Twenty of Adelaide’s 21 2019 AFLW premiership players will pull on the tricolours once again in 2020 after re-committing to the Club during the AFLW Trade and Signing Period.
Led by All Australians Ebony Marinoff, Chelsea Randall, Erin Phillips and Stevie-Lee Thompson the re-signings mean the Crows now have 24 players locked in on the list.
Crows General Manager of Football Administration Phil Harper said it was a credit to the players and the culture at the Club that so many players chose to remain at Adelaide.
“We’re absolutely rapt to re-sign 20 of our 21 premiership players, as well as emerging talents Nikki Gore and Maisie Nankivell and our reliable ruck Rhiannon Metcalfe,” Harper said.
“We’re excited to see the group continue to work hard and improve in the coming years.”
Vice-captains Courtney Cramey and Angela Foley will continue to provide their strong leadership to the group.
Defenders Sarah Allan, Marijana Rajcic and Dayna Cox have recommitted to the Club, along with Rising Star nominee Danielle Ponter.
After finishing runner-up in the Club Champion award, ruck Jessica Foley will also be with Adelaide in 2020, as will midfielder Sophie Li.
Marinoff and Randall will be at the Club until at least the end of the 2021 season after both signing two-year deals.
Harper said it was a great show of faith to have valued members of the team stick with the Club.
“Chelsea has made a huge impact on our Club and also in the development of female football across South Australia,” Harper said.
“Chelsea is a fantastic, highly-respected player and an even better person, and we’re thrilled she has chosen to stay a Crow for two more years.
“At 21, Ebony is already a star of the competition and she’s been in the top three of our Club Champion count in all the three seasons.
“Ebony worked hard to take her game to another level this season and we’re excited to see her continue to develop over the next two years.”
While Phillips has signed on for the 2020 season, Harper said she was not confirmed to play given her surgery was only two weeks ago.
“As we know, Erin is a total professional. She is rehabilitating her knee to give herself the best chance of playing again, but we all know there are no guarantees,” Harper said.
“The rules dictate that we have to re-sign our players now, but a decision on Erin’s playing future won’t be made until at least February next year.
“We’ll continue to support Erin, Tracy and the kids throughout the process.”
Harper said forward Ruth Wallace will also return to the primary squad after spending the 2019 season on the inactive list.
“Ruth stepped away from football last season for personal reasons but has since indicated she’d like to return to football,” Harper said.
“So, we have put her back on our list for 2020 and will continue to support her as she builds back towards playing.”
These re-signings come after eight Crows re-committed last week, while a number of players departed the Club.
Re-signed:
Eloise Jones
Angela Foley
Chloe Scheer
Hannah Martin
Nikki Gore
Deni Varnhagen
Ebony Marinoff
Rhiannon Metcalfe
Maisie Nankivell (rookie)
Erin Phillips
Stevie-Lee Thompson
Danielle Ponter
Ailish Considine (rookie)
Sophie Li
Courtney Cramey
Justine Mules
Jessica Foley
Chelsea Randall
Renee Forth
Dayna Cox
Marijana Rajcic
Anne Hatchard
Sarah Allan
Ruth Wallace
