VETERAN Adelaide recruit Sam Gibson says his resounding 2km time trial victory on Monday was part of a conscious effort to make a strong impression at his new club.

The former North Melbourne midfielder, who at 31 is the Crows' oldest player, showed he'd lost none of his running power by leading the Crows' playing group home in an elite time of just over six minutes at the SA Athletics Stadium.

Gibson played 130 consecutive games with the Kangaroos – the AFL's longest active games streak – before being a shock delisting at the end of this season as the club embarks on a rebuilding process.

He'd finished third in North's best and fairest in 2016 and seventh this year.

"First impressions are really important. I've played a little bit of footy now but I feel like a draftee – I'm coming in off scratch a bit," Gibson told Melbourne radio station SEN on Tuesday morning.

"I didn't really know any of the players personally or any of the coaches for that matter, so there is an element of putting your best foot forward in the first few weeks and trying to make that good impression, and let the guys know you're serious and let them know what you're all about. So I'm doing my best to do that at the minute."

Gibson is excited to join a club that is firmly in the premiership window, given the Crows were minor premiers before being humbled by Richmond in the Grand Final.

He said that fellow experienced recruit in former Carlton star Bryce Gibbs was also fitting in well into an "easygoing group", revealing that Gibbs had already "had a lot to say, which is really important when you've been around a while".

Gibson said Crows coach Don Pyke had addressed the club's Grand Final loss to Richmond with the players.

"It's been touched on a little bit. (Pyke's) view on it is that if we're going to go one better and we're going to improve, you can't just forget about it and put it in a box and think it never happened – you've got to review it and understand why it happened so you can get better," Gibson said.

"His philosophy around coaching is just, 'How can we get better?' We've already had a heap of great chats about the way we did things at North, because he's really excited to see if me and Bryce can bring things that perhaps are a little bit different top what they've been doing, all in the vein of trying to improve.

"That's something that excites me because I'm still trying to improve as a player as well."