The Western Crows have announced that they will add Regional based players Samuel Burdett and Christian Blackie to their retained players list for the 2018 AFL New Zealand Premiership.
The players have been retained through Category 3 of the Retained Players List (RPL): Retention of Regionally based players (Christchurch/ Dunedin/ Wellington) who have not played for the New Zealand Senior team over the past 12 months.
Samuel Burdett
Key defender Sam Burdett has played in two regions within New Zealand representing Waitakere Magpies within the Auckland competition before moving to Christchurch and competing in the Canterbury AFL.
The Cantabrian has played a big role for the Crows over the past two seasons and showed through consistent performances why he is one of the best defenders in the country.
Burdett is a smart key defender who uses his knowledge of the game to beat his opponents.
Christian Blackie
Otago based Christian Blackie has been retained by the Western Crows.
The 19 year old first made his debut for New Zealand in 2016 against the AFL Academy in Wellington and had a strong season in the 2017 AFL New Zealand Premiership.
Blackie was selected in the New Zealand side for the 2017 AFL International Cup but unfortunately broke his hand 48 hours prior to the squad departing.
Christian’s courage around the contested ball area is a real asset to his game and returns to the Crows in 2018 with the hunger to be a better footballer and don the Silver Fern once again in 2018.
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