Adelaide ball magnet Matt Crouch has turned his back on free agency and recommitted to the Crows signing a two-year deal.
Crouch had been widely tipped to depart Adelaide as the club continues to rebuild its list with a heavy focus on youth. However, Crouch will now remain a crow until at least the end of 2023.
The left-footer didn't play a game in 2021 due to a groin injury and it looked for all money his papers were stamped given coach Matthew Nicks' ruthless attitude around list management.
Crouch said it was just a matter of time before he and the Crows reached an agreement.
โIt was always my preference to re-sign with Adelaide and it was just a matter of taking the time to work through where both I and the club were at,โ Crouch said. ย
โIโm excited by our young list and confident in the direction we are heading.
โAlthough it has been a frustrating year for me personally with injury, Iโm now looking forward to getting back on the training track with all my teammates in pre-season and returning to the field next year.
โWe are building something special here and I am confident I have plenty of good footy ahead of me as has the team.โ
Mitch Clearyย ofย AFL.com.auย is reporting that Crouch signed the extension on Friday. The report states that Crouch has signed on for less than his original asking price.
Crouch's management had been getting a feel for any interest in the 2017 Best and Fairest winner but they were unable to garner enough attention to convince Crouch to test the open market.
There had been some whispers that Crouch could follow the path his brother Brad took last season and make his way to Victoria.
Nicks said as recently as Friday that the club and Crouch still had a way to go before reaching an agreement.
โInsulted is a harsh word, but thatโs what weโre working through with Matty,โ the Adelaide coach toldย SEN SA Breakfast.
โI totally understand where Matty is coming from. Weโve had open dialogue around this for months now and thereโs always going to be a balance or a negotiation between player and footy club on what works.
โWeโre working through that. Iโd be lying if I didnโt say itโs taking a little longer, Iโm a little concerned, but I want Matt at the footy club, he wants to be at the footy club.
โOur challenge now is to make that work. It is around some security, and I understand that, for a lot of players that is the most important part โ โI want security, I want timeโ.
โWeโre working through that at the moment and Iโm confident weโll get that done.โ
