Adelaide Crows premiership star Renee Forth to fly back into the nest for the 2020 season

After a quiet start to the AFLW’s sign and trade period, another Crows player has announced that she’ll return for the club’s premiership defence.

• Erin Phillips caps brilliant season with Crows B&F
• AFLW Trade Week: Crows want to stick together
• Katie Brennan: Why I left the Bulldogs for Richmond

Crows premiership player Renee Forth has re-signed with the club for the 2020 AFLW season.

While the official paperwork is yet to be lodged with AFL headquarters, Forth confirmed she had put pen to paper in a social media post: “I’ll be back next season to do it again … keep that Crows gear mum and dad”.

The 32-year-old midfielder joins fellow West Australian Chelsea Randall who has also publicly stated she will remain in Crows colours next year.

Renee Forth takes on Geelong’s Georgia Clarke during the 2019 AFLW season. PHOTO: SARAH REED

Forth, who arrived at Adelaide for the 2019 season via a trade with GWS, had a standout year after struggling with injury and form at the Giants.

She played in all nine games this season and averaged 10 disposals — up from six in 2018 — with 55 per cent efficiency.

Forth had been in discussions with expansion club West Coast about potentially returning to her home state.

But Eagles head of women’s football, Adam Selwood, said those talks determined that the best place for Forth was in Adelaide with the Crows.

“We have known Renee for a long time and we’ve got a really good relationship with her and she’s at a wonderful club in the Crows who we respect really highly,” Selwood said.

“With what she’s gone through this year, winning a premiership and the challenge of being at GWS and moving across, collectively, all of us have had conversations … and we think we best spot or position with her career is to be with the Crows for at least another 12 months.”

Forth is the second player to commit to returning to the Crows nest next year and more will follow early next week.

The Advertiser understands a number of young, high-profile premiership players — many of whom have been courted by lucrative deals to join Victorian expansion clubs — will be announced as re-signing early next week as the club plans next year’s premiership defence.

Adelaide’s head of football operations Phil Harper has said previously that the Crows’ main aim during this year’s AFLW sign and trade period was to keep their grand final winning team together as much as possible, which looks set to happen.

Meanwhile, the Crows premiership team will be honoured with a civic reception at the Adelaide Town Hall on Wednesday evening, hosted by SA Premier Steven Marshall and Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor.