RORY Sloane is clearly Adelaide's best midfielder but one player has emerged as the Crows' clear second banana.
Matt Crouch has collected the second most disposals in the AFL, behind Hawthorn's Tom Mitchell, without earning any headlines for the 31.9 touches he gets a game.
The 22-year-old's consistency is his biggest attribute. He has not grabbed fewer than 27 disposals a game this season (his lowest tally was in round 11 against Geelong) and is on the cusp of being an elite midfielder.
Matt's older brother Brad – who broke his cheekbone against Geelong on Friday – has been outstanding too, not only winning contested possessions but using the ball well.
As part of a midfield that has taken the Crows to the top of the ladder, the pair deserve more praise.
However, Matt is the man, picking up the slack as best he can when Sloane is tagged out of games.
In 2017 Matt Crouch is:
- 6th in the AFL for assisted metres gained
- 11th for contested possessions
- 17th for clearances
- 2nd for disposals.
Crouch has become the classic example of a player whose individual standing increases when the collective midfield works in unison.
Hugh Greenwood is shooting up the charts with a bullet, his eight games pushing him to be the 22nd ranked midfielder in the competition.
Greenwood is aggressive, tall and a contested ball winner who has already shown he is potentially an X-factor in the Crows' challenge, playing forward as well as in the midfield.
Those three are genuine contenders to be the Crows' second best midfielder, with Richard Douglas, Rory Atkins and David Mackay rounding out the midfield that has helped the Crows take a stranglehold on top spot with five games remaining.
| Adelaide midfielder | AFL Player Rating for 2017 |
|---|---|
| Rory Sloane | 5 |
| Hugh Greenwood | 22 |
| Matt Crouch | 44 |
| Richard Douglas | 44 |
| Brad Crouch | 48 |
| Rory Atkins | 52 |
| David Mackay | 94 |
In their current four-game winning streak, the Crows have:
- been in front for 90 per cent of game time
- won two of those games while scoring fewer than 100 points
How the Crows turned the tables on Geelong
The Crows' level of intensity and shape around the contest was so much better at Adelaide Oval in round 18 against Geelong than it had been in round 11.
Those two games are almost a complete mirror image of each other, with the Crows' ability to win the ball and move it quickly to gain territory almost completely reversed in the second encounter.
The question needs to be asked: can Sloane-Crouch now be spoken in the same breath this season as Dangerfield-Selwood, Kennedy- Parker, Ward- Shiel or Martin-Cotchin?
If they can lead the Crows to a premiership, there will be no doubt.
