BACKYARD basketball and cricket duels with his brother and workouts in his family 'man cave' are getting Adelaide defender Tom Doedee through his latest round of rehabilitation.

After rupturing his ACL in round one last year and missing the rest of 2019, the 23-year-old hyperextended his knee in pre-season forcing him to miss the Crows' season opener.  

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Despite being home in Lara, Victoria, Doedee remains in regular contact with club fitness staff with treatment on hand down the road in Geelong when needed in order for him to be cherry ripe for round two.

"I'm pretty lucky, we've always had a big backyard, there's backyard cricket and I've been getting back to my basketball roots," Doedee told AFL.com.au.

"Mum and dad went through a fitness kick a few years back so they've got a pretty handy set-up in there.

"The only difference is just the day-to-day knee and the hammy treatment and (being able to) look at what's going on with it.

"I've the physios in Geelong which we've got contacts with and I'm chatting to the (club) physios, the docs and high performance team every day to make sure anything with my training that doesn't feel right or if I want to pull out of anything I'll let them know."

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Doedee packed a lot into his 12 months out of the game after the injury in what was his 21st AFL match.

He doubled the workload in his media course at the University of Adelaide, while ramping up commitments with the Bedford Group who provide disability and care services.

While completing a full-scale rehabilitation program, he also turned his hand to coaching with the Crows' SANFL side.

It landed him a spot in Adelaide's five-man leadership group this season that people at the Crows said he simply couldn't be left out of.

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"When I first tore my knee and was told it was likely an ACL, all this stuff flashes before you," he said.

"I set my target on once I started coaching in the SANFL, my target was to try and help the younger guys.

"Inside the club, it was about trying to stay positive and not looking at it as a grind.

"It feels like the way I was spoken about by Nicksy, that's rubbed off on people and I'm very proud of that and the fact I'm in the group. I didn't have an over-arching view of 'I have to do this to get into the leadership group' it was just about helping others.

Doedee has taken leadership tips from all corners but doesn't put it down to one motivating factor.

"I'm an avid reader, things from movie books to NFL history to just anything that's been recommended," he said.

"I take little things from that, (New England Patriots coach) Bill Belichick's book, Paul Kalanithi who was a neurosurgeon, and I just read Alfred Hitchcock's book.

"At a footy club you get all of those things thrown onto you, guest speakers, Youtube clips, movies, books, different articles.  

"(Crows leadership manager) Dan Jackson's been really prominent early on chatting to him, he's a super interesting man with a background in a lot of areas.

"Daniel Talia's extremely professional and knows what he needs to do each week for his body to play and (Rory) Sloaney's obviously an incredible trainer and ferocious leader.

"Kyle Haritgan off-field taught me a lot when I moved in with him early on but even things like Brodie Smith and Rory Atkins, they're clowns and jokesters at the club and you need that light-hearted humour."

After guiding young Crows defenders Lachlan Scholl, Jordon Butts, and Will Hamill in the SANFL, Doedee has turned his attention to No.6 pick and round one debutant Fischer McAsey. But he might not need much help.

"He moved in with me pre-Christmas so it all falls on me in the end," Doedee laughed.

"(After landing in Adelaide) he walked in from the airport with his (foam) roller in his hand looking like he'd been rolling on the plane in the aisle.

"He's a professional unit, very mature for his age and an intellectual kid, he's good to chat to about certain things.

"On-field he's super clean, knows what's to do with the ball, has sticky hands and catches everything. He can be whatever he wants to be."

In the meantime, Doedee's spare time will be devoted to watching every movie in sight, starting Twitter feuds and pondering how his beloved Patriots will go in the NFL.

"I'm going to be torn if they play Tampa Bay (ex-Patriot Tom Brady's new side) in a Superbowl, I don't even want to think what will happen then."