Brad Crouch Biography

Brad Crouch retires after 161 games at two clubs due to chronic knee issues.

"It's been a really tough few months and this is definitely not how I saw my footy career ending," Crouch said.

"That being said, I've been able to live out my dream of playing AFL at two incredible clubs over 12 seasons, played in a Grand Final alongside my brother and made many lifelong friends.

"I'd really like to thank my family for their constant support not only through this period, but throughout my entire career.

"Without them, none of this would have been possible and spending more time with them is something I'm very much looking forward to in this next chapter of my life."

St Kilda select Brad Crouch with pick No.5 in the 2024 Rookie Draft.

St Kilda delists Brad Crouch but commits to picking him up in the upcoming AFL Rookie Draft.

St Kilda will be without midfielder Brad Crouch for more than a month after he injured his knee during a VFL hitout.

The 30-year-old left the ground just before half-time in at RSEA Park, with scans later showing he required arthroscopic surgery.

Brad Crouch speaks before his new teammates at St Kilda to address his off-season drug indiscretion.

"It builds a connection straight away. Brad's accountable to that as well which is pretty important. And it shows respect for the football club straight away," Saints coach Brett Ratten said.

"Players acknowledge people make blues, no one's perfect. Everyone tries their best and at times it doesn't go to plan. He put his hand up, said I made a blue, spoke about it and people acknowledge that."

Matt Crouch says he is getting used to life without his brother, Brad Crouch, at the Crows.

"Since I've been at the footy club, my first year Brad was already here, so I'm used to having him around," Matt said.

"Obviously I didn't want him to leave. I wish he stayed. I've loved playing footy with him, but it's something he decided to do. It's going to be a bit funny - I've never really played against him at all and I think we play them in Cairns so it's a funny spot to be playing him as well.

"It's going to be exciting, and I think a few of our mates and family back home have already booked their flights up to go and watch so they're looking forward to it."

Brad Crouch is officially a St Kilda player after Adelaide opts not to match the Saints' bid for the midfielder.

The Saints had lodged paperwork to acquire the restricted free agent on a deal up to five years worth approximately $600,000-$650,000 per season and Adelaide will receive a second-round compensation pick (band 3) in return.

Adelaide will make a call on whether to match St Kilda's offer to restricted free agent Brad Crouch once it understands what its likely compensation will be.

"We're obviously hopeful the compensation would be resulting in pick two, and it's only really under those circumstances we would consider matching and looking to force a trade or obtain Brad's services," Adelaide head of footy Adam Kelly said on AFL Trade Radio.

"Fortunately, in this situation, Brad's been fairly open about his love of Adelaide and of the footy club, so we don't think it would be a scenario where the player would not be wanting to come back to the club, so we would certainly look to match if it's not resulting in pick two."

Free agent Brad Crouch nominates St Kilda as his club of choice for 2021.

The 26-year-old will accept a five-year deal which will have a major impact on the potential compensation for the Crows.

Adelaide pair Brad Crouch and Tyson Stengle are suspended by the AFL after being caught by police with an illicit substance.

"The AFL investigated the matter and has determined Stengle will be suspended for the first four matches of the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season, while Crouch will be suspended for the first two matches," the League said in a statement.

"Both players will be required to attend a Drug and Alcohol Education Course prior to the commencement of the 2021 Season; and both players? conduct constitutes a notifiable adverse finding under the AFL's Illicit Drugs Policy."

Adelaide is investigating an incident involving Brad Crouch and Tyson Stengle. The pair were reportedly stopped by police in the early hours of Monday morning allegedly in possession of an illicit substance.

"What is absolutely clear is that all players across the League are well educated about drug use and relevant policies. As an organisation, we take a very strong stance against any behaviour of this kind," Adelaide football boss Adam Kelly said.

"The wellbeing of Brad and Tyson is also paramount and we will make sure they receive appropriate support."

