Judd's comments re Crouch Bros

Exactly right.

If we're going to trade out a midfielder because we're one-paced (and that's a fair criticism), surely you trade out the least important ones first. Not the ones who will form the backbone of your engine room for the next decade?

And that's before we even get to the fact that they clearly like playing together, so if you lose one, you risk losing the other as well.

You trade out one that you can do without, and will still earn enough value to invest back into the draft at a decent enough level to get 2nd and 3rd year results. The CEY and Jarryd Lyons of the world aren't going to get that done.

Between Matt and Brad, Brad is overpaid and underdelivers based on reputation. Matt is a limited player, but he generally meets expectations and value.

There's a good few clubs in Melbourne who would part with a pick in the teens for the chance to revive Brad Crouch's faltering career - we should have taken the offer two years ago, and it's still the best move now. He's never going to be the backbone of an Adelaide midfield with a genuine shot at contending between now and 2025. Keep Matt.
 
Last edited:

mattymac

Why no midfield crowz?
10k Posts
Jul 9, 2009
18,167
32,188
Yes
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
No
Also play Sloane as a HFF and Greenwood inside 50. Both are great overhead and could still rotate into the middle if needed. Time for Milera and Smith to step up and get into that midfield. Smith has fallen into the trap of being the half back flanker that runs around getting cheap kicks.
Smith to the midfield is never gonna happen. There was that year he trained with the mids, 2013 or so. But its a forlorn dream. He's probably gone a bit soft since then too. As you say, too many years a seagull
 

Rotayjay

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 28, 2014
12,041
23,257
Adelaide, South Australia
AFL Club
Adelaide
Yeah Sloane's comments are quite telling.

Firstly Smith, Seedsman, Atkins and Douglas have not spent a millisecond in the centre square this season. Certainly not as part of our regular rotations. The first three never have. Douglas in the past but no longer.

So it's only Milera and that's only sparingly when we're not trying to shoehorn him in up forward.

That Sloane had to bend the truth to highlight our 'leg speed through the middle' only shows how clear the weakness is and also how fully aware of it Sloane is. Hence having to come up with that spin.

The Jones non-selection this week is truly stunning. The last fortnight has, at the very least, showed us that we aren't going to win a premiership this season. It's over. We might scrape into finals but who cares. So the priority becomes...?
In true AFC fashion, our priority becomes 'make the eight and anything can happen'.
 

conVINCEd

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 15, 2003
6,185
6,443
Brisbane
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Adelaide Crows
Smith to the midfield is never gonna happen. There was that year he trained with the mids, 2013 or so. But its a forlorn dream. He's probably gone a bit soft since then too. As you say, too many years a seagull

Was that the year Henderson broke his leg in the preseason, so Smith had to stay back?
 

mattymac

Why no midfield crowz?
10k Posts
Jul 9, 2009
18,167
32,188
Yes
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
No
Was that the year Henderson broke his leg in the preseason, so Smith had to stay back?
Turns out Smith trained with the midfield in two pre-seasons: 2014 and 2015.

Hendo broke his leg in 2014.

In 2015 Walsh just sent him back again.

Probably had to make room for Van Berlo in the middle.
 
May 29, 2011
24,933
38,734
SA
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Sturt
Our midfield is far and away our biggest problem. As a group they let the side down time and again.

Needs a total overhaul
Been this way for years. We can't produce a midfield that knows how to play defense. Tbf though I think our forward line has been equally as bad if not worse this year.
 

Murray2503

Cancelled
10k Posts
May 10, 2016
16,259
13,252
AFL Club
Adelaide
Been this way for years. We can't produce a midfield that knows how to play defense. Tbf though I think our forward line has been equally as bad if not worse this year.
Not a lot of attention on our forward line in the press. It has been putrid all year and whoever is selecting our forward setup has no clue. Lynch going out has been damaging along with the poor form of Betts, Walker, Murphy and at times Jenkins. For the life of me I don't know why we haven't seen more of Fog, Jones, Stengle, McHenry. I am hoping mcadam has a massive preseason as he is just the player we also lack.
 
May 29, 2011
24,933
38,734
SA
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Sturt
Not a lot of attention on our forward line in the press. It has been putrid all year and whoever is selecting our forward setup has no clue. Lynch going out has been damaging along with the poor form of Betts, Walker, Murphy and at times Jenkins. For the life of me I don't know why we haven't seen more of Fog, Jones, Stengle, McHenry. I am hoping mcadam has a massive preseason as he is just the player we also lack.
It's not a good omen for Fogarty if he can't get a game in this shitty ass forward line.
 

mattymac

Why no midfield crowz?
10k Posts
Jul 9, 2009
18,167
32,188
Yes
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
No
Been this way for years. We can't produce a midfield that knows how to play defense. Tbf though I think our forward line has been equally as bad if not worse this year.
Forward line to an extent is reliant on what the mids provide them with.

