Crows’ two-time AFL premiership captain Mark Bickley says Adelaide must sign Brad Crouch now
Adelaide Crows must start their rebuild by re-signing midfielder Brad Crouch as soon as possible, despite the lure of potentially landing pick two in this year’s national draft, writes Mark Bickley.
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The Adelaide Football Club should sign Brad Crouch as soon as possible.
Speaking to Brad recently, was unequivocal he wanted to remain an Adelaide Crows player.
He even shared that he had spoken to Matthew Nicks and the senior coach stated his desire for him to be at West Lakes next year.
So what’s the hold up?
Well there is the matter of the potential compensation pick for Crouch were he to exercise his free agency rights and leave.
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If he were to attract a significant contract, that selection could be as high as pick two.
I can almost see Crows fans salivating at the thought of the first two picks come the November draft. If only it were that simple.
The free agency compensation rules are far from cut and dry. The AFL applies a formula that takes into consideration the size and length of the contract as well as the players age.
The only two real outcomes if Brad Crouch were to leave would be a first-round pick (taken directly after Adelaide’s first round pick, currently No. 1) or, an end of first round pick (currently pick 19).
Of course the Crows won’t know which one until Brad and his management lodge any offers from opposition clubs at the end of the year.
Let’s look at the best case compensation scenario for Adelaide, pick two, assuming the Crows maintained their position at the bottom of the ladder.
With the Crows potentially using their number one pick on 200cm local forward Riley Thilthorpe, Adelaide would then need to use the second pick to replace Crouch in the midfield.
Right now Brad Crouch is Adelaide’s most explosive and dangerous midfielder, albeit in an underperforming unit. But if there are no stand out mids in the top two or three players is it really all that beneficial?
The recruiters I’ve spoken to have assured me there is no Matt Rowell in the 2020 draft.
Having taken key position players in McAsey and Fogarty as first rounders in recent years the Crows are desperate to add to their midfield, not take away.
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Brad Crouch is the reigning club champion and at 26 still has his best football ahead of him. Having taken Wayne Milera, Chayce Jones, Ned McHenry and Harry Schoenberg at the pointy end of the draft to play through the middle of the ground, it makes complete sense to have senior players like Brad Crouch and Rory Sloane to guide them through the transition.
Also not forgetting, apart from it’s first pick, the Crows hold three other picks inside the top 30, currently sitting at 12, 20 and 28, courtesy of some 2019 pick swaps.
So this still allows them to continue to add much needed top end talent to the list.
Another key area of consideration is the age profile of Adelaide’s list.
The Crows entered the season with 20 players who had less than 10 games of experience, which included 12 yet to debut. They will also have seven players 29 or above by years end. They are light on for players aged 25 to 27.
Brad Crouch is right in the middle of it, along with brother Matt, Rory Laird and Reilly O’Brien.
Rory Atkins, Riley Knight, Jake Kelly and Patrick Wilson are also in that bracket, but are out of the side and facing an uncertain future.
Mark Neeld and the Demons learnt the hard way, you can’t get rid of all the senior players and expect the youngsters to cope.
With Sloane, Taylor Walker, Daniel Talia, Tom Lynch, Bryce Gibbs and David Mackay all reaching veteran status there must be another generation to assume the mantle when they depart.
Brad Crouch forms part of that succession planning.
It’s easy to get seduced by the dream of a pick two like GWS star Josh Kelly, but looking at all the second selections over the past 15 years, only Kelly and fellow Giant Tim Taranto have won a club best and fairest.
There obviously has been some very good players, but there has also been multiple busts.
Is it a risk worth taking?
Adelaide has been dogged in recent times by players wanting to leave the club.
Charlie Cameron and Mitch McGovern broke contracts, and Jake Lever chose not to re-sign.
So what price culturally do you put on an interstate player wanting to commit long term to the club even with success looking some way off.
Brad Crouch’s timing isn’t great, he would have been anticipating a five-year multimillion-dollar deal, come years end, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
That now looks unlikely. Add to that a recurrence of a hamstring injury last week and a highly incentive three-year deal with an option for a fourth looks more realistic.
Adelaide’s midfield is ranked 18th for many of the key statistics and giving up one of your best players does nothing to fix it.
Nicks wants to keep him, Brad wants to stay, so get it done.
This is a line in the sand moment.
Reward a quality player and person who wants to commit to the club long term.
For Adelaide, they have proven to be hard to find.
Originally published as Crows’ two-time AFL premiership captain Mark Bickley says Adelaide must sign Brad Crouch now