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks says Brad Crouch has indicated his desire to remain at the club. If Crouch were to depart as a free agent, the Crows would receive a compensation pick, potentially pick No.2, based on his contract.

"He's given an inclination that he'd like to stay and in our conversations we've openly talked through that. It would just be how it pans out for him and what his management and where our list management go," Nicks said.

"We've had ongoing discussions with Brad and I, and it's both sides of the coin. We want to work out exactly what he's looking to do longer term and he's talking to us in the same manner."

Brad Crouch's return from a hamstring injury is delayed temporarily after he slipped on a wet veranda, experiencing soreness and aggravating his injury from the event.

Brad Crouch says he would be willing to leave the Crows at the end of the 2020 season if asked to do so by the club.

"I really want to stay in Adelaide, so it's a really hard one for me. If the club wanted me to walk, it's going to be really tough. I'd probably have to do it, because that's the best place for the club to go," he said.

Gold Coast list manager Craig Cameron reveals he was about a possible trade for Crow Brad Crouch at the end of 2019.

"In the end, while we had conversations, Adelaide was not in a position where they were ever going to let Brad go and if I was in their position I wouldn't either," Cameron said.

"To try and even get close to them sitting down at the table would've cost us a lot of our early picks and we had taken a strategy to the board that we wanted to invest heavily in the 2018 and 2019 drafts, so we weren't going to change our whole strategic thought process on something that would have almost been too difficult to pull off."

Taylor Walker expresses regret over being overly critical of former teammate Jake Lever's decision to leave the Crows for a bigger contract with the Demons in 2017.

"I've certainly been caught out in the industry wearing my heart on my sleeve probably too much. I was vocal about it, because I'm passionate, I'm loyal, I want people to stay at my footy club. It wasn't a personal attack at Jake, it was more about how much I loved him and wanted him to stay," Walker said.

With teammate and close friend Brad Crouch a free agent at the end of the 2020 season, Walker says he has learnt from the Lever period.

"Brad is one of my best mates, he knows how I feel, but in saying that, I've learnt - it is up to Brad," Walker said. "I'm not going to tell him what to do. It is up to Brad to decide where he thinks it is best for his future.

"Everything is on the table for him. The footy club is there to support him. If he stays, I'd love that. If he doesn't stay, that's up to him. I won't give him a send-off. I've learnt."

Adelaide's next senior coach is set to have a say in Brad Crouch's future, amid interest from Gold Coast in the contracted midfielder.

Brad Crouch has been shopped around ahead of the Telstra AFL Trade Period, with his management seeking a deal in the region of $5m for five seasons.

"Hopefully in the near future we'll have that senior coach and we'll sit down with the senior coach from a list management point-of-view, as he will with the playing group," Crows list manager Justin Reid told Telstra AFL Trade Radio.

"Once we get through that, then we'll sit down (with Brad) and start talking about terms going forward."

Brad Crouch is awarded the Malcolm Blight medal for the first time after winning Adelaide's club champion award for the 2019 season.

Crouch donned the Crows' coveted gold jacket after finishing just five votes ahead of co-captain and fellow midfielder Rory Sloane.

In 2019, Crouch played all 22 games and averaged a career-best 30.2 possessions per game, passing the 30-mark in 12 of his 22 matches, to go with 5.5 clearances and 5.1 tackles, and also added 11 goals.

Brad Crouch's management is reported shopping the contracted midfielder's services to rival clubs, seeking a mega-offer of $5 million across five seasons.

It's understood Crouch still harbours ambitions to stay at Adelaide but is demanding a new contract before the start of next season and could be forced to look elsewhere to make it happen.

Matt Crouch has dismissed speculation older brother Brad Crouch could leave the Crows at the end of this year and return to Victoria.

Pundits have suggested that one, or both, should be traded by the Crows to add more leg speed to their midfield.

"In this industry, you're open to difficult people's opinions and that's fine, but it doesn't really bother me or Brad," Matt said.

"We're happy at the Adelaide Footy Club and we love it here."

