Simon Goodwin's longer-than-expected absence due to a knee problem has offered Adelaide a window into their captaincy future, with the athletic figure of Nathan van Berlo looming large.

Long considered leadership material, van Berlo is one of several Crows with half an eye on the captaincy role Goodwin will vacate whenever his playing days come to an end.

Goodwin was expected to be fit for Saturday's match against Sydney, but his knee problem has not yet cleared up sufficiently for him to return, providing the club's other leaders with another week to prove their mentoring mettle.

Coach Neil Craig has mentioned van Berlo, Ben Rutten, Scott Thompson and even Brad Symes as players who have shown leadership characteristics this year, leaving the field open.

"I think at the moment Goody's doing a terrific job and whenever that is that he might move on, there's a number of guys that'll certainly be able to fill the position," van Berlo said on Wednesday.

"I'd love to (be captain), it'd be something that any guy in the leadership group or a number of players at the footy club would love to fill that position , and if it happens to get voted upon that the guys would like me to lead then that's great.

"We've got some young guys coming through with really good leadership qualities, which is a good sign for the footy club and I think that certainly shows when we do our leadership voting at the start of the pre-season that there are a number of guys that get votes, rather than a select five or six.

"There's a group of 10 to 15 players who get recognised for showing leadership around the club."

Van Berlo said Goodwin's status as a revered and demanding leader meant any would-be successors had a clear idea of what sort of qualities they had to show against the Swans.

"(Goodwin not being there) means we have to pull our weight differently come game day whether it be how we marshal the guys out on the ground or the way we direct them," he said.

"Goody certainly brings a lot to the group in that regard, he's very demanding of the playing group and also his on-field performance and the way he leads by example is second to none.

"So we've certainly got to realise the void he leaves when he's not out there, and he's not going to be around forever so the more we can put ourselves in positions to develop, the better we'll be in the future."

Livewire forward Brett Burton is set to make his return from a knee reconstruction in the SANFL on the weekend, presenting a selection poser for the Crows given that the club's forward line has recently found an edge that had been missing for years.

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