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Player Watch Matt Crouch - Wanted For Hat Crimes

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Actually got a bit of time for Crouch and feel he's unfairly done by as a whipping boy here. That said, I'd like to see Peatling in that role for another game without Crouch.

Peatling hasn't really done well outside of the game where Crouch missed and his midfield minutes increased. So if Crouch is sore or something, it's worth seeing if Peatling deliver again and make that spot his own - and open up his spot for a Dowling type.
 
Scorpus said:
2 kicks, 16 handballs, 1 clearance, 6 contested possessions, 69 meters gained, 2 score involvements, 2 turnovers
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Gone back to what got him dropped from the team. I thought there was a spot for him as first extractor but I’m starting to think it’s time.

Whilst Freo took the foot off in the fourth quarter, we did look a lot better without him when he was subbed off at 3QT
 

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1970crow said:
Yep, 1 contested to 2 uncontested is about right. How some continue to see him as an in and under feeder to the outside mystifies me.
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CP/UP ratio I'm not sure is the only metric for assessing his role. I'd look also at the clearance game, which is ultimately why he's in the team, and he's consistently been our leading clearance player, and also at score involvements. If he also gets some outside ball in handball chains that's fine, but he needs to be winning clearances and getting involved in scoring chains in that way for the most part.

Crouch at his best is more attacking with his ball use, as well as being a strong accumulator with a great handball and a good clearance winner. When he was recalled in late 2023 for example his first really good game was the Showdown in Round 20. He had 32 with 12 clearances, 6 tackles, 10 score involvements, and a 50/50 CP/UP ratio. A couple of weeks later against Brisbane he had 33 with 9 clearances, 5 tackles, 7 score involvements and 50/50 CP/UP. Those were the sorts of performances that got him back in the team consistently, and against good midfields as well.

This year he hasn't got anywhere near that level and has had the occasional good game at most. Essendon for example I thought he was pretty good. But it's telling for instance that while he's still our leading clearance winner as he was last year, he hasn't picked up a single coaches vote and sits 11th in score involvements when last year he was 2nd behind Thilthorpe. He's definitely less damaging, and while there's a role for 2023-era Crouch I don't think he's playing at that level at the moment.
 
NSolis said:
CP/UP ratio I'm not sure is the only metric for assessing his role. I'd look also at the clearance game, which is ultimately why he's in the team, and he's consistently been our leading clearance player, and also at score involvements. If he also gets some outside ball in handball chains that's fine, but he needs to be winning clearances and getting involved in scoring chains in that way for the most part.

Crouch at his best is more attacking with his ball use, as well as being a strong accumulator with a great handball and a good clearance winner. When he was recalled in late 2023 for example his first really good game was the Showdown in Round 20. He had 32 with 12 clearances, 6 tackles, 10 score involvements, and a 50/50 CP/UP ratio. A couple of weeks later against Brisbane he had 33 with 9 clearances, 5 tackles, 7 score involvements and 50/50 CP/UP. Those were the sorts of performances that got him back in the team consistently, and against good midfields as well.

This year he hasn't got anywhere near that level and has had the occasional good game at most. Essendon for example I thought he was pretty good. But it's telling for instance that while he's still our leading clearance winner as he was last year, he hasn't picked up a single coaches vote and sits 11th in score involvements when last year he was 2nd behind Thilthorpe. He's definitely less damaging, and while there's a role for 2023-era Crouch I don't think he's playing at that level at the moment.
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The problem is 2023 was two years ago and Crouch is now 30 years old.

He managed that brief burst of form but with every year gone it's less and less likely he returns to that level.

He has no athleticism to lose either. Any regression in that area and well... we've got what we have now
 

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Redline said:
Again on the weekend we look more dynamic in the midfield without him and defensively we work better.

This has to be his last year with us. His Manager will try and leak news on interest from other clubs but I don't think there will be much
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Maybe a contending team will offer him 2 years on base plus match payments. But we don't have much in terms of draft capital and you'd think that Tex, Smith, Burgess & Schoey are all certain departures. Then there's Bond who was only given a Vader dead man walking 12 month extension. So that's potentially 5 changes without looking at Crouch. Wouldn't be surprised if we give him another 12 months.
 
