ADELAIDE star Rory Sloane will ramp up his training on Wednesday as the midfielder pushes to play in Thursday night's qualifying final against Greater Western Sydney.
Sloane is recovering from surgery to remove his appendix last Tuesday and the Crows said he was progressing well two days before the opening final of 2017.
The 27-year-old plans to start running on Wednesday in a session that could hold the key to his selection, with teams for the clash at Adelaide Oval named on Wednesday night.
Mega-preview: First qualifying final, Adelaide v Greater Western Sydney
"I’m starting to feel really good," Sloane said in a live Facebook chat.
"The pain has started to disappear … now it’s just about building strength back up through the guts."
Sloane has progressed from a stationary bike session on Monday to a light jog on Tuesday, completing plenty of powerwalking and work on a cross-training machine.
"We’ve still got about two-and-a-half days before we play," he said.
"I think tomorrow I’ll really start to ramp things up, start running again and we’ll just assess it from there and see how I feel.
"Even after tomorrow we’ve got another 24-30 hours before game time, so I’ve got plenty of time still."
Sloane will be attempting to play just nine days after surgery, with the Crows to seek medical advice before deciding whether to name their vice-captain.
Superstar forward Eddie Betts had similar surgery six weeks ago and missed the round 19 draw against Collingwood, returning after 13 days.
Adelaide captain Taylor Walker said the club would take a no-risk policy with Sloane.
"If the surgeon says he’s fine to go then he’ll play, but if there is any doubt we won’t risk him because you can get a hernia and then that can cause further issues down the track," Walker told Triple M on Tuesday.
"It would be great if he can play but if not we can get the job done without him."