Brad Crouch will play his first AFL game in 539 days when the Crows take on the Hawks at Adelaide Oval in their 2019 season opener.

"He's missed a year of senior footy so he's had a couple of trial games, but there's no real expectations on Brad other than to come out and play," Adelaide coach Don Pyke said.

"Given the year he had last year, he's just excited and looking forward to just playing."

Brad Crouch takes another step to getting back to his best with an impressive performance in an under-23s trial against Port Adelaide at Thebarton Oval.

"Fantastic for Brad to get continuity – he gets another full game against opposition and he'll progress to his next step, which is JLT one," Adelaide SANFL coach Heath Younie said.

Crows veteran Richard Douglas says a fit Brad Crouch, who missed the entire 2018 season with a groin injury, will add another dimension to the Crows' midfield in 2019.

"He's really explosive inside and outside the contest. That's something we've probably lacked and we certainly missed him last year," Douglas said.

"He uses the ball really well and he'll complement the guys that have been there really well."

Injury-plagued midfielder Brad Crouch trains alongside the Crows' first-to-fourth-year players.

However, the Crows are taking a conservative approach with Crouch's recovery given his extensive injury history and won't set any firm targets for his return.

"It’s good to see Brad training before his scheduled return date," Crows general manager of high performance Matt Hass said.

"He has returned in good shape and is progressing exactly as expected. Brad is certainly doing all he can to best prepare his body for next season."

Brad Crouch will be sidelined for an extended period after being booked in for surgery due to a nagging groin injury.

"Brad's injury is not responding as well as we would have liked to the strengthening program that we have been undertaking," Adelaide football manager Brett Burton said.

"We have decided surgery is the best course of action given this latest setback."

Media reports surface that Adelaide may opt for season-ending surgery for Brad Crouch if his groin injury does not improve.

"Brad's still having some trouble with his groins, but like anything, he consults with the physios and the doctors and they've got a plan," Adelaide captain Taylor Walker said.

"Fingers crossed he continues on that plan and we get him back. He's doing a little bit, so hopefully we can get Brad back ASAP."

Brad Crouch appears to contradict the statements of Crows coach Don Pyke after admitting to suffering from osteitis pubis.

"I had it since last year, a lot through the season, I had a groin complaint on my left side," Crouch said.

"Came back after the pre-season, started to feel really good and got to the point where I was about to play an internal game about three or four weeks ago, then had an ab strain for a bit.

"When I came back from that after a week or so, I had some pretty painful stuff around my abs and down lower into my groin."

Brad Crouch faces up to two months on the sidelines with a groin injury.

"Brad Crouch has been returning from his abdominal strain and in the process of that, he’s flared up groin issues so he will be unavailable to play this week," Crows head of football Brett Burton said.

"Brad is obviously an important player to us and we take a no-risk policy with him given his previous history."

Brad Crouch will play no part in the JLT Community Series after suffering an abdominal strain at training.

"Brad was expected to play in our intra-club but a minor abdominal strain will keep him out," Crows performance manager Matt Hass said.

"He won't play in our JLT3 game next weekend and will be monitored in the lead up to round one."

Adelaide's Brad Crouch and Matt Crouch are set to be the first brothers in 10 years to play together in a Grand Final when the Crows take on Richmond at the MCG this Saturday.

"It's been a long journey for both of us and we never thought this would happen, so it's a great opportunity for both of us," Brad said.

Despite fracturing his cheekbone in the third quarter, Brad Crouch plays out the match in the Crows' 21-point win over Geelong.

"I might have to have some surgery early in the week, but hopefully won't miss any games,” Crouch told Channel 7.

Crows coach Don Pyke lauded Crouch for being able to play through the discomfort of the injury.

“It’s fantastic for Brad to play out the last quarter,” Pyke said.

“That shows the sort of quality he is as well as a hard, inside midfielder, to go out with a facial fracture and to continue to play and to perform in the last quarter knowing the game was still on the line.”

