AFL 2021: All Adelaide news and injury updates ahead of Round 13
Almost every club tried their hand at getting Brad Crouch, but in the end the Saints lured him away from Adelaide. This is what happened behind the scenes.
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It would have been a bold move to trade your freshly-crowned club champion who still had a year to go on his contract.
But that’s exactly what the management of Brad Crouch asked Adelaide to do.
The destination was not St Kilda. It was Gold Coast.
With the sun and the surf lifestyle, a positive view of the Suns’ young list and the club willing to offer him big money and multiple years, a move to the Gold Coast for Crouch got to advanced discussions.
But there was one big sticking point – Crouch still had that year sitting on his contract at West Lakes.
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Despite Gold Coast boasting a serious draft hand of picks No.1, 2, 15 and 20, the Crows wanted to keep their star midfielder.
With a whole-of-club review behind them after two years out of the eight that followed their 2017 Grand Final appearance, plus a belief that cultural issues had been sorted and a new senior coach in Matthew Nicks, the Crows had hope that they could convince the Victorian to stay long-term.
But within a year, Crouch had departed West Lakes.
As the Saint prepares to take on his former club for the first time, this is how it happened.
“I COULDN’T EVEN WALK”
For Crouch, like the rest of the Crows, 2018 was a year to forget.
Maddeningly for the Ballarat product, he couldn’t even get on the park.
After carrying a niggling groin injury throughout 2017, things went from bad to worse.
“I probably got to a stage with my groins in 2018 where I couldn’t even walk without being in real pain,” he told RSN.
“I honestly thought I’d never play footy again, so I was thinking (heading into 2019) I’ve got one more year on my contract I’m going to start looking at what else I can do.”
Surgery alleviated the pain and after missing all of 2018, Crouch returned to action in 2019.
While the Crows again disappointed and coach Don Pyke eventually stood down, Crouch was a rare bright light.
He played all 22 games, averaged 30 disposals a game and notched 14 Brownlow votes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, after fearing his career was over, Crouch looked to leverage his career-best season.
New manager Garry Winter of W Sports and Media, who he joined during the season, sought a deal of $1 million a year for five or six years.
There were several rivals interested, with Gold Coast at the front of the line.
“There was a little bit happening at the end of 2019 with Gold Coast,” Crouch said.
“I was pretty stale then and was thinking of coming up there at one stage but … I was under contract.
“A trade was never going to get done. Adelaide wasn’t open to it.”
CROWS SAY NO TO FIVE
Conjecture about Crouch’s future, including whether the Crows should package him and brother Matt to reap draft picks, was still a major talking point when Nicks arrived at West Lakes.
“Of course (keeping him will be a priority), Brad Crouch is an outstanding player, he’s won the best-and-fairest off a fantastic season and you want to keep good players around the organisation,” Nicks said at his first media conference at Crows coach.
“I had a chat to Brad about an hour ago and to Matt, we’ll be doing our best to keep him here and part of that is continuing to improve our culture.”
This week, Nicks said he had thought at times during 2020 that Crouch, whose partner is from South Australia, would be persuaded to stay.
But the Crows never offered Crouch the five years that may have sealed a deal.
THE SUITORS
Pretty much every AFL list manager called the Crouch team.
What would have been a stunning move to Port Adelaide wasn’t discounted, with Crouch’s love of Adelaide combined with his good relationship with then Port assistant coach Scott Thompson and the direction of Ken Hinkley’s program all contributing factors.
But thoughts of a controversial cross-town move were dropped as the Victorian clubs made their moves.
Gold Coast’s salary cap and list situation meant that the Suns were out of the race, with Geelong the early frontrunner.
But the Cats’ moves on Jeremy Cameron and Shaun Higgins meant they didn’t have the cap space to offer Crouch what he wanted.
Richmond registered its interest, as did Essendon. The Crows considered the Bombers to be their star’s most likely destination.
But buoyed by the sell by Brett Ratten and St Kilda’s fine 2020 campaign it was the Saints who won out.
THE BUST
Before Crouch said yes to the Saints, and they committed to him, there was the late-night incident that nearly changed everything.
Along with the now dumped Tyson Stengle, Crouch was pulled over by police in a taxi during the Crows’ end of season celebrations in the Adelaide CBD.
Police found the pair with cocaine. Both were hit with suspensions, with it contributing to Stengle and the Crows parting ways.
And it looked to potentially derail a big money move for Crouch.
But over Zoom calls with the teams still interested in him, Crouch spoke of a one-off error.
St Kilda was still keen and offered him a five-year deal on big money.
THE BLUFF
Once it became apparent that the rebuilding Crows were in line to win their first wooden spoon, the potential of Crouch leaving raised a very tasty proposition for Adelaide fans.
Finish bottom and they get the first pick of the draft.
