The Crows have secured the signatures of promising young pair Rory Laird and Mitch Grigg for a further two years.

Recruited with Adelaide’s first pick (No.5 overall) in the 2012 Rookie Draft, Laird made his AFL debut against the Western Bulldogs in Round Four after being promoted from the rookie list.

The Round 20 NAB Rising Star nominee has played 15 games, cementing his spot in Adelaide’s inexperienced defence and showing maturity beyond his experience.

The 19-year-old has averaged 18 possessions, four marks and three tackles this season. His average has jumped to 21 possessions and five marks since the mid-season bye.

Grigg, 20, made his AFL debut against Geelong in Round 17 after displaying outstanding SANFL form. Selected with pick No.41 in the 2011 AFL National Draft, Grigg has now played three games for Adelaide – the Club he grew up supporting. The neat left-footer sparked the Crows with 15 possessions and a goal after starting as the substitute against Port Adelaide a fortnight ago, and collected a career-high 18 disposals in his first full game on Sunday.

General Manager of List Development and Strategy David Noble said the Club was pleased to lock away two more of its promising young players, who will remain at the Club until at least the end of 2015.

“Both Rory and Mitch have worked extremely hard and made the most of their opportunities at senior level this year,” Noble said.

“We are really excited to secure a reliable defender in Rory Laird and highly-skilled midfielder Mitch Grigg, and feel these players will play important roles for the side for many years to come.”

Laird and Grigg follow young teammates Daniel Talia, Luke Brown, Matthew Wright, Tom Lynch and Cam Ellis-Yolmen, and experienced trio Ben Rutten, Nathan van Berlo and Brent Reilly in committing to the Crows this year.