Adelaide defender Mitch Hinge has heaped praise on young teammate Dan Curtin, as the second-year talent continues to make a positional switch this pre-season.

Curtin, who the Crows drafted with Pick No.8 at the 2023 AFL National Draft, began his career as a defender but has been trialled as a forward over the summer.

As the Crows look to add another dimension to their attacking set-up, Hinge says Curtin is proving a tough match up during training and is backing him to thrive with the versatility.

“Personally, I haven’t spoken too much about where he’s (Dan Curtin) going to play but he does look pretty scary down there (inside-50),” Hinge said.

“I’ve been matched up on him a couple of times - he’s a big, strong boy, he’s only in his second year but he's running extremely well and covering the ground really well.

“I’m really excited about what he’s going to bring and I love him as a teammate as well.”

Hinge spoke to the media following another gruelling pre-season training session, which included plenty of match simulation drills, running and craft drills.

The 26-year-old enjoyed arguably his most consistent campaign in 2024, averaging 22.2 disposals, five marks, 5.1 rebound-50s and 6.7 contested possessions across 21 games.

But he says he isn’t satisfied and is constantly looking at new ways to improve, with the addition of recruits 2021 Melbourne Premiership player Alex Neal-Bullen and former Giants pair Isaac Cumming and James Peatling, adding to selection pressure.

“The boys we’ve brought into the Club have been training unbelievably well and they’ve brought in a good set of experience,” Hinge said.

“We want to ultimately be a better team and with that comes pressure on spots.

“I’d be silly to not take that and go ‘where I do improve, how can I get better?’

“Personally, I don’t really feel like I’ve ever got comfortable…, I’ve played a fair bit of footy in the past two or three years, but I still don’t think I’m where I want to be, I still want to improve and play my role for the team.”

The Crows also had two special guests at Wednesday’s session, with four-time Geelong Premiership player Joel Selwood and triple Adelaide AFLW flag winner Erin Phillips watching from the stands.

Selwood and Phillips were set to chat to Crows players post-training about their experiences, particularly within the leadership space, and Hinge said he was keen to learn as much as he could from them,

“I think we are going to spend a bit of time (with them) this afternoon,” Hinge said.

“A lot of kids my age would’ve watched Joel play and how he went about it.

“It’s good to have those quality people around the organisation and the Club, and to be able to pick their brains is always good.”