FOR SIX of his first seven seasons in the AFL, Adelaide midfielder/forward Ben Keays hit this point of the year knowing that finals were a pipedream and the remaining matches were being played for pride. 

In his first three years with Brisbane, the Lions arrived at round 15 with a maximum of two wins, while the Crows have been out of calculations at this point through their rebuilding years. 

The one exception was Brisbane's 2019 campaign, but Keays was a regular in the NEAFL that year and would play just twice at AFL level before being delisted at the end of the season and earning a rookie lifeline under Matthew Nicks. 

This year is different though. The Crows are in the thick of the finals race and Keays is back playing an important role in his natural midfield habitat after starting the season forward. 

It's a scenario that has the valuable two-way runner energised ahead of a crunch game against Collingwood at the MCG that the Crows are embracing as a big test for their ambitious squad.  

"Pretty much the whole time I've been in the League, you get to this point of the year and you're out of contention and a lot of games end up being dead rubbers, at least for us," Keays told AFL.com.au this week.

"So to be in a position now where these last 10 games are going to be really meaningful for us and every win is going to count, I'm ready to attack it. 

"With what I've done this year as well by starting forward and not being hit as many times or twisting and turning as many times, I think that's going to hold me in good stead in the run home.

"It was always going to be a long season, especially with us having some young players, so I've always been ready to move back in [to the midfield] and the coaches have pulled it the last few weeks."

Sunday's clash will be Keays' 74th consecutive game since making his Crows debut in round two, 2020. It's an impressive run for a player who was delisted by the Lions after 30 games in four seasons. 

Admired for his physical and mental preparation and with a strong interest in the high-performance side of sport, the former Lions Academy member said he was hitting the winter rounds with a much fresher body than previous seasons when he had carried a heavy midfield load. 

The move of Keays back into the centre for the past three matches has been significant for the Crows, with the leadership group member averaging 27.3 disposals and hitting the scoreboard in each of those games. 

While the Adelaide midfield has previously been over-stocked with similar inside players, Keays can now add his defensive strengths to a more dynamic group that has a rotating presence of young guns Jake Soligo, Josh Rachele and Luke Pedlar. 

"For the last three or so weeks I've been given what you might call a defensive job, but I see it as a two-way job and I love playing defence as much as offence," Keays said. 

"So the opportunity to go to a guy like a Matt Rowell or Lachie Neale, and then trying to stop them but also try and get involved the other way offensively, I really enjoy that challenge because you're always in the game."

How Keays is used against Collingwood on Saturday will be crucial after he played an accountable role on young star Nick Daicos in the Crows' one-point loss in round seven. 

Given the growing number of Crows who can rotate between forward and midfield roles, like Pedlar, Rachele and even star recruit Izak Rankine, there is every chance Keays reprises his role in the front half for a week to keep tabs on the Pies half-back star. 

It will be one storyline in a massive game for the Crows that presents them with an opportunity to make a statement at the Grand Final venue, where they have played just three times in the past five seasons. 

Keays said the eighth-placed team, which sits just 2.3 per cent ahead of reigning premier Geelong in ninth, was not shying away from the significance of the occasion. 

"It's important to talk it up in that fashion and really remind guys that the pressure is on, it's a massive game, and we're not going to be fancied going in," the midfielder said. 

"We're going to be the underdogs and Collingwood are a benchmark team. I always think it's important to say it how it is and it's going to be a big game for us. 

"Nicksy does like to straight shoot and tell it like it is when it comes to big games, and there's been big games this year where he's decided to maybe take a risk with some of the things he's said in his team talks. 

"But it paid off, just by building the occasion up and getting us up for it. This is probably one that goes without saying. We've had the bye, so we've had our eye on it for a while."