Adelaide’s newest re-signing Richard Douglas says he knew from the day he arrived at the Club that he wanted to play his whole career in the blue, red and gold.
On Tuesday, it was announced Douglas had inked a new three-year deal. The news came less than 24 hours after teammate Rory Sloane also agreed to a contract extension, tying him to the Crows until at least the end of 2018.
The 2010 Club Champion expressed pride in the likelihood of being a one-club player, saying the Crows would be his “home” long after his career finished.
“You hear (past) players talk about it (being a one-club player); how good a feeling it is and how much it fills them with pride. For me, that’s what I want to do,” Douglas said on Tuesday.
“Pretty much from the day I got to the Club, I knew I wanted to be here throughout my whole career. Once you finish your footy, you’ve got a place to call home. I go to some past player functions and you see the older guys there having a beer and enjoying watching us run around.
“As much as I enjoy footy now, I’m looking forward to that side of it. Once you finish, you can do that with your good mates, who you’ve played your whole career with at one Club.
“I’d like to think I’m a pretty loyal person and that was a really attractive thing for me.”
Douglas held off from re-signing to get a good gauge of new coach Phil Walsh before making his decision to stay about a month ago.
“Obviously, you want to sit back for a little bit and see how things are rolling along. You don’t want to jump in too quickly because it’s a big decision,” Douglas said.
“Walshy has been fantastic and the Club is heading in the right direction, so that was enough for me to agree to terms.
"Results count and they matter, but it’s about what we’re building here … there’s a really strong foundation for where we want to get to. I’m really confident we’ll get to where we want to go.”
Douglas would’ve qualified for Free Agency at the end of the season.
He was supportive of Free Agency for players, but said it wasn’t for him.
“With Free Agency these days, other clubs can put some good offers towards you, but for me it was all about deciding whether or not I wanted to be at the Adelaide Football Club. Once I decided that, no real offers came into play and I was pretty keen to get pen to paper,” he said.
“It (going home) is always a little bit tempting I guess, but I love the Club and I’ve been here 10 years now. We’re in a good position now and have some good times ahead of us, I believe. I’m looking forward to playing a role for the team and bringing on a few young guys.
“For me home is home and it will be there forever. If I want to go back there one day, I can do that.”
Douglas, who has played 160 AFL games, has been limited to five matches this season because of a foot complaint. He made his return in the SANFL prior to the bye and said he was “ready to go” if recalled to the AFL team on Wednesday night.
“I feel in a really good position, physically, and ready to tackle the second half of the year,” he said.
“Hopefully (I get picked) and we can get out there and get a win.”