Adelaide’s revamped 2020 leadership group has embraced its differences in a tough season, Leadership Development Manager Dan Jackson believes.

The former Jack Dyer Medallist joined the Club at the beginning of the year to help grow Adelaide’s leadership.

“(The role) encompasses a lot of things,” Jackson told The Optus Crows Show.

“The main one is working with the key senior leaders and making sure we develop their leadership abilities.

“Their main function is to be the custodians of what the football department want to stand for - epitomising the culture, driving standards, being that support mechanism across the group.

Jackson said each leader brought something different to the group.

“Matt Crouch is a great leader on the field, so we’ve been working with how he has a strong influence with engaging and setting up structures,” Jackson said.

“Sloaney, for him, it’s a support mechanism, how can we help him do what he’s been doing for a long time?

“Then Tommy Lynch, who epitomises everything we stand for around prioritising others… he’s constantly finding ways to just give to his teammates, to give to the Club, to give to the coaches.” 

And perhaps the biggest role of the leaders, according to Jackson, was preparing the next group to one day take the reins.

“We can’t just rely on five senior guys out of a group of 40 plus,” he said.

“How are we going to make sure we have blokes supporting them from underneath and be able to step up in the future?

“Leadership in footy clubs is quite transient, there’s always ins and outs.”

The Optus Crows Show airs on Sunday at 2pm in Adelaide on Channel 7.

Interstate fans can catch the full episode on afc.com.au shortly after.