Adelaide vice-captain Ben Keays has extended his time at the club, penning a new deal that locks him away until the end of 2027.
Since joining the Crows ahead of the 2020 season, Keays' consistency has been second to none, finishing top five in the club's best and fairest counts in three of the four years at West Lakes.
Keaysa signs on! โ๏ธ๐
Details: https://t.co/V4mosfHcbh#weflyasone pic.twitter.com/pNaZAYmcNu
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) April 15, 2024
Playing multiple roles under coach Matthew Nicks, the former Lion has found his best position as a pressure forward, while finding ways to hit the scoreboard and nullify key players from the opposition.
Keays was recruited by the Crows in the rookie draft at the end of 2019 after starting his career at Brisbane where he played 30 games in four seasons.
Adelaide GM of List Management and Strategy Justin Reid has been impressed by what the 27-year-old has contributed to the side and is not surprised as to why, given his professionalism.
โWe couldn't be more pleased with what Ben has brought to our team since joining us four years ago,โ Reid said.
โHe's incredibly professional and hard-working which sets an example for his younger teammates to follow and is a big reason why he's one of our vice-captains.
โOn the field, he has embraced a role change which at times sees him sacrifice parts of his own game for the benefit of the team, and that's something we value very highly.โ
Keays said he was very optimistic about the Club's future and excited to sign on for three more seasons.
โI'm also very grateful that the Club gave me a chance in 2019 and hopefully I've been able to repay some of that faith,โ Keays said.
โI love where the group is heading and I'm extremely optimistic that we are set up to have some sustained success in the future.โ
After a disappointing opening month which yielded four losses, the Crows are finally on the board, defeating Carlton at Marvel Stadium by two points.
Keays was a key contributor in the side's first victory of the season, slotting three goals from his 20 disposals.
The Crows are up for the fight today as Ben Keays has THREE ๐
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๐ข MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/dDlhdQ7vOh pic.twitter.com/v5Pylalb8R— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) April 13, 2024
Adelaide will look to continue their winning form when they host Essendon at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.