St Kilda Saints officially make move on Adelaide Crows star Brad Crouch
St Kilda have officially put in an offer for Adelaide Crows' restricted free agent Brad Crouch.
On Sunday the AFL confirmed the paperwork had been lodged and now Adelaide have three days - until 5pm Wednesday - to decide whether they match the Saints' offer or not, and what compensation pick they might gain from losing Crouch.
Reports have speculated that the deal could be four or five years.
On Wednesday last week, Adelaide Crows' football boss Adam Kelly told AFL Trade Radio that they were not yet privy to the details of St Kilda's offer for the onballer and will only uncover more information when the paperwork was officially lodged.
Brad Crouch Getty
Now that has been done, the Crows can mull over the terms, and whether they can receive pick no.2 as compensation adding to their first pick ahead of the trade period.
"We're obviously hopeful that the compensation would be resulting in Pick 2 – and it's really only under those circumstances that we would consider matching and looking to force a trade or retain Brad's services," Kelly said on AFL Trade Radio.
"We'll certainly be looking for a better outcome than what that compensation would be if it's not pick 2, (otherwise) it would be end of first round or start of second, which, because of our ladder position, is effectively the same thing.
"That pick itself could push out to the mid-20s after all the Next Generation Academy (bids) … We don't see that as adequate compensation for a player of Brad's calibre, so we'd certainly be looking at matching."
Brad Crouch Getty
According to the Sydney Morning Herald Adelaide have been offered a second-round compensation pick (currently pick No.23) for Crouch.
The 26-year-old midfielder has played 95 games for Adelaide over eight seasons. He played in the Crows' 2017 grand final and was the club's 2019 Best and Fairest. However he is set to sit out the first two games of the 2021 AFL season after some off-field trouble this year. He was handed a two-match ban by the league and ordered to undergo counselling with the South Australian drug diversion program after he was caught by police with an illicit substance.
