Adelaide utility Dan Curtin says he is starting to gain more confidence and consistency in his footy after missing the first seven games of the season due to a knee injury.

Curtin returned to the Crows’ line-up for Showdown 59 after making a successful return to competitive football in the SANFL a week prior, following pre-season knee surgery.

Despite featuring in every Crows game since, Curtin admitted his long road to recovery was tough, and there was one teammate that helped lift his spirits while in rehab - defender Mark Keane.

Keane also found himself in the rehab group after fracturing his ankle during pre-season.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Curtin said Keane’s support throughout his early-season layoff had helped get him through. 

“When I was injured, and he (Keane) got injured, I was obviously very upset for him, but I was looking forward to getting to work with him, and getting a bit closer with him throughout that,” Curtin said.

“I think he's definitely grown a lot throughout the whole rehab process as well, and he's definitely going to come back bigger and stronger.”

Curtin spoke as the Crows returned to training following a mid-season break, with the team looking ahead to the Round 13 clash against Geelong on Thursday night.

The 21-year-old also opened up about a potential move into a full-time midfield role, but said his immediate focus was on building consistency and playing his role for the team.

“I think every week I'm building, getting a bit more confidence, (and) that's the biggest thing for me, just building that confidence, and looking to hopefully get back to that form (from) last year,” Curtin said.

“Absolutely, that's (being in the midfield) a long-term goal, but I don't think the team needs me to be that right now.

“I think the plan moving forward is just to keep working on building that confidence and slowly slotting in wherever Nicksy and the team see fit.

“The midfield is going really well at the moment, and we’ve got some really good players in there, so I think at the moment I'm happy fitting in wherever I can.”

Adelaide will enter the match against Geelong with a 6-5 win-loss record, and Curtin said players were ready to attack the second half of the season.

“The boys have enjoyed a few days off, and (are) raring to go ready for next week,” Curtin said.

“There’s definitely a few things we can work on, we haven't played our best footy yet, so we're excited for the second half.

“I think it will just be about coming back to having trust in each other and having trust in everyone's roles, and being a bit more connected through all three lines.”

Adelaide faces Geelong at Adelaide Oval on Thursday at 7pm.

The Club will host SA Freeze at the game to help raise vital funds and for MND research and care initiatives.

More details on the SA Freeze can be found here.

Get your tickets for the game here.