New Crow Mitch Hinge’s first season with the Club has not gone exactly to plan.
The former Brisbane defender arrived at Adelaide as a delisted free agent, signing a two-year contract with the Club in November 2020.
He made his Crows debut in Round One against Geelong, coming on as the injury substitute only to then suffer a season-ending shoulder injury.
But the 23-year-old, who is now four-and-a-half months post-surgery, has kept positive during his stint on the sidelines.
“I am very grateful and happy that I was able to get onto the park for that first game and experience a win with the boys in front of the fans,” Hinge said.
“I really want to get back out there so that’s kept me really driven all year.
“I’ve also attacked some off-field things as well, I had my first session with Inclusive Academies and I’ve started uni as well, I’m studying a Bachelor in Applied Management.
“Having blokes that you want to spend time with and who always lift you up, that always helps as well.”
The youngster said rehab was progressing well and hoped to return to contact training soon.
“Where I am at now, I’ve had a good solid conditioning block, I’ve been able to run reasonably early, just what gets held back is the contact,” Hinge said.
“Everything in terms of my gym stuff, all my strength, all my running, that’s all coming along really, really well and they are super happy with how that’s all going.
“I trained for the first time with no contact, but did a full Tuesday session (this week) which was good fun and it was good to get back out there with the boys.
Originally from SA, Hinge grew up on a farm in Mundalla - a town in the state’s south-east with a population of about 400.
The Lions selected the Glenelg product with Pick No.20 at the 2017 Rookie Draft.
He featured in three AFL matches for Brisbane, before opting to return to the Club he supported growing up and where his brother John played one game.
Hinge, who lives with teammates Lachie Murphy and Elliott Himmelberg, said he was looking forward to getting his shoulder right and attacking pre-season hard with hopes of cracking into next year’s Round One team.
He believes the Club is creating something special and is confident the team’s future is bright.
“It’s a really young and emerging list and it’s really exciting,” Hinge said.
“What’s shown in some of our good performances this year is the impact our first, second, third-year players have had.
“This off-season for me is going to be really important to get my body in check, be in really good nick and keep building.”
