elite and the way they hold each other accountable for their performances, both good and bad, has been phenomenal.”

McKeown took over the reins as the Crows’ General Manager of High Performance from long-time friend and former colleague Darren Burgess, with the latter joining Italian Serie A club Juventus.

Having worked with Burgess at Port Adelaide, McKeown said the transition had been seamless, and his key focus was around making small refinements of the program, rather than major changes. 

“I’m in such a great position having known Darren (Burgess) for a very long time, I know the type of program that had already been in place,” McKeown said.

“That made the transition of coming into this job so easy, and now it is about slightly refining the base that had been in place. 

“The guys are exponentially better than they were last year, so the challenge for us in the High Performance Team is how can we help take the group to the next level. 

“There is a really great foundation that has been built across a number of years, so for me it has been about making very small and important changes to help us continue to improve.”

Adelaide’s pre-season is continuing to hit new demands, as players prepare for an internal trial match in Port Augusta on February 13, which will form part of the Club’s community camp. 

The Crows will then face Port Adelaide in a match simulation a week later, before an AFL Community Series match against West Coast in Perth to end pre-season.

McKeown said the group was in a strong physical condition and ready for the upcoming trial matches.

“We are definitely on track,” McKeown said.

“It’s the same old story from high performance managers at this time of year, ‘everyone’s fitter than they’ve ever been and time trial numbers have been blown out of the water’ - but we really are in a good spot.

“We’re into lots of match play now and are making sure the players are footy fit so they can execute the scenarios the coaches want to a really high level.

“It’s all about ruthless consistency for us at the moment, session after session we’re putting in the work to make sure we are ready come Round One.”