Adelaide midfielder Matt Crouch says never losing “confidence in his ability” sparked his impressive return to the Crows’ AFL side in the back-end of 2023. 

Coming into the team for Adelaide’s Round 19 clash against Melbourne, the 28-year-old played the remaining six matches of the season, and averaged an impressive 29.1 disposals per game. 

Following the season, the 2017 Malcolm Blight medallist was signed a two-year contract extension, tying him to West Lakes until at least the end of 2025. 

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, he reflected on the adversity he faced in 2023 and how he ultimately overcame it. 

“I’ve always been confident in my ability to play at the level, and play well,” Crouch said. 

“You can’t lose that confidence (as an AFL footballer), you need to always believe you can contribute strongly and I never lost sight of that last year. 

“It was great to come back into the side at the end of last season and show what I can do, and I feel that maintaining confidence in my ability was the key factor behind my strong form.” 

While not where he wanted to be, Crouch’s time out of the senior side helped him develop deficiencies in his game that had previously held him back. 

He explained the small changes that helped him flourish once his opportunities arose. 

“The big work-on area for me (last year) was being penetrating with the ball and hurting opposition with my disposal,” Crouch said. 

“A big part of it was ‘driving my legs’ more and just having the confidence to run and carry more with the footy. 

“I feel like the team around me got better than when I was last in the team as well, so that definitely helped my game as well and allowed me to show my strengths a bit more. 

“It’s exciting to be able to continue to gel over this pre-season and keep improving as a unit.” 

Now embarking on his eleventh pre-season at West Lakes, Crouch said excitement was in the air as the group continued to develop. 

“This is my eleventh pre-season now and I feel the Club is in a really strong position at the moment,” Crouch said. 

“The one thing about pre-seasons is that they are always pretty hard, and the start of this one has been no exception. 

“I am really enjoying being a part of it, we’ve got a good young group here and everyone is working really hard and pushing each other along. 

“Being out there with the boys again, it’s getting me very excited for a big year in 2024.”