Taking inspiration from his former Melbourne captain Max Gawn, Adelaide recruit Alex Neal-Bullen is ready to deliver for his new AFL club.
Neal-Bullen has yet to make his official Crows debut but his impact is already palpable, the Demons premiership player announced as one of four vice-captains on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old joins Ben Keays, Darcy Fogarty and Reilly O'Brien as deputies to captain Jordan Dawson.
Neal-Bullen, traded to Adelaide after a decade at Melbourne, says he has fully bought into his new side with lessons from former teammate Gawn.
"He was someone who came into the industry as not Max Gawn the superstar," Neal-Bullen said.
"You saw someone who was working really hard at their game and then over time built confidence and belief in himself, which he was then able to pass on to the players around him.
"I'm not walking in here as a premiership player.
"I'm coming in as Alex Neal-Bullen, an Adelaide Crow, who wants to be the best teammate I can be.
"I can just see the willingness to learn. There's a group here that are very eager to continue to improve.
"I'm very proud of where this footy club is currently and now we've got the responsibility to get out there and perform."
Neal-Bullen shapes as an instrumental figure for the Adelaide engine room as they look to make finals for the first time since 2017.
The Crows finished 15th last year with eight wins, 14 losses and one draw.
Keays could only praise his new teammate.
"His training standards stood out from those early sessions during the off-season," Keays said.
"For a guy to come in and so eager to make connections with everyone and train really hard, it's exactly what we asked for."
Crows coach Matthew Nicks said re-appointing Dawson, who joined from Sydney at the end of the 2021 season, was an "an obvious choice".
"He sets the tone, leads by example and his on-field direction had been outstanding over the past two years," the coach said.
"He's super-competitive, driven and brings others with him, so we look forward to that continuing."
The new-look leadership group cuts down from last season's eight, with Mitch Hinge, Wayne Milera, Lachie Murphy and Brodie Smith making way.
