Adelaide defender Mitch Hitch says he is continuing to evolve and grow as a leader at the Club.

Hinge was named in the Crows’ leadership group ahead of this AFL season, an honour he has never taken lightly. 

“I feel very fortunate and honoured to be seen in that light by the group and I want to be a big part of the Club going forward,” Hinge told AFC Media. 

“It’s (being in the leadership group) not necessarily a goal that you generally think about… I think you always want to be held in good stead by your teammates.

“I know I still have a lot of room to grow and these are the exciting challenges you get when you are moving through your AFL career.”

The 26-year-old’s on-field leadership was evident during Adelaide’s victory against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday night when he recorded 19 pressure acts, 622 metres gained and eight marks.

Hinge said a team-first approach was the catalyst behind his strong game against the Giants with full credit heaped on his fellow backmen. 

“It’s hard to be pumped up myself because I think there’s so much of my game where I want to be better,” Hinge said.

“I think I am a beneficiary of the whole team and especially the back six doing such a strong job.

“We wanted to strip back what we want to stand for and what we want to show and really simplify things and get back to playing that consistent, strong footy we know we can.

“It was great the way we went about it, we were really strong in the contest, and our pressure and our effort was up.”

Hinge said his first four months in the leadership group had been challenging, with the first half of the season not going the way the Club had hoped.

But it had given him an opportunity to reflect about the type of leader, person and player he wanted to be.

“There’s definitely a lot of (external) noise, but because we talk so heavily inside the four walls, I guess you pick what you take in and what you care about,” Hinge said.

“When there’s strong leadership around, you collaborate with the people inside the Club and have a really clear focus about what you want to bring and what the team wants to bring.

“I think (the external stuff) is always going to naturally have an impact but I think that’s also what comes with the job a little bit.

“I want to be able to play a consistent, team-brand of footy, that includes my strengths but also enables us as a team to get wins and some success.”

Hinge, who was picked up by the Crows as a delisted free agent from Brisbane, will face off against his former Club on Sunday.

He was expecting a tough game but hoped to build momentum following the strong win against the Giants

“We know how good of form they (the Lions) are in now and going over there is always going to be a challenge,” Hinge said.

“But what we really focused on over the bye and last week is getting our hands on the ball and being really strong in the contest  and playing those individual roles as well as we can.

“It’s about playing the way we want to play and if we bring what we know we are capable of, it will put us in good stead to be in with a chance.”

Adelaide plays Brisbane at the Gabba on Sunday 3.40pm (ACST).