Senior Coach Phil Walsh plans to push his players beyond their limits this summer ahead of his first season at the helm with the Crows.

Walsh, who began his coaching career 20 years ago as Geelong’s Strength and Conditioning specialist, wants Adelaide to become one of the fittest sides in the competition as part of his team-first philosophy.

In a Channel Crow Fans on One exclusive, Walsh said the players would be challenged both physically and mentally this summer.

“It’s going to be a really hard pre-season, and the guys are going to get uncomfortable,” Walsh said.

“We will be training them as hard as possible.

“I’m a believer that you don’t actually rise to the occasion in the heat of battle, you sink to your level of training.

“And our training is going to be difficult.”

Click on the video player above to watch our full Fans on One special with Phil Walsh.

One of the game’s most innovative thinkers, Walsh said it would be a “non-negotiable” for the players to commit to the 54-year-old’s team defence strategy.

Walsh said Adelaide’s inconsistency this year, which saw the Crows win back-to-back games on only three occasions, highlighted the main areas for improvement ahead of the squad’s return to full training on November 17.

“Our best footy last year was good enough, but we just didn’t play it for long enough,” Walsh said.

The 2004 AFLCA Assistant Coach of the Year said endurance would be at the heart of his game plan for the Club.

“At Adelaide, you’ll need to be able to run both ways, and that’s something I’ll be instilling in the players in pre-season.”

Crows CEO Andrew Fagan said Walsh’s “hard edge” and his ability to get the best out of players physically were among the characteristics that saw him land the role with Adelaide.

But Walsh also said the team culture and mental strength of the playing group was just as important for the Club’s on-field success.

“They have to be 100 per cent committed to the team,” Walsh said.

“All the activities will be based around guys who are committed to make one another better.”