Adelaide midfielder Hugh Greenwood expects players to be vying for spots in a heated training session on the Gold Coast on Thursday

Hugh Greenwood says he is leaving the surfboard at home as the Crows head to the Gold Coast early for what should be a willing week as the Crows train for spots. Listen to The Lowdown Podcast and the latest on his contract talks here.

Brad Crouch leads the Crows off Adelaide Oval. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

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Adelaide is flying to the Gold Coast on Wednesday but Hugh Greenwood said the surfboard is staying home and he expects the Crows to be “playing for spots” in an intense main training session on Thursday.

Greenwood says the pre-planned move to head north three days before the game was a “business trip” and made even more serious by the need to respond to Saturday’s Showdown disaster.

Hugh Greenwood comes under fire from Sam Powell-Pepper and Scott Lycett in Showdown 47 on Saturday night. Picture: Mark Brake (Getty).

“We will do exactly what we do here in Adelaide, just a change of scenery,” Greenwood told The Lowdown Podcast.

“Well have our main session on Thursday and weights that afternoon, a captain’s run on Friday and some guys will come back and go up to Port Pirie (for the SANFL Showdown).

“Thursday’s main session will be pretty heated I reckon, boys will be playing for a spot.

“That’s the way it should be, every week whether you play well or not there should be pressure for selection, the last two weeks a lot of guys would put their hand up and admit they haven’t played at the level, and at the same time our SANFL team is one game clear on top and playing some fantastic footy so it’s healthy pressure.

“You look down the street (at Port Adelaide) and the calls they made a couple of weeks ago (dropping Justin Westhoff and Paddy Ryder) were massive at the time but were obviously the right calls.

“Players got dropped and came back … Sam Powell-Pepper came in late and was exceptional and Westhoff had 16 marks so for guys to respond that way was very impressive so it will be interesting to see what happens with our group this week.”

The Crows had an extensive review of the Showdown loss on Monday to work out what went wrong.

“We addressed it as a group and it’s hard to put a finger on any one thing, when there’s one or two guys off it can be devastating but when there’s 22 guys off all at the same time that’s what’s going to happen,” Greenwood said.

“It was like the ‘MonStars’, everything they did was remarkable and when we got it we were lacing them up or missing handballs, it was a bit of a catastrophe.

“The second half we just couldn’t hold it in, we had three forward-half turnovers and not a lot of tackles which is just not going to get it done.

“It was a combination of a lot of things but an area we’re certainly going to have to address and it will be interesting to see what happens this week.”

Don Pyke with his Crows team after the 57-point hiding. Picture SARAH REED

Greenwood, who is out of contract this season, confirmed he and his management met with the club last week to discuss his future.

“That’s a step in the right direction, there’s still a fair ways to go but there is a long way to go in the season until the end of the year so we’re certainly hopeful we’ll get something done, it was a step in the right direction,” he said.

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