Young midfielder Brad Crouch produced one of the great comeback performances in Adelaide’s SANFL clash with Woodville-West Torrens.
Saturday’s clash was Crouch’s first outing since the 20-year-old suffered a fractured fibula in an innocuous final-quarter incident in the Round Two Showdown against Port Adelaide.
Not only did Crouch get through the match unscathed, the tough midfielder was influential in steering the Crows to their second consecutive SANFL victory over the in-form Eagles at Woodville Oval.
Crouch looked right at home in back inside the centre square, and led the way for Adelaide with a equal match-high 31 disposals and seven clearances.
In an ironic twist of sibling rivalry, it was little brother Matthew Crouch who matched Brad with 31 possessions and seven clearances of his own in an equally impressive performance.
Brad Crouch said it was a special moment to run out alongside Matt in his return match for the Crows.
“I’m fairly lucky with that,” Crouch told afc.com.au after Adelaide’s 48-point win over the Eagles.
“It was really good to play my first one in the SANFL with him today, and especially to go out there and knock off one of the top sides in the competition.”
The Crouch brothers have already earned a reputation as two of the most prolific ball-winners at the Club. The duo collected 33 disposals between them by half time at Woodville Oval, and were the midfield catalysts behind Adelaide’s seven goal to two second half as the Crows downed their flag-fancied opponents.
“It was such a good atmosphere out there with the SANFL boys,” Crouch said.
“They really get around each other and enjoy playing with one another. It was a great experience and a terrific result for the Club.”
Crouch showed no signs of the injury that had sidelined him for the majority of the season. The 2013 AFL Rising Star runner-up ran out the game at a canter and said he would only improve with more games under his belt.
“I felt really good out there actually - the leg is fine,” Crouch said.
“I’ve done a lot of training in the last two or three weeks to get my conditioning right. My body feels really good and I felt really strong with my running today.”
“But it’s always good just to get through that first one.”
Crouch’s performance would do no harm to his chances for an immediate AFL recall. However, Crouch made a note of Adelaide’s line of in-form midfielders and expects to line up for the SANFL Crows again next Saturday when Adelaide confronts the Bulldogs at Elizabeth.
“We’ve got a really strong midfield and there’s a couple other great young players like Jarryd Lyons and Mitch Grigg who are battling it out for spots,” Crouch said.
“So I think there are a few of us mids who are in that mix. It means there’s always plenty of competition for spots, but that can only be a good thing for the Club.”