If Crouch left and his contract triggered a first-round compensation pick then the Crows would get the second pick as well.
Normally Adelaide would have been in line for that compensation if Crouch’s five-year deal was to be above $700,000 a year.
But the AFL last year informed clubs that players must be in the top 5 per cent of earners for their age bracket to trigger first-round compensation — and that would come at the league’s discretion.
At 26 when the contract was offered, Crouch’s deal with the Saints would be compared to big-money contracts signed by players aged 25 and above — before they took pay cuts in the wake of Covid-19 austerity measures.
The Advertiser understands that Crouch’s contract at the Saints is a lucrative across the five-years, but when it came to compensation the AFL offered the Crows pick No.23.
Adelaide wanted more, and St Kilda didn’t want to give up its pick No.17.
So for a couple of days the two clubs put on their poker faces.
Upon returning from Maroochydore with his partner, Crouch made public his desire that the Crows don’t match the Saints offer.
Adelaide tried to get other clubs involved to make the deal better from its end, but with the knowledge that the Crows had never entertained giving Crouch the five-year deal he wanted, the Saints sat firm.
While Crouch was playing golf, the Crows waited until the last minute to inform the AFL that they would accept the Band 3 compensation.
Initially the fans raged, and Crows head of football Adam Kelly said he needed to get better at poker.
But Adelaide was in a position where it could salvage little, having maintained for so long that Crouch wouldn’t get a five-year deal.
THE WINNER?
Arguably both sides can be pleased to an extent.
Although the Saints have disappointed in 2021, Crouch got the big money and long-term security contract he wanted.
Adelaide’s compensation pick eventually slid back to No. 28 on draft night, and the Crows took tough midfielder Sam Berry.
Berry has played 10 games in his debut season for the Crows and appears to have a big role to play in Nicks’ plans for the Adelaide rebuild.
But while hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it would have been a call few if any other club would make, would the Crows have made the same decision in 2019 if they had their time again?
Nicks still at a loss to find Fogarty’s best spot
Matthew Nicks says he would be lying if he had figured out where Darcy Fogarty’s best position is after a trial around the ball.
But the Crows senior coach says that isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Fogarty after he and Lachie Murphy became the latest players to re-sign at West Lakes.
Fogarty and Murphy have penned new two-year deals, joining the large group of players to recommit to the club in 2021.
Murphy, 22, is out of the side after suffering a syndesmosis injury in Showdown 49 while Fogarty, 21, is back playing as a key forward for the Crows after Nicks gave him a stint as a big-bodied midfielder.
Fogarty said he was enjoying being back in the forward line, although he was prepared to go back into the midfield if required.
“Loving being up forward, the way we are moving it from the midfield is really good and we have a good balance and starting to build a good connection up there,” he said.
“Not fussed to be honest. I liked being in the mid, it was good to get around the ball.
“It was a challenge and one that I look back on and grow from. It was a great opportunity going up against (Nat) Fyfe and (Ben) Cunnington, people who can really teach you a lot about what you are doing.
“It was a great experience and I loved it. Hopefully it will come up again.
“Going in the middle gives you opportunities, it adds a string to your bow and gives you an opportunity to get around the ball if things are going well ahead of it.”
Nicks said it would be good for Fogarty to learn multiple roles.
“I’d be lying if I said I figured out if I had (decided on his best position),” Nicks said.
“And we are not in a rush to make that decision. I think the positive thing in all of this is that Darcy has shown that he can play some pretty good footy in and round the ball.
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“We know he can be a very good forward, especially when he has that man status and plays a bit deeper and is able to keep himself in range of goal.
“We need to be careful to not put him in a spot and say that it is. Even in games we love the opportunity to put a bigger body Darcy Fogarty in and around the footy and let him crash into the opposition.
“I like what he was doing there but I think you’ll find as a player he is more comfortable in front of the ball because he has done that for a lot longer in his junior career.”
Fogarty said he was learning off the defenders he had been going up against now he was back in the forward line.
“I’ve had some really big roles on players like Darcy Moore, (Jeremy) McGovern and (Jake) Lever and I’ve been able to match up on them, position myself on them and learning off them when they go for the ball,” he said. l
“Essentially just reading off him. There are sometimes when I need to go to the ball and work off our structure but in general play if I can learn off where he goes because good defenders are going to go to the ball.
“If I am ever getting lost I go back to them and restart.”
Fogarty has kicked an accurate 39.9 in his 33 AFL games to date but along with Taylor Walker had an off-night in front of goals in the Crows loss to Collingwood last week.
He said goalkicking had been the focus of a competition, with the prize a free lunch at Gauchos.
“Tex is paying,” he said.
