Moneyball: Brad Crouch isn’t expecting a new Adelaide deal soon, Alex Rance content with life away from AFL
Adelaide midfielder Brad Crouch has made the surprise admission he’s willing to play anywhere next year and that one club “might have” already spoken to his manager.
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Adelaide midfielder Brad Crouch is not ruling out any club as a potential destination for next year and beyond.
But while he does expect talks to drag on beyond the end of the season, teammate Rory Laird said his fellow Crows won’t be “in his face” about re-signing.
The out-of-contract Crow, said on Monday that cross-town rival Port Adelaide “might have” spoken to his manager.
And he has declared that he knows his management would “definitely” be speaking with others.
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“I haven’t spoken to my manager about specific sides,” Crouch told Channel 9.
“I know definitely he’d be having conversations with different teams at the moment, about different deals and what other teams need and stuff like that.
“But there’s no one I’m ruling out at the moment.”
Crouch, who is set to become one of the most highly-sought free agents if a deal at the Crows can’t be reach, has not spoken personally to any club, but said this week he still had not come to a decision on whether he wanted to stay or go.
“The way that it’s sort of heading it doesn’t look like anything’s going to be done either way soon, so it looks likely that it’ll go into the off-season,” he said.
“I just want to go out there and play footy and I think that’s the only thing I can control at the moment.”
Laird said he did not intend to raise the issue with Crouch.
“It’s something I won’t really speak to him about — I don’t think any of the guys are really in his face about it,” he said.
“It’s a matter of his decision and what he wants to do, so I think the club obviously want him to stay — he’s a reigning best and fairest (winner) and a quality player — and I think if you asked 100 per cent of our list, they’d say the same thing.
“It’s not something that I’ll personally get involved in, and I think it’s up to Brad and his manager and speaking to the club.”
RANCE HAPPY IN RETIREMENT
Richmond would recontract Alex Rance in a heartbeat if he was keen to reignite his career but the five-time All-Australian is content in retirement.
Rance has told friends as recently as last week that, at this stage, he is more than happy in retirement and has no plans to come back to football.
The Tigers or a rival team would have to make plans for Rance by the final list lodgements, likely to be in late November, if he wanted to return to footy.
But Rance has no intention at present to return to the AFL, despite remaining in elite shape. He is happy to continue his work away from AFL.
Rance is still on Richmond’s list, having walked away from almost all of his 2020 salary to concentrate on his work with his school The Academy and focus on his family and religion.
Despite reports that a comeback is on, those close to him remain adamant no such return is on the cards.
The Tigers would help him orchestrate a comeback if he contacted them but they too are of the firm belief his career is over.
If he was desperate to make a fresh start at a rival club the Tigers would orchestrate that move too, even though Rance would have draft value as a 30-year-old.
Richmond senior assistant Justin Leppitsch told the Sacked Podcast this year he wondered if Rance would want a change of scenery if he did return.
But Richmond and Rance have burnt no bridges.
“I don’t know, sometimes the further you move away from it, the harder it is to come back, that’s all I would say,” Leppitsch said.
“If he does, is it at Richmond or is it somewhere else?
“Is it a change of environment that will help him? I think now that this has happened with the virus, it has probably changed everyone’s perspective as well.”
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In March this year, Rance wouldn’t completely rule out a comeback, saying: “I love the game and I love what I have contributed and I am not going to completely rule out the fact that I could come back.”
“But at this stage I am really happy with the life balance that I have.”
Days later he shut down that talk: “The context of it was that I love football, I love the guys that are there, I love the Richmond Football Club for giving me everything they’ve done over the last 12 years.”
“But my life’s good, I’m happy where I’m at, I’m good to head off into the sunset.”
POLEC ON THE OUTER, TWO YEARS IN
North Melbourne would likely be prepared to pay some of Jared Polec’s $700,000-plus wage if they could orchestrate a trade elsewhere.
He was secured by Brad Scott’s Roos for the 2019 season on a five-year deal but remains out of the Kangaroos side despite a massive injury toll.
Rhyce Shaw has simply tired of his inability to play selfless team-first football, with Aaron Hall also out of the team for the same reason.
AFL clubs always want silky runners who use the ball well, and Polec can do that.
He also has a burst of speed, which clubs are crying out for right now as they assess rival players to scout.
Shaw dropped him after he was tasked with picking up Carlton’s Patrick Cripps but basically ignored that directive in the first quarter.
He was released to win 25 possessions and was considered North Melbourne’s best player by some, but Shaw instead demoted him.
After two quieter games in Rounds 10 and 11 he has remained out of the side.
Terry Wallace suggested this week Melbourne or Hawthorn were two clubs who might be helped by the services of the former Port Adelaide runner.
EVERGREEN BURGOYNE KEEN TO GO ON
Shaun Burgoyne is determined to extract every game possible from his body and will march on with no retirement plans in sight.
Despite suggestions he should call an early farewell to his career to allow fans to celebrate his career with a farewell game at Adelaide Oval, he hasn’t given up all hope of playing on.
He has played half forward in a team not getting the ball inside 50 much but the general expectation is he and Paul Puopolo will retire.
He will attempt to show the Hawks what he has got for the remaining few weeks of the season, but if Hawthorn does rebuild next year it’s hard to see how he figures in their plans.
Bad news for Cyril Rioli’s No. 1 fan Dermott Brereton after his uncle Michael Long appeared to suggest he might make a comeback during a Friday night radio interview.
His manager Adam Ramanauskas said on ABC Radio on Saturday Rioli was still content in retirement, although as he said 18 clubs would be picking up the phone if Rioli was keen.
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HAWK ISAAC’S BIG DECISION
Triple premiership Hawk Isaac Smith has a decision to make on his future in the coming weeks as he heads towards the end of his current deal with the club.
But his currency has certainly dropped since last year, meaning the Hawks would receive a later pick if he did decide to finish his career elsewhere.
A year ago the Western Bulldogs made a big play for Smith, but it remains to be seen whether the unrestricted free agent‘s modest form across this abbreviated 2020 season would stop rival clubs from chasing him or whether he locks into another deal with the Hawks.
Smith turns 32 in December and had been in contract discussions with Hawthorn earlier this year before the pandemic put so many things on hold.
He has played 10 games this season, but missed last week‘s clash with Port Adelaide with a shoulder injury.
DOCKERS’ PART WAYS WITH CONDITIONING BOSS
Player agent Colin Young‘s often tense relationship with Fremantle over its handling of his clients’ injury and conditioning management will ease given the club’s decision to part ways with strength and conditioning boss Jason Webber.
Young, who has a significant number of Fremantle clients on his books, has long been critical of the Dockers‘ injury rehabilitation and prevention.
Young said late last year: “I have serious concerns on how the club rehabilitates its players (and) it‘s my opinion that this area of the club needs an immediate review.”
“Immediate changes need to be made or the club is going nowhere.”
His concern in recent times centred on defender Joel Hamling‘s ankle injuries which has already required two surgeries, with another one already scheduled.