Coach Phil Walsh says new recruit Kyle Cheney is forcing his way into Adelaide’s best 22.

Cheney, 25, joined the Crows from Hawthorn during the AFL Trade Period in October.

The competitive defender, who started his career at Melbourne in 2009, is looking to cement his spot at his third AFL club, and is off to a good start according to Walsh.

“Kyle Cheney has been outstanding in his pre-season. I think he’s in our best 22, but there’s still some water to go under the bridge. We’ve still got a lot of training to get through and some NAB Cup, but I’ve been really happy with him,” Walsh said on Friday.

“Kyle himself realises there are still a few areas he needs to improve and he will do that. He played a lot of footy this year for Hawthorn. When we’ve done the match-simulation or team defence-type training, he’s well ahead of some of our other players. He understands the concepts and is also a leader out there (which is good because) we’ve got a really young backline.”

Reluctant to single out individuals, Walsh has been impressed by the entire playing squad since assuming the senior coaching role just over two months ago.

The former West Coast and Port Adelaide assistant said he’d learned more about the core group of emerging players at West Lakes.

“Everyone scouts each other and we think we know guys (from opposition teams) really well, but there have been some players here I didn’t know a lot about, who have really stood out,” he said.

“Kyle Hartigan, Ricky Henderson and Rory Atkins I didn’t know a lot about. I’ve got to know those guys a lot better and have seen some really good things.

“We’ve had a lot of guys do a really good pre-season so far. I’ve been really happy with the group.”

Walsh is also rapt with another new acquisition to the Club, Leadership Coach Darren Glass.

An All-Australian captain and respected player, Glass is predominantly working with Adelaide’s senior leadership group, which includes Nathan van Berlo, Scott Thompson, Rory Sloane, Patrick Dangerfield, Taylor Walker and Daniel Talia.

“I’m a bit biased because I’m a big Darren Glass fan, but he’s had in my opinion a lot of influence on that leadership group already,” Walsh said.

“In my time in footy, Darren Glass is the best leader I’ve seen. Some of the stories he’s been able to tell about his own experiences, you can’t buy that.”

Walsh will select a captain from the six-man leadership group.

He said an appointment would be made in the New Year, adding there was no deadline.

“I’ve been really impressed with the six guys in the leadership group,” Walsh said.

“I just want to get to know them a little bit better. I want to see them around the Club a bit more. We’ll get more into match-simulation training (in the New Year) and you start to see who the leaders are in relation to communication.

“I’ll make the decision and it’ll have to be approved by the Board.”

Walsh said he’d addressed a few key areas, including team defence and turnovers, in his first two months at the Club.

“What I saw from outside was the fact that our best footy was good enough, but that we couldn’t do it for long enough. That’s one issue and the fact we ranked 11th in defence is another issue,” he said.

“The other bit I want to see, that I’ve seen some of but want to see more of after Christmas, is that we’re more competitive.

“You can really get bogged down on turnovers. A lot of it can just be confidence, or just the way you try to move the ball and when you try to move the ball. We’ve addressed a lot of those areas. Speed of ball movement is the key and that’s what I’ll be trying to implement in our offensive ball movement.

“By the same token, we’re going to try to slow the opposition down as much as possible.”

Repeat-speed drills have also been a focus of the pre-season said Walsh, who also revealed he’s in favour of a lower interchange cap.

“I’m of the belief the game is still a repeat-speed game. Where the momentum of the game changes is your high-speed and high-intensity running,” he said.

“If they (the AFL) really want to make a change, they’ve got to take more off the interchange (cap), so it becomes harder and harder to play that style. I’m not a fan of the interchange. I think it changed our game too dramatically. In a 10-year period, we went from a game where there were maybe 20 interchanges to a game with 150. It’s never been part of our sport before.

“A lower cap would change the way we play the game. There are a number of coaches throughout the industry who feel the interchange cap should come back (be reduced). I would rather go back to 80 interchanges.”

A career assistant coach, Walsh said enjoyed the challenge of taking on a senior coaching role.

“I’ve been energised. My wife keeps asking me when I’m going to slow down!” he said.

“The attitude of the guys has been fantastic. The boys are really striving for some of the standards we’re trying to meet. It’s been really refreshing and invigorating, but I know the hard work is coming. This is a performance industry and you’ve got to be able to perform.”

Adelaide will kick off its 2015 campaign in a NAB Challenge game against North Melbourne in Port Lincoln on Sunday, March 1. At this stage, only injured pair Andy Otten (knee) and Sam Shaw (hamstring) have been ruled out of the match.

The Crows players and coaches will start their Christmas break on Saturday, December 20, and return to training on Monday, January 5.