Adelaide coach Don Pyke says the club has done everything it can to bring Brad Crouch to full fitness as he prepares to play his first game for the club in 2017 after recovering from a knee injury.

"Obviously with his history, with some of the hamstring problems he's had, we did a fair bit of work in terms of strengthening through his core and lower-leg area," Pyke said.

"So he's got a slight change to how he looks, but he looks strong, he looks fit and he's ready to go.

"We're really confident he comes in in good form and with good fitness under his belt."

Adelaide midfield coach Scott Camporeale expects Brad Crouch to shake off his latest injury hurdle with his hamstring and be a major contributor to the Crows' engine room this year.

"He's had a little setback with his hamstring, no major issues, obviously we're looking forward to getting him back fully fit," Camporeale said.

"We're really confident in the medical staff and the high performance team that they're giving him the best care.

"At the end of the day, it's only a hamstring strain, nothing structurally or anything, so we expect him to make a full recovery and to have a real impact this year."

Injury-plagued Adelaide midfielder Brad Crouch has been ruled out of the JLT Community Series and appears a long shot for round one due to a troublesome hamstring.

"Given Brad’s injury history and young age we won’t rush his return," high performance manager Matt Hass said.

"He won’t play in the pre-season competition as he recovers and we build up his training loads to match level."

Brad Crouch injures his hamstring for a third time, but the Crows insist he will be available for the JLT Community Series.

Crouch felt pain in his hamstring during a kicking drill when the team returned to training after the Christmas break.

"He's fine, I think he had a little setback a couple of weeks ago now," Crows teammate Daniel Talia said.

"Brad's been tearing up the track and he's still getting to know his body, and probably with his history they're a bit more careful with him.

"Within the next week he'll be back into full training and doing everything."

Brad Crouch says he is determined to fulfill his potential in 2017 amid renewed confidence in his troublesome body.

"Having that big batch of footy under my belt from last season has given me a lot of confidence and I now feel really good going into next season," Crouch told News Corp.

"It (2016) was definitely a bit of a see-sawing year for me. Early days I was struggling with my body coming in through the pre-season and coming back to running and training.

"I had a few tiny injuries that cost me some form.

"We have a really good opportunity over the next couple of years with how our list is placed and I will just concentrate on what I can bring to the side to help win games of footy."

A desire to repay the faith Adelaide has shown in him and the chance to share in premiership success led gun midfielder Brad Crouch to re-sign for the next four years with the Crows.

The 22-year-old ended months of speculation on Friday when he put pen to paper on a contract extension with the Crows that ties him to the club until the end of 2020.

The deal is believed to be worth up to $2.4 million over the four years.

"It's probably been three or four weeks since I wanted to get it done," Crouch said.

"There's a sense of relief and it's probably dragged out a little bit longer than I thought it would.

"I'm just relieved it's over and I can get into the next three weeks and then the finals series."

Adelaide's head of football David Noble says the club is confident of retaining the services of out-of-contract Victorian Brad Crouch.

"We know where Brad is at, we're in constant dialogue and we're comfortable where things are at this point in time,'' Noble said.

"We're comfortable and we believe he's here to stay.''

Adelaide coach Don Pyke says Brad Crouch will have to prove himself in the SANFL before winning back a senior spot.

"We're really clear, both him and us, in terms of the rebuild for him to get back into playing the AFL footy we know he's capable of," Pyke said.

"How long that takes, we don't know, but we're hopeful it's going to be sooner rather than later.

"He's now had a block of five weeks of training and playing, which is probably the longest period he's had for 18 months.

"That continuity's going to really help him and I'd expect he'll be pushing up really quickly."

Brad Crouch will miss at least two weeks with a hamstring injury.

"Brad has a minor hamstring issue," Crows fitness coach Matthew Bode said.

"We’ve always taken a cautious approach with Brad. He’s expected to be out for about two to three weeks."

Brad Crouch is withdrawn from Adelaide's squad to take on Richmond due to hamstring soreness.