1970crow said:
Maybe a contending team will offer him 2 years on base plus match payments. But we don't have much in terms of draft capital and you'd think that Tex, Smith, Burgess & Schoey are all certain departures. Then there's Bond who was only given a Vader dead man walking 12 month extension. So that's potentially 5 changes without looking at Crouch. Wouldn't be surprised if we give him another 12 months.
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I still don't understand the one year deal for Bond when he showed plenty at the end of last year. As it stands it looks like he's going to be delisted.
 
I Lost My Keays said:
It’s time to move on from him. He’s been a great servant, but if we’re serious about progressing he needs to be out. I can’t watch him continue to slow us down in the midfield any longer
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You could have copy-pasted this into the player watch thread for any number of other club greats (Sloane, Thompson, Jacobs, Smith, etc). We didn't move on from them until they dragged themselves to it kicking and screaming. Hard to see us making a hard call on Crouch - that's just not how we roll as a club.

When's the last time we actually made the tough call on a once-great player? Daniel Talia?
 
Jarman3 said:
You could have copy-pasted this into the player watch thread for any number of other club greats (Sloane, Thompson, Jacobs, Smith, etc). We didn't move on from them until they dragged themselves to it kicking and screaming. Hard to see us making a hard call on Crouch - that's just not how we roll as a club.

When's the last time we actually made the tough call on a once-great player? Daniel Talia?
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Richard Douglas maybe. Jacobs too. Even then we continued to play them knowing we'd be delisting.

But very few and far between
 
Redline said:
Again on the weekend we look more dynamic in the midfield without him and defensively we work better.

This has to be his last year with us. His Manager will try and leak news on interest from other clubs but I don't think there will be much
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It's likely there will be more interest than in 2023, especially with Macraes revival and Mitchell getting a flag in the last two years.

I could see us letting him walk, but it may be dependent on what is coming in the other direction. Adelaide is due a list refresh, and surely we don't want to leave that until next year, as I think it's impacted by draft concessions?

skam85 said:
I still don't understand the one year deal for Bond when he showed plenty at the end of last year. As it stands it looks like he's going to be delisted.
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My read on Bond is he's a victim of Adelaide's lack of a star half back flanker. Seeing we are doing a lot of the heavy lifting off the half back flank via committee at the moment which does take a spot away from him. Well that and Laird reverting back to being a solid two-way defender.

Seems destined to get the Ben Davis treatment where he gets 2-3 years worth of 1 year deals.
 

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Golumless said:
It's likely there will be more interest than in 2023, especially with Macraes revival and Mitchell getting a flag in the last two years.

I could see us letting him walk, but it may be dependent on what is coming in the other direction. Adelaide is due a list refresh, and surely we don't want to leave that until next year, as I think it's impacted by draft concessions?
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I don’t think Macrae is a good comparison. Macrae is an excellent ball user who can be an integral part of moving the ball in uncontested chains.

He also never really dropped off in form, he simply moved from a club that had a surplus of midfield talent to one that to one that was probably lacking in that area.

Titch was not really a super integral part of the Pies side and had to battle for his spot, and they now appear to have moved past him. I think he’s an argument against that type of player, not for.

Crouch is a one dimensional footballer, as good as his clearance work can be, that’s really all he offers, and I’m not sure that players like that are that effective anymore.


Golumless said:
My read on Bond is he's a victim of Adelaide's lack of a star half back flanker. Seeing we are doing a lot of the heavy lifting off the half back flank via committee at the moment which does take a spot away from him. Well that and Laird reverting back to being a solid two-way defender.

Seems destined to get the Ben Davis treatment where he gets 2-3 years worth of 1 year deals.
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I’d be interested to see what our defence looks like if we played Bond on the number 1 small/mid forward and let Max play more as an interceptor/run and carry type guy.
 
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