Adelaide fitness boss Darren Burgess could be a defining factor in a potential charge up the ladder for the Crows in 2023.
Burgess joined Adelaide at the end of 2021 following a successful stint with Melbourne where he was a key part of the Demons’ breakthrough premiership.
It came after two periods at Port Adelaide as the club’s fitness boss, while renowned fitness expert Burgess has also completed roles at Arsenal and Liverpool in the English Premier League.
But, as veteran AFL recruiter Matt Rendell notes, Burgess’ teams typically improve in the second year of his tenure.
With recruit Izak Rankine coming to West Lakes, Rendell believes Burgess cold extract the best out of the 22-year-old.
“Izak Rankine (new Adelaide recruit) is a star, but he could be a superstar,” he told SEN SA's The Run Home.
“If he gets fit with the best strength and conditioning coach in the world, his record of teams that he’s been with (is) they were always better in the second year when he works out what they can do and what they can’t do.
“So a bit of trial and error in his first year, they were a fit team anyway… he’s made them better.”
Burgess joined Melbourne for the club’s 2020 pre-season. Despite the club missing finals that year, the Dees would go on to record an emphatic premiership the following season, with Burgess’ nous widely credited during the finals series.
Meanwhile, in his second stint at Port Adelaide Burgess helped the club rise from 14th to 8th, and then again to 5th the following year – his second year.
He also saw success at Port Adelaide in 2007 when the club finished second on the ladder – again, his second year as the club’s high performance manager.
Adelaide finished 14th in 2022, the club's first year with Burgess.