Bigman’s Training Reports
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Agree with you. Not having Sloane or Laird in the midfield works to the team's advantage massively. Crouch is now easily best 22 for us heading into 2025, a situation I could not have predicted 2 years ago.
I wouldnt say "easily" but he's absolutely earned the right to start there.
- Nov 5, 2009
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I gotta say - I was wrong and Nicks was right on that call.
He missed all of 2021, Played 11 games in 2022 and was dropped several times. He looked average in his first game in 2023 albeit as a sub - and then was dropped again. Many were pissed off when he came back in round 19, but since then he has been hard to fault.
That ladt sentence isn't correct if mutineer's list of rucks at other clubs is to be believed. We have 2, those 2 clubs have 4. Were the only club in the league without a 20 year old or younger **** on our list. So even if Bicks is wrong, our position isn't identical to Brisbane and Sydney.
I agree I still see a place for him in that midfield.
In the short term yes, but at the same time I can see guys going past him this season
Drugs Are Bad Mackay?
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Crouch winning the ball at the coal face and distributing it to guys on the outside can be lethal
Crouch receiving chip passes in the back half and we're in top four draft pick territory
Crouch receiving chip passes in the back half and we're in top four draft pick territory
- Nov 5, 2009
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Well when Bick's list has a 196cm Defender who played 16 games in the VFL in 2024 as winger and half back with exactly zero hit outs - you know he is full of it.
Well thats because Bicks counted all of the other teams Ruck/Fwds and not ours (Murray /TT)
Well it is identical to Brisbane and its very close to Sydney.
Shifty Crow
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- Jul 30, 2024
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Doesn’t matter who you put around Crouch he still slows us down and reduces our flexibility as a team
Lacks leg speed, lacks any penetration in his kicking and his natural instinct is to look sideways - unlike our other mids, he can’t play any other role
He’s in his last year of his contract - time to transition him out
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- Nov 5, 2009
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I thought he was much more attacking in 2024.
But yes he has limitations, foot speed and kicking penetration in particular.
But he is still very useful in a midfield group if you have him and let him play to his strengths. He is an absolute clearance machine, reads the play really well, frees up other midfielders. Surround him with pace and attacking ball users (Dawson, Rankine, Rachele, Peatling) and he can be an important cog of a quality midfield group.
Many said the same things about Tom Mitchell at Collingwood.
Southerntakeover
Too Sweet
It all comes down to what mix they put him around. Playing with Laird in the middle drags him down.
Absent that, we don't really have a younger player as built for the win and distribute role right now as he is. Maybe it's Berry's best role, but he's not really showed the same quality at it.
Floating Doughnut
SuperCrouch 🧦🧦🧦🧢🧢
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ESPN did a story with Champion Data on assisted meters gained which is a statistic supplied to clubs but
not reported otherwise, Matt has been in the top two or three in the league since his second year.
That is his game, getting the ball to teammates in a better position and then getting to the next stoppage that’s it.
His stats in 2024 were his third best on record, his TOG hasn’t changed in the last three years nor his 67% CBA’s, his disposal efficiency in that time has improved 18% compared to the previous 7 yr avge. He has done everything Nicks asked of him .
He doesn’t pick up cheap run arounds, he does the hard stuff and that won’t change this year.
not reported otherwise, Matt has been in the top two or three in the league since his second year.
That is his game, getting the ball to teammates in a better position and then getting to the next stoppage that’s it.
His stats in 2024 were his third best on record, his TOG hasn’t changed in the last three years nor his 67% CBA’s, his disposal efficiency in that time has improved 18% compared to the previous 7 yr avge. He has done everything Nicks asked of him .
He doesn’t pick up cheap run arounds, he does the hard stuff and that won’t change this year.
- Nov 5, 2009
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And I think part of the dislike from him was from when we surrounded him with players like Keys, Laird and Sloane through the middle. Made us so one paced and made players look worse than they actually were.
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Crouch was poor in early 2023 and rightly dropped, but to his credit knuckled down and was killing it for months before his recall round 19. Nicks payed no attention to this and was playing lesser players in the A’s for many weeks before picking him again, which came too late for us to have a decent crack at finals.
- Sep 28, 2016
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I think Crouch has earned his spot as the round 1 inside to out distributor in the midfield. IMO he's currently the best at it in our side and he's clearly worked on the other deficiencies in his game to his credit.
However I feel like the threat to his playing time moving forward is going to be increased midfield time for Dan Curtin. Who has all the tools to be a jumbo sized Crouch, with a better kick and overhead mark amoung his natural gifts.
However I feel like the threat to his playing time moving forward is going to be increased midfield time for Dan Curtin. Who has all the tools to be a jumbo sized Crouch, with a better kick and overhead mark amoung his natural gifts.
With today being the first open training of the year, I assume we should see a bunch of detailed reports from the Crom faithful today?
Was hoping it was to be last week, whilst I was still on Leave, however this wasn't the case.
Was hoping it was to be last week, whilst I was still on Leave, however this wasn't the case.
Here's my detailed report. I'm here at training.
I've seen enough.
Hand over the flag now.
I've seen enough.
Hand over the flag now.
FR0GGY
From a cartel villa in Tuscany
How long since Norwood has employed a groundsman?
FR0GGY
From a cartel villa in Tuscany
I thought yellow hat meant no tackling?
Berry might take that role but Curtin is still some time away from that role. Whether he ever gets there is debatable, much prefer him receiving than in the pack
Floating Doughnut
SuperCrouch 🧦🧦🧦🧢🧢
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Agree, if Curtin does make it in the mids can see him being the Bontempelli type.
Curtin’s side step is lethal and we need him moving the ball forward, also like Bont his height allows him to
handball over the top of opponents. Bont can also go forward and kick 2 or 3 a game, see Curtin able to doing the same imo.
edit:
Libba to Bont maybe our Crouch to Curtin