HILARIOUS WAY YOUNG CROWS WAS TOLD OF DEBUT
Josh Worrell might have found himself on the end of yet another practical joke from Taylor Walker prior to training.
But this was quickly usurped by the young defender finding out he would make his debut for Adelaide when the Crows head to Cairns to take on St Kilda on Saturday night.
The 20-year-old defender had to retrieve his car from the goalsquare at West Lakes on Thursday, but the laughs from teammates quickly turned to cheers when Worrell was informed he would debut against the Saints.
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Adelaide senior coach Matthew Nicks said it was a long deserved chance for Worrell after some strong form in the SANFL.
“It is great for Josh and the group because he is well liked around the group,” he said.
“He had a bit of a laugh today at training when he found out in his car.
“Some of the boys enjoy a practical joke.
“It’s good for Joshy he was in some really good form about three weeks ago and we made the decision to stick with the team we had in.
“He has been doing some really good things down back under pressure at SANFL level, where we have had 50 or 60 inside 50s against us. So we think it is time, just prior to the bye to give him a look.”
Nicks said Worrell’s flexibility of being able to handle both tall and small forwards would serve him well in his AFL debut.
And as for the culprit behind the prank on Worrell on Thursday morning, Nicks said there was only one candidate – Taylor Walker.
“He’s done too many practical jokes at the moment the Texan,” Nicks said.
“It’s the Boy who Cried Wolf, I’m trying to teach him that story.
“At some point it is going to backfire on him.”
Walker is expected to be fine for the clash against the Saints, despite a small strain just above his calf.
“He has a small strain in the area on the top of his calf just below the knee, it’s not something that is going to affect him at all,” Nicks said.
“He feels cherry ripe.”
Sam Berry will return to the side after sitting out the loss to Collingwood through the AFL’s concussion protocols.
Nicks said it took him a little bit longer than usual to get over the defeat to the Magpies, especially after the Crows poor start to the match.
“We were really disappointed in the way that we performed,” he said.
“It was an opportunity … and that stung a little bit.”
Nicks dismissed any notion that the Crows are struggling in games they are expected to win, with losses to Hawthorn and Fremantle adding to the Magpies defeat – especially when Adelaide has shocked Geelong and Melbourne in 2021.
“We haven’t been favourites a lot during the year so it is not that we aren’t able to handle the expectation,” he said.
“Although on the weekend we didn’t perform to the level we had in the weeks prior.
“So I don’t see it as our guys aren’t playing to expectation, they really enjoy the challenge of playing the best in the competition.”
Adelaide will travel to Cairns on a charter plane on Friday before returning on a commercial flight on Sunday.
After the club was fined $50,000 for players and staff not properly wearing masks on a flight back from Sydney Nicks said the message would be very blunt and direct the time around.
Crows contract frenzy continues as duo sign on
Two more Adelaide players have penned new contracts at West Lakes.
Darcy Fogarty and Lachlan Murphy have become the 13th and 14th to players to re-sign for the Crows, both extending their deals for an extra two-years.
Drafted with pick 12 in 2017, Fogarty is seen as an important part of the Crows forward line in the future – establishing himself in Matthew Nicks’ side this year.
Murphy was a rookie selection and has become a vital small forward for the Crows.
He started running again on Thursday after suffering a syndesmosis injury in the Showdown last month.
Adelaide list manager Justin Reid said the club was thrilled to re-sign the duo.
We are obviously really pleased that Darcy and Lachy have both re-signed and bought into the direction we are headed,” he said.
“They are young and exciting players who took different paths to get to our club but have worked hard to establish their place in the team and they are an important part of our future.”
Fogarty said it was a straightforward decision to re-sign with the Crows.
“I’ve enjoyed my first three-and-a-half seasons at Adelaide and I’m seeing improvement from working on my game and with my coaches,” Fogarty said.
“I love the club, I love the team and believe in where we are headed, we are a young group developing together and I’m looking forward to being a part of the future.”
Tex speaks out on Covid breach
Big-kicking Crows forward Taylor Walker says he wishes the passenger on the commercial flight from Sydney to Adelaide who took photographs of players incorrectly wearing their Covid-19 masks had spoken up at the time.
On Saturday, the Crows were fined $50,000 by the AFL for breaching strict Covid protocols after photos emerged of players and staff incorrectly wearing masks on a flight.
Speaking on Triple M’s breakfast show in Adelaide, Walker told co-hosts Mark Ricciuto and Chris Dittmar that the players and staff who incorrectly wore their masks did so because it’s not yet a habit for them.
“No. 1, we do put our hand up and say, ‘Look, we were in the wrong, obviously’,” he said.
“It’s not a habit for everyone in the world, it’s (a habit) we need to create as a whole world.
“(Wearing masks is) something new, so we need to continue to help each other out.
