Adelaide midfielder Michael Doughty will cap the best, most consistent of his seven AFL seasons with his 100th match on Saturday week, in the second preliminary final against West Coast or the Western Bulldogs at AAMI Stadium.

And he credits an improved run with injuries and a lift in attitude and self-belief - inspired by coach Neil Craig - for his becoming the 30th player to reach the 100-game milestone for the Crows.

"It's taken a while - it hasn't all been easy but I've got there," said 'Dogga' Doughty, who made his AFL debut in 2000 after having been rookie-listed from SANFL club South Adelaide.

"It's taken me seven years - ups and downs - but it's something I'll be proud of in years to come."

Asked about his improved consistency, the determined, versatile 27-year-old said: "Two years ago I sat down with Craigy and just saw where I was at. He had a bit of confidence in me that I could be a regular AFL player and he's given me that confidence, and I've just worked hard at my game.

"I definitely came back from pre-season, probably two or three years ago, a lot fitter than I had in previous years, so that could have something to do with it.

"Early on, I had a lot of injuries and I probably didn't deal with them as good as you'd like to as a young bloke. But I guess changing coach and a new beginning gave me that belief I could play at this level."

Doughty said Adelaide midfield coach Don Pyke had assisted his development as a regular midfielder after he had played as a half-back, back pocket, half-forward and wingman earlier in his career.

"He's a premiership player at the Eagles and he's come across, and he's got some new ideas that we all like to try out on the ground, so he's been a great help," he said.

Asked whether there was added pressure on players to retain their places because of the possibility of at least Brett Burton, Mark Ricciuto and Ben Hart becoming available during the finals, Doughty said: "There's more pressure on the blokes out of the team. The young blokes are doing their job at the moment so the older blokes who are out of the team are going to have to work hard and make sure they're fit to get their spots back."

The Crows will assemble at the spacious near-city apartment of an experienced team-mate to watch Channel Ten's live telecast of Saturday night's first semi-final between West Coast and the Bulldogs at Subiaco Oval.

All-Australian defender Nathan Bassett missed Wednesday's training session but expects to have a run on Friday. He was still feeling the debilitating effects of a stomach virus - he became ill during Monday night's dinner in Melbourne - and rested at home.