Adelaide defenders Jake Kelly and Daniel Talia aren’t letting time away from AFL dampen their competitive spirit.

The backmen, along with Crows champion Rory Laird, are meeting up three times a week to train.

Kelly and Talia, however, have also been including a session focused on contest work… which last week got slightly heated.

“He actually ripped my shirt last week,” Kelly told AFC Media.

“We were doing some drills and he grabbed my shirt at one point… we try to get together once a week and do more contact stuff rather than running.

“All the running stuff, you don’t get much physical contact in. 

“It’s good to do a session week where you’re hitting a body and doing some contest work.”

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Kelly said Laird and Talia’s similar work ethic made them ideal training partners during the AFL’s shutdown period.

“It’s good having people to train with, especially people like Lairdy and Tals,” Kelly said.

“They do it at their absolute peak… do it quickly and properly rather than muck around.

“That’s how I operate as well.”

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Outside of football, Kelly is making time to further his studies - a bachelor of business (property).

The 25-year-old also lives with Crows ruckman Reilly O’Brien, who Kelly describes as “on the same wave length”.

“We’ve lived together since the start of last year… we just bounce off each other, it’s good,” Kelly said.