EMERGING Adelaide midfielder Jason Porplyzia today said that Saturday night’s NAB Cup Grand Final will give the best indication yet of where the Crows’ 2008 preparation stands.

The Crows host St Kilda at AAMI Stadium in the grand final of a competition which attracts varying degrees of commitment from clubs. Some, such as Sydney, treat the cup with open disdain – the Swans haven't won a pre-season cup match in six years, but haven't missed the regular season finals in that period.

Adelaide, which won the pre-season cup in 2003, has not hidden its agenda of treating the competition as a forum for experimentation, but Porplyzia said the Crows would be playing to win.

"I'm not too sure about it (the pre-season cup) being a Mickey Mouse competition, I think it has still got its merits," Porplyzia said.

"Obviously it's still pre-season and we're working on things for the (premiership) season but in saying that, being a grand final this week, certainly the intensity and the pressure will be there.

"I certainly wouldn't like to lose this week, that’s for sure.”

Porplyzia said due to the experimental nature of the NAB Cup it was difficult to ascertain Adelaide's true form line.

"It's still hard to gauge, it's still early in the season and obviously everyone else is trying new things as well," he said. "But it gives us confidence to know that what we're working on and what we're doing is heading in the right direction.”

Porplyzia’s early season form has been as impressive as that of the Crows; the 23-year-old has been a regular in a midfield rotation that has enjoyed a substantial injection of youth.

"Other clubs are trying new things as well so they are probably not quite up to full speed yet either. But I don't think it (Adelaide's form) is a surprise to us – we have worked really hard during the pre-season and even though we are trying new things, we have still got that same mentality that we want to take into a game, that we are competitive each week."