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Crows lock in key defender after career-best season

AFL · Staff writers · 2026-08-17T07:26:19+00:00 · nguồn gốc

ADELAIDE has received a boost ahead of finals, with out-of-contract defender James Borlase signing a new deal at the club. Borlase is enjoying a career-best season having played 16 AFL games and his re-signing comes amid interest from rival clubs, including the Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and Essendon. But he has signed a fresh three-year contract, keeping him at West Lakes until the end of 2029. The Crows' attention will now turn to re-signing fellow talls Jordon Butts and Nick Murray, who are also in the sights of opposition clubs. Butts, who has recently been overlooked for AFL selection, is considering a five-year contract offer from the Western Bulldogs. The Crows are believed to have tabled a four-year deal at significantly less money than the Dogs' offer. And North has expressed interest in trying to lure Murray, despite him being under contract for another season. "Obviously there's interest. I mean, all the guys can play,” coach Matthew Nicks said last month. "And the challenge we have is fitting them all into the same team on the weekend. "We'd love to keep all of our key defenders. "They've been here now for four or five years, most of them, and it's a strength of ours is having that next guy ready to step up. "That's the challenge we're going to deal with."