Four years ago, Jordan Dawson walked in the doors at the Adelaide Football Club excited to be home in SA and on the list of the Club he supported growing up.
His only goal at that time was to play good footy, and earn the respect of his new teammates, coaches, as well as the Crows faithful.
Now the 28-year-old is halfway through his third year as Captain, and has committed to the Crows until at least the end of 2029, after signing a contract extension.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday after his contract extension was announced, Dawson said he was grateful for his journey so far.
“I didn’t really look too far ahead to be honest, when I first signed, I just wanted to come in and earn the respect of the team and the Club, and the supporters and play my best footy,” Dawson said.
“I didn’t come in thinking I was going to be Captain or anything like that, but I am extremely grateful for how it’s turned out.
“It’s such a privilege to sign on, I am really honoured to represent the Club, as Captain, and to play for a Club I barracked for growing up.
“For them to have faith in me to sign me for a few more years means a lot to me.”
Although he was already contracted until the end of 2027, Dawson said he had no hesitation extending for a further two years.
“I am excited by the future of the Club and where we are heading,” Dawson said.
“I just want to focus on footy, and focus on the team, and how we are performing week-in-week-out.”
Dawson joined Adelaide via a trade with Sydney at the end of 2021 and was named Captain ahead of the 2023 season.
He has since gone from strength-to-strength, winning back-to-back Malcolm Blight Medals across the past two years, and being named in the All-Australian side in 2023.
Dawson is in the midst of another standout season with the Crows, averaging 24 disposals, seven tackles, 4.9 marks and 4.2 clearances.
But he isn’t satisfied and says he still has plenty of growth ahead of him.
“There’s a number of things that I think have helped me along the way and obviously the coaches have helped develop me and my game - that’s been a massive part of me being able to perform at a high level,” Dawson said.
“I think I’ve still got so much I want to improve on and get better at. I think as a group it’s definitely the most consistent we’ve been able to play and that’s due to the other guys performing around me.
“I feel like all of our leaders are playing good footy, all our young guys coming through have shown such great development.
“Individually, I know I’ve got more to give, but also the group, I feel like we’ve matured as well and we are playing good footy on the back of that.”
Crows Senior Coach Matthew Nicks praised Dawson as a person and a footballer, labelling him a great role model.
“He’s performed exceptionally well since he’s arrived at the footy Club on and off-field,” Nicks said.
“We saw some standout attributes when we watched him play (for Sydney).
“That in combination with the competitor that he is, the authenticity that he works with - we were confident of what we were going to see.
“The most impressive part is just how Jordan is as a person, we knew that coming in, we knew the family, we knew the background of why he was who he was and we knew he’d fit into our culture.”