PROMISING Adelaide midfielder Hugh Greenwood hopes the short-term pain of foot surgery will pay off with a bigger engine.

The 25-year-old is coming off a breakout season where he played 15 games – including the Grand Final loss to Richmond – after making his debut against the Brisbane Lions in round nine.

Greenwood became a permanent part of the side with his outstanding contested work and tackling, laying 11 tackles or more in three separate games.

However, the former US college basketball star had pain in his Achilles near the end of the season and struggled to run out games, limiting his ability to contribute to the Crows' midfield brigade.

"The surgery limits the pain, which will hopefully increase my running capacity and technique," Greenwood told afc.com.au.

"That'll be a focus point for me and continue to tidy up skills and contribute.

"We didn't quite get to the mark we wanted to last year.

"(I want) to be able to slot back in and do what I did last year, and hopefully a bit more to help the team achieve the ultimate goal."

Greenwood had minor foot surgery in November and has this week returned to the main training group during the club's training camp on the Gold Coast.

He is aiming to play some part in the JLT Community Series.

 "It's been a long couple of months, probably the longest I've ever spent on the sidelines with an injury," he said.

"There's a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

"I've been working closely with Brad (Newton, strength and conditioning coach) and finally starting to slot back in with the main group.

"Hopefully, I'll be right for the first couple of JLT (games) before round one starts."

Greenwood – who was a talented junior footballer in Tasmania before focusing on basketball – joined the Crows as a Category B rookie at the end of 2015.

He spent his first season honing his skills in the SANFL before being promoted to the AFL side last year.

The Crows rewarded his outstanding development with a two-year contract until the end of 2019.

"I ticked off so many goals in 2017 – I just wanted to play a game of footy and I exceeded all expectations and ended up playing 15," he said.

"Thankfully, I signed for another two years, this is a fantastic club, an awesome environment and we're taking those steps to achieve the ultimate goal."