Adelaide Crows pre-season news: The leadership of Josh Rachele and Ned McHenry stands out in final session of 2023

Young Crows star Josh Rachele stands out on the field in a lot of ways – mainly around goal. But in Adelaide’s gruelling final session of 2023, something else stood out.

First pre-season training session for Adelaide Crows. Picture: James Elsby

Darren Burgess has sent Adelaide into their Christmas breaks with a parting gift, putting them through a gruelling final training session for 2023.

The Crows endured two hours of running at Richmond Oval on Friday ahead of the club’s spell across the festive season.

In what might be the team’s most taxing session for the upcoming campaign, Adelaide high-performance boss Burgess had players run about 25 repetitions of 100m sprints from the goals to edge of the centre square on three different occasions, interspersed with two separate 1km dashes around the oval.

Small forward Ned McHenry, wingman Lachie Sholl and second-year midfielder Billy Dowling were among those constantly towards the front of the pack.

The last run for the day was a slowest to fastest handicap race around the oval, which McHenry stormed from the back to win.

Matthew Nicks and Rory Laird. Picture: James Elsby

Burgess, a former fitness boss at Port Adelaide and Melbourne, as well as English Premier League soccer giants Liverpool and Arsenal, has a reputation for taking players out of their comfort zones to build not only their fitness but mental resilience.

He also has a history of not telling squads what he has planned or how long they have to keep running once they start.

All but a handful of players recovering from injury ran.

Half-back Wayne Milera (hamstring), key forward Elliott Himmelberg (hamstring), tall defender Nick Murray (knee), midfielder Harry Schoenberg (achilles) were not involved.

Milera did not finish Wednesday’s training session and spent most of Friday’s whipping battle ropes or doing resistance training on the sidelines.

He is expected to rejoin the main group in the new year.

Former captain Rory Sloane, who was on light duties earlier this week due to a minor hamstring problem, took part in the running.

Wayne Milera will be back on the track in 2024. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

HERE IS WHAT ELSE CAUGHT THE EYE:

■ Father-son prospects Tyler Welsh and Jack Michalanney, and potential top-five pick Sid Draper took part in the resistance training on the sidelines, not the running. The club has priority access to Welsh, the son of former Crows forward Scott Welsh, and Michalanney, the brother of Adelaide backman Max Michalanney and son of ex-Norwood star Jim, in next year’s draft. South Adelaide on-baller Draper is getting a taste of the AFL environment over summer. He is tipped to be taken very early after being named SA’s Most Valuable Player this past season as a bottom-ager.

■ Irishman Karl Gallagher’s three-week trial for a category B rookie spot is over. But the 21-year-old is expected to return to the club in the new year, either to continue staking his claim or with a contract. Gallagher, a Gaelic footballer for Monaghan, should sleep well on the plane home after being put through the two-hour running session.

■ McHenry and Josh Rachele’s leadership stood out when they rallied around the player who struggled most with the running. Third-year on-baller Zac Taylor lagged well behind the main group for almost the entirety of the last block of 100m dashes. McHenry stayed back a few times to jog alongside his teammate, encouraging him. During the handicap race, Taylor again was a long way back and it was fellow 2021 draftee Rachele who ran across the oval, from half-forward to the pocket, to support and finish with him.

GAELIC FOOTBALLER CLOSING ON CROWS CONTRACT

A Gaelic footballer is closing in on a Crows contract.

Adelaide is expected to sign Irishman Karl Gallagher as a category B rookie after impressing during a three-week trial.

The 21-year-old will fly back to his homeland on Saturday, but is likely to return next month.

Gallagher, who reached Gaelic football’s All-Ireland semi-final with Monaghan this past season, had been living with fellow Irishman Mark Keane.

Keane was hopeful his housemate would go home with positive news.

“He’s been showing good promise and getting good feedback from the coaches and the players,” Keane told this masthead.

Adelaide’s two category B spots became vacant after the club delisted key defender James Borlase and speedster Tariek Newchurch.

The Crows last month redrafted Borlase, who was now a category A rookie.

Irishman Karl Gallagher is training with the Crows. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images

Adelaide recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie first noticed Gallagher at an AFL combine testing day in 2019, when the Irishman was 17.

Gallagher has been training with the Crows’ forwards but is likely to switch to defence in the new year as the club identifies his best position.

Keane said Ogilvie and Adelaide list boss Justin Reid would be sick of him asking when the club was going to get another Irish player.

“I was onto them all last season,” he said.

“If we sign up this fella, I’d be onto them for another guy.”

Ex-Collingwood defender Keane said Gallagher was enjoying his time Down Under.

“He loves the weather and says the food is top class here,” he said.

“He’s been trying to get a tan since he’s been out here but I don’t think it’s worked.”

Ogilvie told the Crows’ website that Gallagher’s speed, agility and vertical leap stood out.

“He was super impressive at the 2019 combine before Covid put a dampener on Irish recruiting for a couple of years,” Ogilvie said last month.

“But we stayed in contact, followed his career and he has a good attitude and a thirst to have a go at a new challenge.”

Originally published as Adelaide Crows pre-season news: The leadership of Josh Rachele and Ned McHenry stands out in final session of 2023