NORTH Melbourne has taken a giant step towards consolidating its list, re-signing classy midfielder Daniel Wells for two years.
It has ended ongoing speculation of Wells returning to his native Western Australia at the end of the season, with chief executive Eugene Arocca making the announcement from the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on Tuesday.
"We're extremely excited about the fact that we've got a talented young man who's committed to the club for the next two years," he said. "He's a popular player amongst the playing group, he's respected by the playing group and in particular by the indigenous players at our club.
"It's an endorsement of not only the playing group, but also the whole organisation."
Wells' commitment complements new deals for a long line of players in the last two months, including important big men Drew Petrie and Hamish McIntosh, defenders Michael Firrito and Daniel Pratt, onballer Brady Rawlings and forward Corey Jones.
Up to four more players could follow in the coming weeks.
The 23-year-old, while reserved, suggested he would like to see his career out with North Melbourne and was thrilled to have this contract locked away.
"It's fantastic," he said. "My manager and the club have been working pretty hard the last couple of weeks and knocked it over pretty quickly. I just look forward to playing some good footy.
"The club have been fantastic for me, not just with footy but off the field as well [with] some issues where they're really helped me out. [I'm] just repaying the faith.
"The playing group is fantastic and it's a huge reason why I've signed back up."
The Roos are keen to ensure Wells remains a one-club player and Arocca said he would be happy to re-visit those discussions when they're next required.
"There's a mix of two- and three-year deals," he said, acknowledging the raft of re-signings this year.
"I think you've got to respect both the player's and the manager's intentions and obviously the clubs have to look at the various commercial realities of long-term deals.
"This is something that was a relatively short discussion. It was really a question of when Daniel was ready to sit down and talk. As soon as that happened, it was pretty much done and dusted in two weeks.
"Daniel's a young man who wants to see where he is in two years' time and he'll make a decision then as to continue on with the club. We'd be pretty confident that he'll want to be a part of this club long-term."
Wells was selected by North Melbourne with the second pick overall in the 2002 National Draft and made his debut in round one, 2003. He has since played 120 games.
