ADELAIDE is confident All Australian defender Daniel Talia remains on track to return for the start of the season despite undergoing knee surgery last week, coach Don Pyke says.
The injury is expected to sideline the defender for up to three months, but Pyke has backed Talia to return ahead of schedule and throw his name up for selection in the JLT Community Series starting in early March.
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"We're hopeful he'll be back running in the middle or late January which puts him on track," Pyke said on Wednesday.
"I know talking to Daniel that he's pretty fastidious with his planning and the way he's going about it he's already got dates and targets marked out on his calendar.
"I know he'll do everything he can to get himself available and I wouldn't be surprised if he jumps ahead of that schedule."
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Pyke also revealed how the injury happened, which was first described as an accident that occurred at home.
"From what I understand, he said he was lying in bed and he rolled and tucked his leg in behind and it actually got caught, so it was one of those minor things," Pyke said.
"We've had guys tweak things bending over to clean dishwashers and you've got to remember that we've got fairly finely tuned guys.
"They (the club's medical staff) thought it wasn't worth the risk of pushing him on in training and to get it sorted out now and making sure he's fully available next year."
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In further positive news, luckless midfielder Brad Crouch is set to return to full training in January as he looks to reignite his injury-hit career.
Pyke declared the 24-year-old was now "pain free" after a frustrating 2018 campaign that saw him go without playing a match following groin surgery.
"I'm just really happy for Brad. He's tracking really well and he's pain-free," Pyke said.
"Quite rightly, they're managing him appropriately. There's no point going back to 100 per cent noise and finding he gets sore.
"Having talked to him before he's excited about coming in and getting into full training after Christmas and playing footy again. That's what he loves doing - Don Pyke on Brad Crouch
Speaking at Adelaide's open training session at Noarlunga on Wednesday, Pyke detailed how the club's review of its program last year – which included the catastrophic pre-season camp – had led the Crows to add more enjoyment into training.
The Crows players have played volleyball and paintball this week to add variety to their pre-season camp on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula.
"We've taken the program and had a look at it last year and we've maybe simplified some things and focused on the things that will give us the biggest bang for our buck," Pyke said.
"The reality is these guys love being here to play footy. There's strength work, conditioning work to do, there's game plans to understand – it's how we do that with balance to let them learn how to play and train for the game.
"The capacity to actually enjoy themselves and still work hard is the nice balance they've found. They can come in and actually look forward to getting into training."
