Fear of suffering a Sydney-like AFL grand-final hangover has been the catalyst for a brutally honest pre-season player feedback session at Adelaide.
Crows defender Daniel Talia, a member of the club's leadership group, confirmed too many players had reported for pre-season training in less-than-ideal shape after their grand-final loss to Richmond.
"I think it was the whole group ... we'd had two weeks less holidays and we were a bit behind where we were the year before," Talia told reporters on Friday.
"It wasn't just the young guys - it was the whole group. We didn't really meet our times but we've all regained that fitness now in the last three weeks.
"I think coming off a season where there were a lot of niggles and injuries ... we had to address that really quick because we saw what happened to Sydney last year being 0-6. We don't want a repeat of that.
"We were a bit behind where we needed to be, but I think we've caught that up now."
The Swans, who lost the 2016 grand final to the Western Bulldogs, recovered from their 0-6 start last season to make the finals, but they were the first team in history to do so.
With too many early pre-season benchmarks not being met, Adelaide's senior players decided to act.
"It had nothing to do with the coaches - it was player-run," Talia said of the feedback sessions.
"We're an honest group, we know when we run certain times and we do a certain number in pre-season. It sets us up for the year.
"There's a formula behind that and we've got to keep hitting those marks.
"The meetings were player-run, not aggressive at all, just being honest with each other and letting each other know we've got to improve.
"That's certainly happened the last three weeks."
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