Adelaide midfielder Ben Keays says this pre-season is becoming one of the most challenging of his seven-year AFL career.

Keays underwent surgery in the off-season to repair his AC Joint and had not yet resumed full training.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Keays said he had previously been lucky when it came to injury setbacks and this pre-season was new territory for him.

“It’s been a pretty tough one for me so far, I’ve been in rehab, still on the sidelines, which has been new for me,” Keays said.

“You see all the boys running around and training really well and you just want to be out there.

“I had my AC joint done but I also had some groin stuff for two thirds of the year, which got pretty bad towards the end (of the season).

“I had gone through the years and heard players talk about how tough rehab is and I never really had to experience it but now I’m living it.

“It’s hard, but I’ll just focus on recovery and try to get back.”

Keays enjoyed a standout 2022 campaign, in which he averaged 26.6 disposals from 22 games, playing both on-ball and up forward, to finish third in the Club’s Best and Fairest count.

And despite the injuries, Keays was confident he would be ready to attack full training post-Christmas break.

“I had to rehab both top and bottom of my body, so it’s been a new challenge for me, but I’ll be patient and then get into it post-Christmas,” Keays said.

The 25-year-old said he was impressed with how his teammates had hit the training track so far and was looking forward to the challenge of next season.

“I reckon we are spreading a bit better, we are running a bit better and it seems like we are exploding a bit better,” Keays said.

“We’ve got guys now who can use the footy and who are really elite with their feet, so its about making the most of their talents and really sharing the load.

“I think the way we’ve hit the ground pre-Christmas period is a really positive sign in terms of our fitness and how sharp we look, so hopefully we really start to round out our game.

“There’s a number of guys who look the goods and I can’t wait to get back out there with them.”

Adelaide’s players will break for Christmas and New Year next week, before returning in January.