Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks wants to return key defensive trio Jordon Butts, James Borlase and Nick Murray as rivals circle amid the backline squeeze.
The trio, in some form, have been the victim of the strong Crows defensive unit, regularly led by Mark Keane and Josh Worrell in recent years.
As a result, Murray, Butts and Borlase have spent large chunks of their time in the SANFL, leading to interest from Essendon, North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.
"Obviously there's interest. I mean, all the guys can play," Nicks said.
"And the challenge we have is fitting them all into the same team on the weekend.
"We'd love to keep all of our key defenders. They've been here now for four or five years, most of them, and it's a strength of ours is having that next guy ready to step up.
"That's the challenge we're going to deal with."
Butts, an unrestricted free agent, is weighing up a five-year offer from the Western Bulldogs. The Victorian was pursued by the Bulldogs and North Melbourne last year, but opted to remain at West Lakes for another 12 months.
The Crows have put forward a four-year deal on less money to keep him.
"I was pretty happy to stay at the Crows with one year left on the deal, and then the Crows also told me that I'm a required player with them," he told Zero Hanger in March.
"I think being a one-club player is pretty good. At the same time, I just want to put my best foot forward this year and have a strong season."
Since 2021, Butts has felt the pressure of a key defensive squeeze, playing fewer games each year, starting at 22 and dropping to 10 this season. He's currently at nine.
Borlase is also weighing up a two-year deal from Adelaide, with the Bulldogs, Kangaroos and Essendon vying for his signature.
The 24-year-old has produced a breakout year, playing a career-high 14 games.
"We'll just continue to work through that with those guys," Nicks said.
As for Murray, North Melbourne is attempting to pry him out of Adelaide, bringing him across to Arden Street to bolster its backline.
He's played 11 senior games this season.
In last week's loss to Collingwood, Borlase and Murray lined up alongside Worrell. Murray replaced Keane, who was out with illness. Butts was in the SANFL.