"Brad experienced some hamstring tightness during training on Wednesday,” Crows high performance manager Brett Burton said.

"We will take a conservative approach with him and assess him again during the week."

Brad Crouch and Rory Atkins are dropped from the Crows team to take on Gold Coast in their NAB Challenge match for disciplinary reasons.

Coach Don Pyke said the decision to omit the pair was taken following a recommendation by the Adelaide leadership group.

"Our players have established a trademark and standards which govern their behaviour both on and off the field," Pyke said.

"In this instance, Brad and Rory did not meet those standards when the playing group had a break from training over the weekend.

"Both boys were really contrite and disappointed in themselves. They understand they've let themselves down and they've let their teammates down."

Adelaide coach Don Pyke has cautioned against expecting too much too soon from comeback midfielder Brad Crouch.

"I think it's probably flattering for Brad to get the attention he's getting," Pyke said.

"We're keen, as he is, to get him back out on the park and playing footy. But we're not sitting here going 'if we don't get Brad Crouch back, we can't win'."

Adelaide will persist with a cautious approach with Brad Crouch who remains in doubt for the Crows' final NAB Challenge clash against Gold Coast.

Whilst Crouch's return to competitive football appears precariously placed, teammate Brodie Smith denied he or any of the Crows felt nervous for the midfielder.

"We're excited to get him back … I guess it's a little frustrating for us because we are being so cautious with him … we really just want to have him out on the park," Smith said.

"We'll give him all the time he needs so he doesn't have those little breakdowns again."

Adelaide will adopt a cautious approach with Brad Crouch during the NAB Challenge after the luckless midfielder pulled up with general soreness from his starring role in their intraclub match.

"He's not sore in the foot, which is a good thing, it's just general soreness in terms of returning to play," Pyke told radio station 5AA.

"(Soreness is) to be expected - he hasn't played for the best part of almost a year.

"He's a strong, fierce competitor and maybe he just went a bit overs on Friday. So we need to sometimes pull him back a little bit to protect him from himself at times."

Ricky Henderson says injury-plagued midfielder and Crows teammate Brad Crouch has been looking sharp this pre-season.

"He hasn't played a game for about a year, so I wouldn't have too many expectations on him early in the year," Henderson said.

"He's been training the house down. He's as fit as he's ever been, so he'll be really good for us this year – pretty much a new recruit."

Adelaide ruckman Sam Jacobs says Crows teammate Brad Crouch is set to put his injury woes behind him in 2016.

"He's starting to build back up to the normal training regime," Jacobs said.

"He's obviously really excited just to be back out there amongst the boys and we're excited to have him back."

Jacobs said the hardest thing for Crouch over the past four injury-interrupted seasons was the fact that he's been robbed of his outlet for competition.

"He's a real footballer, he just loves the contest and loves playing," he said.

"That's probably the hardest thing for him … taking that competitiveness away from him, being injured.

"When you're swimming and doing bike on your own, it's hard to get that competitive fix."

Brad Crouch is on track to start full-scale training in January as he returns from the foot injury that ruined his 2015 campaign.

"'Crouchy' is progressing well. He’s pain-free now," Adelaide's general manager of high performance Brett Burton said.

"He’ll be on a modified program pre-Christmas and then we’ll assess how he’s going then. We look forward to him being available for round one."

Adelaide coach Don Pyke has moved to ease any pressure on injury-prone rising star Brad Crouch to replace Patrick Dangerfield in 2016.

"I haven't coached Brad but from what I understand he's a talented player who hasn't had a great run at it," Pyke told FIVEaa.

"Losing Patrick Dangerfield is not like you're going to replace him with one player … from a system view point I don't want to create a system that's relying on one player.

"Hopefully Brad can get himself fit and healthy and step in and play a role for us but he'll be part of a midfield that's going to rely not on one guy, it's going to rely on the whole group of them – maybe eight to 10."

Brad Crouch will be sidelined again for six to eight weeks after suffering a stress reaction in the same foot that has kept him out of action for the first half of the season.

