INJURED Adelaide star Brett Burton is in the process of looking over the new contract put to him by the club.
Last week, Burton – who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Collingwood in round 15 – confirmed he'd been offered a new one-year deal but is yet to sign.
Coach Neil Craig said he was confident Burton would re-sign with the club where he started his AFL career 10 years ago.
"My understanding is that Brett has been offered a contract and that he's just weighing up the contents of it," Craig said on Wednesday.
"I want him to stay, but it's up to Brett to be comfortable with the terms and conditions of that contract. It's just like any other contract. It's obviously not of the same financial level that it would’ve been if he were playing, so that’s what Brett needs to weigh up."
Burton, 30, was in career-best form before the knee injury and Craig believed the high-flying forward was capable of playing on beyond 2009.
"We hope Brett can get the knee rehabbed back to a level where he can display the form he has this year because his form was consistent," Craig said.
"He’s played at the level [he reached this year] before, but I think the thing that stood out to us was the consistency of it. He stayed out on the track, he had minimal soreness and I still think he has a significant amount of football left in him provided he can get his knee right."
Burton, who still leads Adelaide's goalkicking this season, is likely to be sidelined until around July next year but Craig said his presence would be vital to the club’s developing forward line.
"Irrespective of what happens, we’re still going to have a young, inexperienced forward line," Craig said.
"You’ve got Kurt Tippett, even Nick Gill’s not experienced at AFL, then there’s Brad Moran, Jason Porplyzia, Richard Douglas and Taylor Walker hopefully if not this year then next year.
"So you can see how young that forward will be in the next two or three years and the thought of a Brett Burton up there makes a bit of sense."
However, another knee-hampered Crow, Trent Hentschel, is yet to be offered a deal for 2009.
Hentschel, who has not played since wrecking his knee late in 2006, returned to play a handful of SANFL games earlier this year, but has more recently been troubled by hamstring complaints.
Likely to miss two more weeks with a hamstring strain, Hentschel hasn’t ruled out the idea of playing more senior footy this year but Craig said a final decision on the unlucky forward's future was likely to be put off until October.
"We're in list management discussions at the moment and I can’t give you a final answer on all that at the moment. Trent comes under discussion and obviously he would because he’s missed a lot of football and he’s had these little injuries," Craig said.
"But I’m really keen for Trent to get his rehab done, push on and show a really good attitude towards it. We’ll make those decisions probably once trade week has finished."
Craig also shrugged off interstate claims that All-Australian full-back Ben Rutten had been courted by Collingwood.
Rutten, a vice-captain of the club, is under contract and Craig said he wouldn’t buy into the innuendo.
"He’s contracted to us and I’d be disappointed to lose Ben Rutten," he said.
"I'd only take it (the suggestion) seriously if Ben Rutten came and talked to me about it. Otherwise you get caught up in all the innuendo and rumours.
"I'd like to think that, with the relationship the club has and I have with Ben Rutten, if it became an issue for him that Ben would come and talk to me about it.
"I can guarantee our supporters he hasn’t and that’s the first I’ve heard of it."