ADELAIDE coach Brenton Sanderson remains confident that the Crows can persuade key forward Kurt Tippett to remain with the club.

Sanderson is due to meet Tippett on Thursday as part of his player reviews after a season that finished in the heart-stopping five-point loss to Hawthorn in their preliminary final at the MCG on Saturday.

Tippett took 11 marks and kicked four goals against Hawthorn in a performance that confirmed his value as one of the most sought-after players in the competition.

"The boys are doing everything they can to convince him to stay," Sanderson said on SEN's Morning Glory program.

"It will be interesting to see how that unfolds over the next couple of days.

"I'm always optimistic with these sort of things. I think we're providing a great environment for our players to play well in.

"You saw the spirit of this mob [against Hawthorn] and how much they enjoy playing together.

"You sort of scratch your head if a player wants to leave that environment, especially with the potential success that we're going to have over the next couple of years.

"I'd be surprised if he wanted to leave. I guess my gut feel is that he'll stay, but you never know."

Sanderson said the three bouts of concussion that Tippett suffered during the second half of the season had unsettled him.

The 25-year-old was poor in the Crows' early finals, a loss to the Sydney Swans and a victory over Fremantle, before rebounding against Hawthorn.

"He showed what he can do in big games," Sanderson said. "I guess that's why he's in high demand and why we're really hopeful that we can hang on to him."

Sanderson's tactics against Hawthorn provided some food for thought for the Swans going into Saturday's Grand Final.

Sanderson had his players undertake the high-risk strategy of bringing the ball through the corridor in an attempt to gain the swiftest possible movement into attack.

His plan was to isolate Tippett, Taylor Walker and Jason Porplyzia against their direct opponents and mitigate against Hawthorn defender Josh Gibson coming in for the spoil.

"It was a high-risk, high-reward type of game, but I think that's the way to beat the Hawks: you take them on, create width and come through the middle," Sanderson said.

"At times it worked for us; at times we turned the ball over and they punished us the other way."

Sanderson said that Hawthorn might have won comfortably if it had kicked straight.

"I guess in a final you've got to make the most of your opportunities," he said.

"They certainly opened the door for us. To hit the front with five minutes to go was exciting for us and the fans.

"But Cyril and Buddy — their last couple of minutes were just very special.

"We weren't quite good enough. We've got to work hard over summer and come back a better footy team next year."

Sanderson wished small forward Chris Knights all the best in his future at another club.

Knights, 26, has informed the Crows he wants to test the market as an unrestricted free agent.

The 26-year-old has been linked with Richmond.

He's played 96 games with the Crows but played only five games in 2012.