Brad Crouch gives an insight to a frustrating 2014 season and his pre-season ambitions
12:16pm Sep 8, 2014
Brad Crouch describes the seemingly innocuous collision that broke his leg
2:18pm Apr 8, 2014
Resident AFL Fantasy expert Brad Crouch puts his own Crows teammates under the microscope
10:11am Feb 26, 2014
6:32pm Jun 29, 2014
Junior clubs: North Ballarat
Clubs: Adelaide
Debut: v Brisbane Lions, Round Two, 2013
Recruited from: North Ballarat
Brownlow votes: 6
The 2013 Rising Star runner-up endured a frustrating 2014. Crouch recovered from a pre-season Achilles injury to line up in Round One, but was forced back onto the sidelines when he fractured his leg in the Showdown the next week. After a tough three months out of the game, the skilful young midfielder returned to help Adelaide to victory against Port Adelaide in Round 15. He showcased his enormous potential in the last nine games of the season, polling more Club Champion votes than any other Crow with the exception of runner-up Rory Sloane.
Crouch lived up to the hype in his debut AFL season, finishing runner-up in the 2013 Rising Star. A hamstring injury cost the talented young midfielder a month on the sidelines early in the year, but he returned to play a total of 14 games, emerging as Adelaide’s best-performed midfielder in the second half of the season. In the last 10 games, Crouch ranked first at the Club in disposals (266) and handball receives (115), second in tackles (47), third in marks (50) and fourth in clearances (40), contested possessions (88) and hard ball-gets (30). His numbers also stacked up with the AFL’s best. From Round 14 onwards, the Ballarat product ranked 12th – level with Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett – in the competition for total disposals, averaging 26.6 possessions per game. Won Adelaide's award for Emerging Talent.
Ineligible for AFL selection in 2012, Crouch developed his game at SANFL club, West Adelaide. A hamstring injury caused him to miss almost two months of football early in the season, but he returned to be part of the Bloods' finals campaign. The talented midfielder got a taste of AFL against Brisbane during pre-season after the League granted him permission to play in the NAB Cup.
Adelaide moved swiftly to secure promising midfielder Crouch, who was eligible to join an AFL club as part of Greater Western Sydney’s 17-year-old ‘mini-draft’. Tough and skilful, the prolific onballer earned All Australian honours at the Under-18 Championships. The North Ballarat teenager, who turned 18 in January, won’t be available for AFL selection until 2013 and will spend his first season at West Lakes developing his game with SANFL club West Adelaide.
| Statistics | Best | Opponent | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kicks | 17 | Port Adelaide | Rd 15 |
| Handballs | 29 | Hawthorn | Rd 17 |
| Disposals | 40 | Hawthorn | Rd 17 |
| Marks | 5 | GWS Giants | Rd 16 |
| Hit-outs | 1 | Brisbane Lions | Rd 20 |
| Tackles | 9 | Collingwood | Rd 18 |
| Goals | 2 | West Coast Eagles | Rd 19 |
| AFL Fantasy | 118 | Brisbane Lions | Rd 20 |
| Rd | Opponent | Result | K | H | D | M | HO | FF | FA | T | G | B | AF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geelong Cats | L 119 - 81 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| 2 | Port Adelaide | L 127 - 73 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 96 |
| 3 | Sydney Swans | L 71 - 134 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | St Kilda | W 50 - 136 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5 | GWS Giants | W 137 - 72 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | Western Bulldogs | W 83 - 92 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 7 | Melbourne | L 67 - 70 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 9 | Collingwood | W 76 - 55 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 10 | Carlton | L 81 - 76 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 11 | Gold Coast Suns | W 109 - 77 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 12 | Fremantle | L 90 - 50 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 13 | North Melbourne | W 109 - 73 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 14 | Essendon | L 101 - 92 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 15 | Port Adelaide | W 99 - 76 | 17 | 11 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 87 |
| 16 | GWS Giants | W 72 - 140 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 107 |
| 17 | Hawthorn | L 92 - 104 | 11 | 29 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 101 |
| 18 | Collingwood | W 82 - 98 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 95 |
| 19 | West Coast Eagles | L 105 - 136 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 106 |
| 20 | Brisbane Lions | W 63 - 168 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 118 |
| 21 | Richmond | L 69 - 79 | 14 | 8 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 95 |
| 22 | North Melbourne | L 101 - 94 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 99 |
| 23 | St Kilda | W 141 - 62 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
| TOTAL | W: 11 - L: 11 | 125 | 147 | 272 | 26 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 61 | 5 | 6 | 1018 |
| Statistics | Best | Opponent | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kicks | 17 | Port Adelaide | Rd 15, 2014 |
| Handballs | 29 | Hawthorn | Rd 17, 2014 |
| Disposals | 40 | Hawthorn | Rd 17, 2014 |
| Marks | 7 | Collingwood | Rd 16, 2013 |
| Hit-outs | 1 | Brisbane Lions | Rd 20, 2014 |
| Tackles | 9 | Collingwood | Rd 18, 2014 |
| Goals | 2 | West Coast Eagles | Rd 19, 2014 |
| AFL Fantasy | 121 | Gold Coast Suns | Rd 14, 2013 |
| Season | Club | K | H | D | M | HO | FF | FA | T | G | B | AF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Adelaide Crows | 125 | 147 | 272 | 26 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 61 | 5 | 6 | 1018 |
| 2013 | Adelaide Crows | 158 | 185 | 343 | 61 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 62 | 4 | 5 | 1289 |
Rising Star Runner-up
2013
Emerging Talent Award
2013
Which player is most likely to look at himself in the mirror after a weights session?
Mitch Grigg
What’s the funniest sledge you’ve heard on the field?
To be honest, I haven’t heard anything that funny
Who would you least like to pair up with in the boxing ring during training?
Jared Petrenko
Who would you like to have kicking for goal after the siren if you are three points down in a Grand Final?
Nathan van Berlo
What is your coach’s favourite saying?
“Don’t stand there hailing cabs”
Which teammate is most likely to be invited to the coach’s place for dinner
Rory Sloane
If you could draft any player into your team, who would it be?
Gary Ablett
If you had the power, what is one thing you would change about the world?
Better equality across all countries
Outside of footy, what would be your dream job?
Professional golfer
If you could appear on any reality show, which one would you choose?
Big Brother
Who has the best taste in music at the club and why?
Tex Walker, great range of classics and Triple J
Who has the worst and why?
Rory Laird, very boring
What meal is your speciality to cook?
Kangaroo steak with salad
What is your favourite TV football show?
After The Bounce
Who is the best-dressed teammate at the club?
Brent Reilly
Who is the worst dressed?
Rory Laird
Who is the most skilful all-round sportsman at the club?
Brent Reilly
What is your favourite way to spend a day off?
Watching a few movies and relaxing
Who was your childhood celebrity crush?
Franchesca Cumani
Which of your teammates fancies himself as a celebrity?
Patrick Dangerfield
Who is your funniest teammate at the club and why?
Matthew Jaensch, cracks everyone up very often
Which teammate is the most likely to tweet a comment while watching a game at home?
Tex Walker
Which teammate would struggle to turn a computer on?
Sam Siggins
Which teammate is most likely to take a ‘selfie’ and post it on Facebook?
Mitch Grigg or ‘Gus’ Graham
