Three players and two long-serving football department staff members were awarded Adelaide Football Club life membership on Monday night.

Reigning Club Champion Rory Laird, retired defender Luke Brown and ruckman Sam Jacobs, who all played in Adelaide’s last grand final in 2017, were recognised at an event at the National Wine Centre.

Laird is one of Adelaide’s great success stories after being recruited from West Adelaide in the 2011 rookie draft and going on to become a three-time best-and-fairest winner and dual All-Australian.

He made his AFL debut in 2013 and within two years was named in the All-Australian squad. He claimed his first All-Australian jacket in 2017 and followed that with another in 2018 when he also won his first Malcolm Blight Medal as Adelaide’s Club Champion.

Last year the hard-running defender turned prolific ball-winning midfielder joined the likes of Andrew McLeod, Mark Ricciuto and Simon Goodwin in becoming a three-time Club Champion when he won back-to-back best-and-fairest awards for 2021 and 2022.

A model of consistency, Laird has also placed in the top three of Malcolm Blight Medal voting in seven of the past eight seasons, and in Round 21 last year celebrated his 200^th game with a superb 36-disposal, two-goal performance.

Brown made a name for himself as a mainstay in Adelaide’s defence for over a decade after joining the Crows from Norwood via a trade with GWS at the end of 2011.

He debuted in 2012 and the following year won the Mark Bickley Emerging Talent Award and was nominated for the AFL’s Rising Star.

The South Australian went on to play 189 games for the Club and built a reputation as one of the most reliable defenders in the competition, twice finishing inside the top-10 in the best-and-fairest before retiring in 2022.

Jacobs remains one of the most popular players to have worn the Adelaide jumper after a stellar 212-game career across three AFL clubs.

He was traded to West Lakes in 2010 from Carlton where he played 17 games and worked hard to establish himself as the lead ruckman in the team.

A pre-season premiership and best team man award were followed by three Showdown Medals as Jacobs stamped himself as a genuine big-game performer in 2012, 2014 and 2017.

He finished top five in Club Champion voting in four seasons, was nominated for the All Australian squad three times and ranks third in AFL history for all-time hit-outs with 6789.

Since retiring as a player, Jacobs has worked in a full-time engagement role with the Club’s administration and helped coach the Crows’ SANFL team.

Two others who were awarded life membership to the Club were Dr Steve Kennett and former recruiter Stephen McCrystal.

Dr Kennett started with Adelaide in 1996 and has provided 26 years of continuous service, often going above and beyond to put the needs of players, coaches and staff members ahead of his own. Throughout his time with the Club he has been renowned for his strong work ethic, professional approach and strong relationships he has forged with his colleagues.

McCrystal’s contribution to the Club spanned 26 years from 1995 to 2021, beginning as a forward scout analysing opposition teams before moving into a part-time recruiting role in 2012 and then full-time in 2014.

For almost three decades he was one of the Club’s unsung heroes, responsible for identifying many draftees and helping list management assemble Adelaide’s playing squads, and on many occasions he would travel to three different states on a single weekend to watch and provide detailed analysis on games.