Rory Laird Biography

Rory Laird joins an exclusive club of Crows greats after winning back-to-back Malcolm Blight Medals as the Crows' best and fairest for 2021 and 2022.

Laird became just the fourth player in club history to win consecutive club champion awards, polling 118 votes to hold off gun recruit Jordan Dawson (114) in a thrilling count.

The 28-year-old, who was named in the 2022 Therabody AFL All-Australian squad, joins Mark Ricciuto, Simon Goodwin and Scott Thompson as a back-to-back winner.

Rory Laird is expected to miss up to six weeks after suffering a broken hand suffered during the Crows' Community Series match against Port Adelaide.

Rory Laird polls 123 votes to win the Malcolm Blight Medal as the Crows best and fairest for the 2021 AFL season.

Rory Laird turns his back on free-agency after signing a five-year contract extension to remain at Adelaide until the end of 2026.

"I love this footy club and the direction we are headed. In my time at the Crows we have had some great moments and some challenging ones but that is all about the journey we are on," Laird said.

"I am really excited by the talent on our list, the coaches we have in place and the next chapter."

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks says Rory Laird will be a permanent midfielder in 2021 after starring in the role when moved into the guts in 2020.

"We were so pleased with what we saw last year when he went into the midfield and he was quite raw," Nicks said.

"We allowed him to play and bring his natural game to that, and as the season played out he got better and better in that position."

Reilly O'Brien claims his maiden Malcolm Blight Medal as the Crows' best and fairest with 81 votes, edging out Rory Laird (80) and Luke Brown (76).

O'Brien, who finished the season with 37 games to his name, becomes the second least experienced Crows club champion behind Matt Connell who won the 1995 count with 24 matches to his name.

Not even missing two games with a hand injury could stop Rory Laird from claiming a comprehensive victory in Adelaide's 2018 best and fairest count.

In a gala function at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Laird claimed the Malcolm Blight Medal on 222 votes, comfortably finishing ahead of last year's winner Matt Crouch (166) and key forward Josh Jenkins (162).

Laird enjoyed a superb individual year, finishing sixth in the League for total disposals and averaging 32.2 disposals per game.

After averaging 38 disposals per game in the opening three rounds of 2018, Rory Laird says he expects opposition teams to start putting work into him to negate his influence.

"It's sort of been discussed a little bit that maybe I can start getting someone come closer to me," Laird said.

"That's just footy, some teams do it, some teams don't. If it does happen, then I've got to be ready for it."

Rory Laird signs a three-year new deal with the Crows to remain with the club until the end of 2021.

"The Crows gave me my first chance at playing AFL when they took me in the rookie draft and it’s nice to be able to repay that faith," Laird said.

"There’s a really positive environment at the club with all the players and coaches driving each other to get better every day."

Matt Crouch claims his first Malcolm Blight medal as the Crows' best and fairest for 2017.

The 22-year-old was a clear winner on 315 votes ahead of two-time club champion Rory Sloane (253) and gun defender Rory Laird (226).

"It's a huge honour and something you don't expect," Crouch said.

"You see the names that have won it before me, so really honoured to be up there tonight."

Crouch finished the 2017 season as the league's leader in disposals with 825.

Rory Laird will be sidelined for up to three weeks with a fractured toe, sustained during Adelaide's win over Fremantle at Adelaide Oval.

Laird spent most of the final term with his foot iced up after jumping up and down in pain after kicking the ball in the first minute of the last quarter.

Rory Laird is in doubt for Adelaide's difficult clash with the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium after hurting his toe against Fremantle.

The 22-year-old sat out the final quarter of the 33-point win over the Dockers with his foot iced up.

"He told me he's had too many kicks, that's why he's a bit sore," teammate Tom Lynch joked.

"He'll be a test this week and we'll see how he gets up and we'll give him every opportunity."

Having established himself as one of the game's leading small defenders last year, Adelaide's Rory Laird is intent on not only taking his game to a new level in 2016, but his leadership too.

"I'm trying to improve my skills as a leader in terms of voice and instructional voice out on the ground," Laird said.

"I think it's definitely improved from where it was in my first two seasons – last year I was a lot more comfortable with the game structures we have in play and actually knowing what I have to do and then being able to help others.

"The more I play the more it will continue to improve."

Rory Laird signs a new three-year deal with the Crows that will keep him at the club until the end of 2018.

Laird is currently averaging almost 23 disposals per game in 2015 at an efficiency rate of 81.1%, up from 16 per game in 2014.

Laird said his great jump forward had been a result of hard work and the confidence that work had produced.

"I was out of the side last year and that was my goal to come back into the team at the start of the year and lock down a position," Laird said.

"A bit of work over the summer with a couple of coaches has helped me with [my disposal] and it's showing on game day with me kicking the ball a bit better than I was last year."

Rory Laird says he believes his aggression and attack on the football is paramount to his success at the top level.

"That's the way Walshy wants us to play, we've got to be strong around the ball and strong around the contest," Laird said.

"Especially down in defence, if you can read the play well and get into positions where you can cut off the ball it sometimes puts you in the way of on-coming players.

"It's something I use personally."

Rory Laird becomes the third Crow to win a Rising Star nomination this season after tallying 24 disposals as a back pocket defender against North Melbourne.

"He's not a sexy defender and probably doesn't stand out in games, but he gets a lot of the footy, makes good decisions and cuts his man out of the play,'' Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson said about Laird.

"Rory is a vital cog in our defence and he's showed some real class and composure for a rookie-listed player in just his first AFL season. His last quarter against North Melbourne was just exceptional.''

Rory Laird makes his AFL debut for Adelaide at Football Park with 8 disposals (4 kicks and 4 handballs) and 5 tackles in a 52-point win over the Western Bulldogs.