Walker: Time for us to get tougher

Adelaide captain Taylor Walker says his side need to be tougher if it wants to compete with the top sides.

The Crows were bundled out of the 2016 season by a far stronger and mature Sydney side in the semifinals, after finishing fifth after the regular season.

Walker says the Crows need to be able to physically imposing for longer during games.

"We need to be a little bit tougher in the contest, and that will start as of today," Walker said.

"There were periods through games that we weren't at our best, so we need to maintain it for longer periods of time.

"There's some things you need to fine-tune more so than others, so we'll talk about that today and get on the way to getting better and trying to achieve what we want next year."

The 26-year-old believes the club has plenty of depth and exciting young talent ready to take the next step and help the Crows improve on their fifth placed finish in 2016.

"There's opportunities up for grabs and it will be interesting to see who will want to take them," Walker said.

"Every single player, I think (is in the running).

"You come in as a first-year (player), I don't put any limits on those guys either.

"We'll educate every single player to play different positions."

The likes of Cam Ellis-Yolmen, Riley Knight, Wayne Milera and Curtly Hampton are among the fringe Crows who will be eager to prove they deserve a spot in the club's Round 1 side next season.