Crouch was playing just his second SANFL game back from surgery on the same foot when he heard a crack in the opening minutes and left the field.

Adelaide head of football David Noble said Crouch would wear a moon boot for a couple of weeks.

"Brad had worked hard and done everything right to get back and we will continue to take a conservative approach with his rehabilitation," Noble said.

Brad Crouch could be set for more time on the sidelines after experiencing foot soreness in the SANFL on Sunday.

The 21-year-old was taken off the ground in the opening quarter of the Crows' SANFL Showdown against Port Adelaide and took no further part.

Adelaide coach Phil Walsh is happy with the progress made by injured midfielder Brad Crouch and is confident the 21-year-old will still be able to make a strong contribution upon his return from an injured ankle.

"I spoke with Brad yesterday, so he's in at the club, I think he's got maybe four more weeks with the moon boot on," Walsh said.

"But he's in good spirits, he's a resilient kid, he's overcome some injuries in the past – we're very confident that we'll see some good footy from Brad this year."

Brad Crouch will miss up to two months after undergoing foot surgery.

Crouch injured his left foot in the Crows' NAB Challenge win over Port Adelaide with scans revealing a fracture.

"Brad has had an unfortunate run with injury in recent years but we know that he will attack his rehabilitation with enthusiasm and look to get back as soon as possible," Crows head of football David Noble said.

Brad Crouch says having his first uninterrupted pre-season has will be beneficial once the season starts.

"I'm sweet at the moment, I've done every session so far – it's been a little bit different to my first three pre-seasons," Crouch said.

"Now, in comparison to last season, my fitness is a lot higher. This time last season I was just starting to run again.

"It's crucial, especially once the games roll around - that's when you get the biggest benefit."

Brothers Brad Crouch and Matt Crouch will play together for the first time in Adelaide's round 23 match against St Kilda at Adelaide Oval.

Brad Crouch's ability to shrug off a lack of match fitness to star in the Crows' drought-breaking Showdown win over Port Adelaide has earned the praise of coach Brenton Sanderson.

Crouch racked up 28 disposals and a crucial final-term goal in his first game back from a broken leg suffered early in the season.

"[Crouch] is one of the best young kids in the game, came second by a whisker last year in the Rising Star…he's still not match fit yet either," Sanderson said after the game.

"Really important long-term player for us but we saw today how important for us he is right now as well."

Brad Crouch will miss six weeks after suffering a fractured fibula in his left leg during the final quarter of the Crows' round 2 loss to Port Adelaide.

Crows Matt and Brad Crouch become the first brothers to play for Adelaide since Andrew and Darren Jarman.

"I haven't really thought about it too much to be honest," Brad said.

"I know it'll be a good thing – there's not many brothers that get the chance to play with each other – but we can't say to each other 'we want to do this' or 'we want to do that'.

"We'll just keep training and working well together and hopefully down the track we can play in a flag together."

Brad Crouch commits to an extra two years at Adelaide, signing a new deal that will keep him at the club until the end of 2016.

"After a frustrating start to the season, Brad improved with every game he played. The recognition he's received both internally and externally in the past week is a reflection of a very impressive first season of AFL footy," list manager David Noble said.

"We're excited Brad has signed for a further two years, and we see him as an integral part of our midfield for many years to come."

Jaeger O'Meara has capped off an outstanding debut season by winning this year's NAB AFL Rising Star Award from Adelaide's Brad Crouch, with Port Adelaide's Oliver Wines finishing third.

O'Meara polled 44 of a possible 45 votes to win by 13 votes from Crouch, with Wines finishing on 26 votes ahead of North Melbourne's Aaron Mullett and Sydney Swan Tom Mitchell who tied on 11 votes in equal fourth.

Brad Crouch earns the round 14 AFL Rising Star nomination after tallying 31 disposals, including 14 contested possessions and 5 clearances, against Gold Coast.

