Curtly Hampton says having the support of the Crows leadership group and coach Don Pyke helped ease the nerves ahead of his debut for the on Friday night.

Hampton played 51 games for the Giants over four seasons but his career had stagnated in Sydney and he hadn’t played an AFL game since midway through the 2015 season.

Hampton (pictured) has worked hard on his fitness since arriving in Adelaide and says knowing he had the confidence of his teammates helped ease the nerves and he steadily improved throughout the clash with Richmond.