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Van Berlo commits to Crows

By Laura Gardiner
18 March 2013 11:26AM EST

ADELAIDE star captain Nathan van Berlo has completed a new three-year deal which will keep him at the Crows until at least the end of the 2016 season.

The deal essentially means Van Berlo, 26, will play out his career at Adelaide.

He joins the likes of Sam Jacobs and rising star Daniel Talia in recommitting to the Crows ahead of the looming new AFL season.

Van Berlo, who played every game for the Crows last season, said the decision to stay was a "no-brainer".

“With the direction the club is heading in at the moment, I certainly want to be a part of it and I’m really excited to be here for another three years,” van Berlo said in a club statement.

“To be able to spend my whole career here means the world to me. I think I owe it to the club for giving me the opportunity in the first place.

"I dreamed about playing AFL footy growing up and the club gave me the chance to live that dream.” 

Van Berlo's new deal snuffed out any speculation that he could have been on the move as a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

The skipper declared he was excited with the direction in which the young group are headed under second-year coach Brenton Sanderson.

“Having three guys re-sign already shows the group is committed to where we want to go. They see we can have success in the future,” Van Berlo said.

“Part of that success, is making sure we get the rest of the group to stick around.

"We’ll have words with (out-of-contract) players if we need to, but I honestly don’t think we’ll need to say too much.

"The boys love the environment here at the footy club and the style of game we play. Sando is great for their development and there’s no reason you wouldn’t want to be around.

“I expect we’ll have the majority of this group here for the future.”

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