Rising Star nominee Brad Crouch believes the game time he and the Club’s other young players are receiving this season will fast-track their development.

Crouch, 19, enjoyed the best performance of his five-game career against Gold Coast on Saturday. Promoted rookie Rory Laird, who played alongside Crouch at West Adelaide last season, also continued his impressive debut season. The tough small defender amassed a career-best 29 possessions in only his ninth AFL game, to be in the running for a Rising Star nomination of his own.

Another emerging defender, Luke Brown has stepped into the very large shoes of retired veteran Michael Doughty. The 20-year-old, who played three games last year, routinely stands the opposition’s most dangerous small forward. Midfielder Sam Kerridge finds himself out of the side at the moment, but has showed great promise in his second year at the Club. Kerridge was Adelaide’s first Rising Star nominee this season, receiving the nod after his six-goal haul against North Melbourne in Round Nine. Jarryd Lyons and Aidan Riley have both impressed at different stages of the season, while untried duo Mitch Grigg and Kyle Hartigan are putting enormous pressure on selectors with their strong SANFL form.

Adelaide has now had four Rising Star nominations in just over 12 months, with Crouch and Kerridge joining defender Sam Shaw and eventual 2012 winner Daniel Talia in receiving the coveted honour. Crouch said the emergence of the next generation of Crows was a highlight of the Club’s inconsistent season.

“It’s good to see Browny and Lairdy come through this year, and Sammy Kerridge too,” Crouch said.

“You look at the team compared to last year and there are different faces in the side. Although we haven’t had the same success to the same stage last year, those guys are the positives.

“We’ve got some games into young boys and they’re developing so much quicker playing AFL footy.”

Crouch joined Adelaide as a 17-year-old via the Greater Western Sydney mini-draft in October, 2011. The North Ballarat junior was ineligible for AFL selection last year, spending the season developing his game in the SANFL.

Although frustrated at times, Crouch said an extra year in the AFL environment had produced “massive” benefits.

“I would’ve played TAC Cup if I’d stayed home and gone into last year’s draft, and there’s a big difference between Under-18s and playing SANFL league footy,” he said.

“I played 13 or 14 games for West Adelaide and it was actually pretty good because I didn’t play the whole season. I had an injury (which prevented me from doing so anyway), but that allowed me to freshen up and got me really keen for a big pre-season.

“Last year at times I was a little bit frustrated. I wanted to hang around them (the senior players) and play alongside them. It’s great to finally be able to run out with those boys.”

Crouch made his AFL debut against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in Round Two. He played three consecutive games, but a hamstring injury at training caused him to miss the next three. He returned via the SANFL, but took time to recapture good form. He returned to the Crows side in Round 11, but was omitted the following week and made to wait another fortnight before earning another recall.

“Getting injured was pretty tough. And as I was coming back, I was a little bit frustrated with my form in the SANFL,” he said.

“I was a bit stressed the last couple of weeks, but I feel a lot better having got back into the side and played a good game on the weekend. It gives me big confidence. I’ve learned not to get worried about things and to talk to the older guys if they’re also out of the side, or not playing at their best.”

Crouch said he was “proud” to receive the Round 14 Rising Star nomination.

“I know Jaeger O’Meara pretty well. Watching him win one (a nomination) and then a few other boys I know win it the past month, like Jake Neade last week, I guess I was hoping to get a look in at some stage,” he said.

“I reckon Jaeger’s got it in the bag. I don’t know what his odds are but I’d get on him if I could.”

A highlight of Crouch’s performance against the Suns was his game-high six tackles, including one that caught Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett holding the ball. Watch a sample of Crouchy's tackling above

“I was pretty lucky to get him (Ablett). I think he tried to take on a couple beforehand and I sort of just ran into him. It was good just to get hold of him,” he said with a laugh.

Crouch isn’t getting carried away with his breakout game last weekend, saying he’d learned not to look too far ahead.

“I just want to cement my spot in the side and play as many games as I can. I have to keep it pretty simple and just worry about the next couple of weeks,” he said.

“I want to contribute to the side and make sure we’re winning because the next month will determine where we end up.”