A lot can change in six months.

New Adelaide rookie Nick Murray is testament to that, with the 20-year-old earning a spot on the Crows’ list following the Community Series loss to Port Adelaide.

Murray spent time matching up against Power forwards Charlie Dixon, Peter Ladhams and Mitch Georgiades, a distant cry from playing as a forward himself for Ganmain Grong Grong Matong in the Riverina Football League late last year.

“Four or five months ago I was playing local league in my hometown,” Murray told AFC Media on Sunday.

“To come here (and play) on some of the best forwards of the AFL, it’s been a great learning curve.

“The boys have helped me out so much and Burnsy (Scott Burns) has been great.”

Murray was initially planning to play with Williamstown in the VFL in Season 2021, before a phone call from Crows’ National Recruiting Manager Hamish Ogilvie changed his direction.

“I got a call from Hamish just before the draft saying they were going to put me on as a train-on player,” Murray told AFC Media on Sunday.

“So I had to get ready for that and come in in pretty good nick in January.”

Murray did just that, walking into West Lakes for the first time at the beginning of the 2021 calendar year raring to go, despite a few nerves.

Since then he has hardly put a foot wrong, with senior coach Matthew Nicks labelling him as “outstanding” throughout the pre-season in his post-match press conference.

Nicks also said the emerging defender has “a massive amount of respect from our playing group and our staff”, highlighted by his teammates’ response to the news being announced in the rooms after the game.

“To have that reaction to me getting that news, it was very good,” Murray said.