But they have been scrappy at best with what has come their way
 
fu** off Judd, go try your ninja pressure-point* bulls**t somewhere else

*lost all respect for him that day, he can go fu** himself
He also think Teague is the wrong guy for coach. Because he’s done such a s**t job. :oops:
 
He also think Teague is the wrong guy for coach. Because he’s done such a s**t job. :oops:

I'd have Teague back in a heartbeat, particularly as a replacement for Campo.
 

maxlilly

Premiership Player
Aug 15, 2009
4,598
7,915
over here
AFL Club
Adelaide
My preference would be to trade Matt Crouch.
He doesn't have the flexibility to play any other position than centre.
He doesn't cover the ground and cant put on any defensive pressure from the centre clearances because he is to slow.
He has limited hurt factor with his disposal and rarely hits the scoreboard.
And doesn't have the height to be a marking target coming out of defence.
He can definately find the ball but these days, you need some more weapons to be a topline midfielder in the AFL
 
Oct 28, 2014
9,564
22,903
AFL Club
Adelaide
My preference would be to trade Matt Crouch.
He doesn't have the flexibility to play any other position than centre.
He doesn't cover the ground and cant put on any defensive pressure from the centre clearances because he is to slow.
He has limited hurt factor with his disposal and rarely hits the scoreboard.
And doesn't have the height to be a marking target coming out of defence.
He can definately find the ball but these days, you need some more weapons to be a topline midfielder in the AFL
I like him, but tend to agree. If I was picking a midfield from scratch I wouldn't pick him, or a player of his type.
 

OzSparrow

Club Legend
Aug 30, 2006
1,842
1,264
Melbourne
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Manly, Glenelg, Liverpool FC
My preference would be to trade Matt Crouch.
He doesn't have the flexibility to play any other position than centre.
He doesn't cover the ground and cant put on any defensive pressure from the centre clearances because he is to slow.
He has limited hurt factor with his disposal and rarely hits the scoreboard.
And doesn't have the height to be a marking target coming out of defence.
He can definately find the ball but these days, you need some more weapons to be a topline midfielder in the AFL

You mean a bit like this guy:

707647
 
Aug 17, 2007
57,014
57,808
Adelaide
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
The Autobots and Team America
I wouldn't be trading the Crouch brothers at all.

But Judd is correct our midfield is one paced and predictable.

To fix this I would use the supposed salary cap space we have for Grundy. Yes I know it is unrealistic to expect the likes of Taranto, Cognelio, Kelly, Cripps etc to come here. But at least try and at the minimum you can raise the amount the Vic clubs have to pay.

This is where Cameron was a failure for us and why he was a good trade. Yes he was/is a good Small Forward. But he has the weapons to be a very good attacking midfielder. I reckon the chat he had with our club that he disagrees with revolves around this. You could see us trying to get him to transition into the role. I bet he does not want to do it, hence left and joined Brisbane who are happy for him to maintain that one dimensional role.

Cameron would never be an elite mid. But he would be a very good one. I always saw him as a mini Dangerfield with his explosive pace and strength. If he was able to transition into this our midfield would be far more dynamic.





Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
May 17, 2009
32,468
51,210
Adelaide
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
Glenelg
One reason our midfield is one paced and predictable is we refuse to run numbers through. This week, Knight should be getting minutes in there, so should Milera and Seedsman, especially if we load up with Matt Crouch and Greenwood as the insiders. At the moment we just go all in on every contest and once it's flicked out we have no chance of stopping it.

When Richmond just played the Suns they gave Shai Bolton 21 CBA's. Do you think we'd ever do something like that?
 
Aug 17, 2007
57,014
57,808
Adelaide
AFL Club
Adelaide
Other Teams
The Autobots and Team America
One reason our midfield is one paced and predictable is we refuse to run numbers through. This week, Knight should be getting minutes in there, so should Milera and Seedsman, especially if we load up with Matt Crouch and Greenwood as the insiders. At the moment we just go all in on every contest and once it's flicked out we have no chance of stopping it.

When Richmond just played the Suns they gave Shai Bolton 21 CBA's. Do you think we'd ever do something like that?
We did do this as part of the change after the North loss.

I recall quite a few different combinations going through the middle and it worked.

Not sure that has been maintained, the eye test suggests not.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
Back