Star forward Eddie Betts will be entertaining Crows fans for years to come after signing a new deal.
In career-best form, Betts has extended his contract for a further three years, tying him to Adelaide until 2020.
The brilliant 30-year-old is one of the most exciting players in the competition.
Betts, who has played 83-consecutive games, hasn’t missed a match since joining the Crows ahead of the 2014 season and has topped the Club’s goalkicking in each of the past three years.
The cult hero kicked a career-high 75 goals last season to finish third in the Coleman Medal.
He was recognised with his second-consecutive All-Australian blazer, finished runner-up in the Crows Club Champion award and top-five in the peer-voted AFL Players’ Association MVP trophy.
He also won Adelaide’s coveted Phil Walsh Best Team Man Award, and claimed back-to-back Goal of the Year crowns – both winners were kicked on the opposite side to the ‘Eddie Betts Pocket’ under the old scoreboard at Adelaide Oval, where adoring fans chant his name.
Betts, who is set to finish his career as a Crow, said he was pleased to re-commit to the Club.
“The Club is in great shape and we have such a positive environment where everyone works really hard but also knows how to make it enjoyable as well,” Betts said.
“Playing finals footy is what it is all about and after experiencing that the last couple of years I know this playing group is capable of much more.
“Everyone at the Club has been really good to me and I love our fans too. They have made my family and I feel so welcome from the first day I arrived.”
Betts, who celebrated his 250th game with a match-winning performance against Port Adelaide in Round 22, has played 253 career matches including 170 with former club Carlton.
He’s kicked 189 goals for Adelaide – ranked ninth all-time at the Club – for a career total of 479. Only West Coast’s two-time Coleman Medallist Josh Kennedy and Sydney Swans superstar Lance Franklin have kicked more goals than the small forward in the past three seasons.
The selfless Betts is also No.1 in the AFL for score assists in the past 10 years (2007 – 2016) and leads the competition in forward 50m tackles since his AFL debut in Round One, 2005.
Popular with teammates and respected by football fans and the wider community, Betts and his young family have also had a profound impact off the field at Adelaide.
Betts – with the support of wife Anna – mentors a number of young Crows, especially the Club’s Indigenous players, and is involved with several charities including the Crows Children’s Foundation.
General Manager List Management and Strategy Justin Reid said Betts is an elite player who had developed into an influential leader on and away from the football field.
“Everyone knows that Eddie is a special talent but he also understands and contributes to our team-first approach and culture,” Reid said.
“His durability is testament to the way he trains and prepares, and he has a clear picture of where we are heading and wants to continue on the journey.”