“And that’s the one thing that we spoke about as a club, that if you see a mate with a mask not fully on, just tell him, and that’s something that I wish that lady would have said to myself or others on the flight.”
Walker, who’s bagged 36 goals for the season already, placing him second in the Coleman Medal count, said he hoped that people in the general community would feel comfortable telling footballers and their staff that their masks were not being worn appropriately.
But Ricciuto pointed out: “They (airline stewards) did say it to some players and then they pulled it down as soon as the flight attendant went away”.
To which Walker responded: “I can only speak for myself, she didn’t say anything to me”.
“Yes, we were wrong, it’s not a habit for us, currently, and we need to make it a habit because it makes other people feel uncomfortable and it’s against the rules.”
CROWS SWEAT ON TEX SCANS AS DEFENDER RULED OUT
Crows defender Luke Brown will miss Saturday night’s game against St Kilda due to Achilles soreness and veteran forward Taylor Walker is set to have scans on his right leg.
Brown was substituted off during Adelaide’s Round-1 win over Geelong and since missed two games, including last weekend’s loss to Collingwood.
The Crows hope sitting out the match in Cairns will ensure he is available after the club’s Round-14 bye.
Walker has been cleared of significant structural damage to his knee but is being sent for scans as a precaution because he has pulled up sore from an awkward landing in a marking contest during the first quarter of the Collingwood game.
He has booted 36 goals from 11 matches this season to rank second in the competition.
“(Brown) is an important player for us and a leader in defence,” Crows football manager Adam Kelly told the club’s website.
“It’s hoped that after the bye he will be in a better position to resume playing.
“Taylor Walker landed awkwardly in the first quarter on the weekend and subsequently reported some pain below his knee on his right leg, on the outside of that leg.”
First-year midfielder Sam Berry is expected to be available after recovering well during the AFL’s 12-day concussion protocols.
He copped a head knock in the loss to Richmond and missed the match against the Magpies.
Lachlan Gollant will return to Adelaide’s SANFL side against Sturt on Sunday if he passes a fitness test on a finger injury.
Gollant rejoined main training last week, three months after rupturing a tendon in his finger, which required surgery.
CROWS TO FEED OFF COVID BREACH IN CROUCH REUNION
Operation “Prepare to face Brad Crouch” is in full swing at Adelaide, as Crows players continue to self-quarantine in their homes, waiting out the SA Health-imposed 48-hour lockdown period after playing Victorian team Collingwood on Saturday night.
The Crows will undergo Covid testing at the club’s West Lakes headquarters on Monday evening — exactly 48 hours after their five-point loss to the Magpies — and if all return negative results overnight will be out of home quarantine by Tuesday morning, ready for their first training session of the week.
Then the focus will be on turning around the skill errors and wayward shots at goal that cost Adelaide the game, before they take on St Kilda in Far North Queensland on Saturday night.
Crows’ ruckman Reilly O’Brien said a lot of players had already started discussing the fact they’ll be taking on their former club champion, Brad Crouch, for the first time since the 27-year-old exited Adelaide after 95 games.
Crouch used his rights as a restricted free agent at the end of the 2020 season and signed a lucrative five-year deal to join the Saints.
“I’m good friends with Brad and a lot of the boys are and it will be great coming up against him,” O’Brien said.
“He’s a great competitor and he’s playing really good footy, so definitely can’t wait to butt heads with him. It will be good fun.”
Last season, Crouch played 12 games for the Crows and averaged 22 disposals, 3.75 tackles, 4.9 clearances and 3 inside-50s.
In his new Saints colours, he’s played 10 games so far and is averaging 25.9 disposals, 6.2 tackles, 5.5 clearances and 3.1 inside-50s.
The Crows will be back on a plane this weekend bound for Queensland and O’Brien said there wouldn’t be a repeat of the Covid breach, which saw the club fined $50,000, after an AFL investigation found five players and three staff members had not worn face masks properly on a commercial flight.
O’Brien said the team had discussed the fact that it was up to each individual player to ensure the protocols were adhered to properly.
“When the mask came down to drink or eat and it stayed down for an extra minute or two, (we needed to) to pull each other,” he said.
“That also translates into games, being there for each other and not just looking after yourself but looking after the bloke next to you and pulling them up when he needs to be pulled up, that’s one of the main things we’re trying to drive as part of our culture.”
O’Brien wasn’t expecting the 48-hour lockdown to hamper their preparation for facing St Kilda.
“We went into the club on Sunday as a squad to do some recovery and we’ll go into the club again on Monday afternoon ahead of our Covid testing to do the training we need to do,” he said.
“Other than that, we’re at home, not able to go for a walk … just laying low and doing some stretching at home.
“It shouldn’t affect our preparation too much, we’re out by Tuesday, it’s just what we need to do to play, so certainly no complaints.”
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