"To Brad's credit, he's been able to have a significant impact as an inside ball winner, whilst also providing important run outside the contest,'' Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson said.

"Brad is a quality young man and an exciting prospect. He has an outstanding work ethic and has taken some significant steps in his development.''

After averaging almost 20 disposals in three games in his debut season, Brad Crouch suffers a hamstring injury at training and is set to miss a couple of weeks.

"It doesn't look too serious, it might be two weeks but I'm just guessing," Crows coach Brenton Sanderson said.

"It is a setback for the kid because he's been in good form."

Brad Crouch makes an impressive debut for the Crows with 18 disposals against Brisbane at the Gabba in a 19-point win to Adelaide.

"I've been with the boys for over a year now, so you know everyone well, you know everyone's real strengths and stuff like that, so you do feel really comfortable," Crouch said.

"[But] travelling away, and also my parents came up to the game…it definitely still did feel like a debut."

Young stars Brad Crouch and Ollie Wines look likely to face off against each other in the first showdown of 2013 between the Crows and the Power.

"A lot of our young guys look up to 'Crouchy' and the way he's been going about his footy and I've got no doubt the Port Adelaide young guys would be the same with Ollie Wines," Crows captain Nathan van Berlo said.

"They set a great example and they certainly do bring energy to the group when they come on game day…we've seen the way Ollie Wines attacks the footy, and Crouchy's fearless as well."

Brad Crouch makes his AFL debut for Adelaide at the Gabba with 18 disposals (7 kicks and 11 handballs), 3 marks and 3 tackles in a 19-point win over Brisbane.

Brad Crouch says he is ready for the AFL after being forced to watch from the sidelines in 2012.

"I think I'm pretty lucky because I've had the year to develop, so I think that's the big thing. Once you do that there's no reason why you shouldn't be ready," Crouch said.

"I've moved out of home, learning to cook and clean and stuff like that when if I had have been at home Mum would have been doing everything for me.

"So it helped me a lot as a person [and it was] also [a] huge help with my footy as well."

Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson says Brad Crouch is set to make an impact in 2013.

"If Brad's in our best 22, we'll play him and I'm sure a lot of weeks he will be," Sanderson said.

"At the same time, we have to be realistic with our expectations. He only turns 19 in January, so he's still learning and we won't rush him.

"It's been so beneficial having a year to develop him in our system. He knows the game plan already and he's got an AFL body now compared to the kids in the draft pool this year."

Brenton Sanderson has expressed frustration at not being able to play Brad Crouch after playing well in an intra-club hit-out.

"Crouchy is the most frustrating one because he was outstanding," Crows coach Brenton Sanderson said.

"He's going to play some NAB Cup, but we'd love to be able to play him early in the season proper."

Adelaide's operations manager Phil Harper says there is no doubt Crouch will be a fine player for the Crows in the years to come.

"You can see from watching him [in the internal trial] and from watching him at training, he's going to be a quality player," Harper said.

"He's only young still and he should be ready to play next year when he's eligible."

New Adelaide recruit Brad Crouch says his focus will be on school for now before moving over to the Crows to start training.

"My last exam is November 18, so I've got to knuckle down at school now, be able to concentrate hopefully and then after that I'll get all of that out of the way and I'll move to Adelaide and get ready to train,'' Crouch said.

"It's been a pretty nervous wait at school. I've had a pretty busy week, it's been pretty tough to concentrate in class, now I'm just rapt to be a part of it and just to know exactly what's going to happen.''

Adelaide picks up 17-year old Brad Crouch in the 2011 mini draft.

Crouch believes being able to join an AFL club a year early will benefit him greatly.

"The real opportunity of it all is that you get to be at AFL club a year early in comparison to other kids my age," Crouch said.

"It's a huge advantage to have and to be exposed to that opportunity is unreal. I'm pretty excited to be here and [have my guernsey] handed over with Paddy being here. After all the hype I'm happy to have it settled down and be a part of Adelaide. I'm looking forward to starting pre-season."