Adelaide's closed training session behind locked AAMI Stadium gates in preparation for their Saturday night meeting with AFL pacesetters Hawthorn was 10 minutes late in starting.

Given the first-term scores of Adelaide's past three games, it is fair to suggest that tardiness has become an unwanted habit.

The Crows have not won a first quarter since kicking 8.1 to lowly Melbourne's 4.4 in round eight, and have only thrice led at quarter-time all year.

It is the sort of statistic to make a team uneasy ahead of their meeting with one of the league's top sides.

Crows captain Simon Goodwin said the club was yet to get to the bottom of the first terms riddle.

"It's concerning for sure and we've certainly looked at it - fast starts are very important in footy in getting that momentum in the game," Goodwin said.

"We've looked at it and hopefully as a playing group we can address it and make sure on the weekend we come out and get a really good start to get us into the game.

"We've done it for a number of weeks, so as a playing group we want to address it, make sure we're mentally prepared for the start of the game and we come out and play the way we want to play."

The ordinary starts have been partially masked by some excellent play as the games have gone on, particularly in third quarters.

This year the Crows have simulated halftime breaks at their main training session, a gambit that has had visibly positive effects on how the team starts second halves.

However it will do them little good this week if they cannot show up on time against a quality Hawthorn side.

"(This week) is a huge challenge for us as a footy club," Goodwin said.

"We're playing the top side on our home ground, so what an exciting challenge for us as players, the supporters and everyone involved with the footy club."

As usual, all eyes will be on Hawks spearhead Lance Franklin, and Goodwin acknowledged he would be just about uncontainable if the Adelaide attack/midfield did not effectively block supply from the centre.

"That's the million dollar question isn't it?" he said.

"He's a class player, he's kicking a lot of goals and, not only that, he's getting a lot of scoring shots.

"Our midfield pressure and contested ball are going to be very important for our defence.

"We back in our guys in defence all the time, we've got some quality defenders in Bock and Rutten and those guys have got big jobs this week."

Young ruckman Jon Griffin trained the full session and is a likely inclusion for Saturday after recovering from a hip complaint.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP