Midfielder Brad Crouch says the depth of Adelaide’s list will hold both Crows sides in good stead in the second half of the year.
Both Crouch and fellow midfielder Richard Douglas made successful returns from serious foot injuries in Sunday’s record-breaking SANFL victory over Sturt.
2013 Club Champion Rory Sloane (cheekbone) and All Australian backman Brodie Smith (concussion) also returned to the field this weekend in the Club’s clutch AFL win over Carlton at the MCG.
Riley Knight, Rory Atkins and Sam Shaw are other Crows back in action after long-term injury layoffs.
Both Adelaide's AFL and SANFL teams have been affected by injuries this season. But Crows coach Phil Walsh believes such hardship breeds opportunity, with the success of youngsters including Cam Ellis-Yolmen, Jake Kelly and Jake Lever all testament to his theory.
Crouch said the increased exposure of such players would only benefit the Club in the long term.
“It’s great to see our injury list finally starting to get a little bit smaller,” Crouch told afc.com.au.
“Getting a few of these guys back could be very important for us, especially after the bye. We’re 6-4 going into the break, so we need to keep pushing and get a few more wins on the board in the second half of the year.”
Tall utility Andy Otten is 10 months into his rehabilitation from a knee reconstruction, while Ricky Henderson (back), Luke Lowden (Achilles/illness) and Sam Siggins (illness) will be eager for more continuity in the back half of the year.
“If you can get that depth in the AFL side, it gives us depth in the SANFL as well,” Crouch said.
“I think that could bring more success for both teams after the bye hopefully.”
Playing his first game in over 11 weeks, Crouch was at his prolific best at Unley Oval on Sunday afternoon. He collected a match-high 33 disposals, including 16 contested possessions, along with nine clearances and five tackles.
Crouch, Douglas and Jarryd Lyons worked wonders at the stoppages and were the most dominant midfielders on the ground.
The 21-year-old said the trio was focused on working as a team within the team.
“We spoke before the game about working hard for each other, and I thought we showed that today,” he said.
“Sometimes, when you know you’ve got a strong midfield, it can be hard to gel and sometimes you can get in each other’s way. We obviously didn’t want that, and made sure we did what was best for the team.
“That was a real focus for us.”
Both Crows sides have next weekend off, with Adelaide’s AFL bye matched by the first week of the SANFL’s split round. The Club’s next SANFL clash is against the Eagles at Woodville, while Adelaide’s AFL side confronts reigning premiers Hawthorn on Thursday, June 18.
Crouch said he would continue to work hard over the break and push for a senior recall.
“It was good to get out there and get through unscathed today, and it’s also good to get a win,” he said.
“I’ve done a lot of training, especially over the last three or four weeks. But hopefully I can step that up again in the coming weeks.
“I’ll train reasonably hard over the bye and hopefully I can put my hand up for Hawthorn, but if not, I’m keen to play against Woodville-West Torrens.”
