Mark Keane, a defender for Adelaide, says the Crows’ internal trial will provide players a chance to highlight the effort they have put in throughout summer.
Following the Club’s two-day AFL Community Camp, the Crows’ internal trial will take place at Port Lincoln’s Centenary Oval on Friday.
Keane predicted that the match will be a hard hit-out in remarks made to the media on Thursday following his arrival at the Eyre Peninsula.
“The trial is about applying all of the preparation work and hard work to game play,” Keane stated.
“We haven’t played four quarters of genuine match sim; we have only done a little match sim.
“We officially end our preseason tomorrow, and after that, we play against real opponents, so I’m excited about that.”
“The guys are doing great, and every young guy is getting closer to the games, so it looks promising this year. I hope to be able to contribute significantly to the team this year.”
After five games with Collingwood, the Irishman signed as a pre-season supplemental signing and came to West Lakes in February of last year.
After making an excellent impression in Showdown 54, he was finally granted a two-year contract extension by the Crows.
With a complete preseason under his belt, Keane was certain that he would be well-prepared for the Crows’ 2024 campaign, which begins on March 16.
“This has been my first pre-season in four years because I returned home to Ireland during COVID and only returned to Australia in February of last year,” Keane stated.
“Having a complete preseason has been beneficial, but it wasn’t simple, I’m sure of it.
“I worked really hard during my off-season to make sure I arrived four weeks ahead of schedule and remained for the holiday so I could start January and February strong.
“My parents recently moved here from Ireland, and I’m really settling in. I’m going to make the most of my time here.”
As part of the Club’s community service project, players will conduct clinics for almost 900 children at ten different schools in the area, including those at Tumby Bay, Cummins, Poonindie, Lake Wangary, and Port Lincoln.
