THE JOURNEY to 50 senior games has had its hurdles for Adelaide forward Tom Lynch, who has battled serious injury concerns to reach the milestone against Geelong on Sunday. 

Last year was a "nightmare" that began with a dislocated shoulder just before round one, included a broken jaw suffered in round seven and then a broken neck in round 20. 

Lynch was unable to cement his place at St Kilda after being drafted with pick No.13 in 2008 but has become an important component of the Crows' forwardline since being traded at the end of 2011.

The 24-year-old's out of contract this season but said he was keen to remain at West Lakes.

"I'm really enjoying my time here at Adelaide and hopefully that can continue and I can look forward to my next 50," Lynch said. 

"I just feel lucky to still be part of playing footy in the AFL – moving over here to Adelaide I feel like I'm now right at home.

"Last year … was a bit of a nightmare to be honest – just being able to go out there and play footy each week is something I'm very grateful for. 

"[I'm] just really looking forward to this week and then the next month ahead." 

Only a game separates seventh-placed Adelaide and the 10th-placed Cats, substantially inflating the importance of Sunday's clash. 

A win would see the Crows entrench themselves inside the top eight, while victory for Geelong could see Adelaide tumble out of the eight by the end of the round.

With the competition as tight as it is, Lynch said it was crucial to beat sides placed around them on the ladder.

"Those teams around a similar mark to us on the ladder with wins and losses, it's really important we start getting on top of that ledger," he said. 

"We're under no illusions that they're going to come over and give us a fierce contest – they played here about three or four weeks ago and they played really well.

"They key is just getting back to playing the footy we play at our absolute best; our fierce attack at the contest and everything comes from our defence. 

"If we can get back to playing that way I think it's going to go a long way to getting a result."