The Crows are confident gun restricted free agent Tom Doedee will turn his back on free agency and re-sign with the club beyond 2023, according to CEO Tim Silvers.
The intercept defender has proven a valuable asset for Adelaide since being take at pick 17 in the 2015 Draft, playing 76 games in the club, including 20 in the 2022 season.
The Geelong Falcons product is rumoured to be a target of Victorian clubs who are looking to lure him back to his home state. Silvers though, has indicated that he believes the once-interim captain of the club will remain at West Lakes.
โI don't have a specific update as yet,โ Silvers told SEN's Sportsday.
โBut I'm confident in that Tom will stay with our footy club... He's in his eighth year and he's been a terrific servant... He's a wonderful leader, a great person and he's been part of this build... I think he's really invested in the club, and we hope to open negotiations on his contract in the coming weeks."
โLike I said, I'm really confident he'll be a Crow next year.โ
While the Crows have been in a rebuild phase as of late, drafting young talent and trading for elite players such as Jordan Dawson or Izak Rankine, they remain intent on securing their existing key players for the long-term.
As a 26-year-old key defender in his prime, Doedee would likely have multiple suitors wanting to lure him across the border, however Adelaide is keen to market themselves as a destination club by keeping and continuing to add to, their current squad.
โThat's the tagline we're after,โ Silvers said.
โWe're starting to build what we think is a really good culture, we've got a great coach in Matthew Nicks, and we've got some really talented players that want to play for our club and stick with our club.
โWe think we're doing the right things, there's no doubt we'll target some talent to add to our list next year. But we also think we've got a pretty solid base and we've got to retain the talent we have which we probably haven't in the past.
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โFocus on our own backyard, but we know we need a sprinkling of elite talent. When we look at trading in players or free agents, it needs to be more targeted on our needs and not necessarily just South Australians.โ
Following a strong start to season 2023, the Crows have become one of the AFL's most watchable teams, particularly during Thursday night's opening game of the historic Gather Round, where they blew away a Carlton outfit many had pegged to make the top four.
