Free Agency Brad Crouch [joins St Kilda as a RFA for pick 23]

[bird_man]

Wow was watching the Saints and at one point Bombers were running the ball up the wing. Crouch was jogging and not once but twice they ran past him and he didnt even bother trying to lay pressure. He didnt even move his line towards them, he just jooged along as they ran past.

He has zero defensive intent. None. Nida. Crows were smart to let him go. Add Hill as well and the Saints have two unaccountable mids to exploit.

That was the worst defensive effort I've ever seen from my club live, but Crouch actually topped our pressure points for the game.

That's despite him only playing 70% of the game and spending large amounts forward.

What was really strange to me was the way we played him. Starting him on the bench and then putting him forward.

 

[XhazzafootyX]

Oh I love seeing the saints squander 2.3m a season on Hill, Hanners and Crouch!

I wouldn’t say zac Williams is setting the world on fire either mate

 

[aussierulesrules]

I wouldn’t say zac Williams is setting the world on fire either mate

How much are they paying Mitch McGovern again?

 

[an unbiased carlton man]

I wouldn’t say zac Williams is setting the world on fire either mate

How much are they paying Mitch McGovern again?

Best user of the footy in our team, has played two matches and yesterday spent 30 minutes off the field. Hill and crouch combined for 30 touches

we’re paying brackets $100k less than what you pay Hanners, difference is Brackets is young and trying - Hanners is old, slow and on the pipe every night

 

[bird_man]

Best user of the footy in our team, has played two matches and yesterday spent 30 minutes off the field. Hill and crouch combined for 30 touches

we’re paying brackets $100k less than what you pay Hanners, difference is Brackets is young and trying - Hanners is old, slow and on the pipe every night

Who is brackets? McGovern?

McGovern is turning 27 this year, you can't use the "he's still young" line anymore.

And according to the rich list conducted by HS last year he's earning more than Hannebery.

You'd probably want to win more than one game before you start slagging off other clubs mate.

 

[XhazzafootyX]

Best user of the footy in our team, has played two matches and yesterday spent 30 minutes off the field. Hill and crouch combined for 30 touches

we’re paying brackets $100k less than what you pay Hanners, difference is Brackets is young and trying - Hanners is old, slow and on the pipe every night

Best user he went at 50% last week my guy.

 

[an unbiased carlton man]

Get off the pipe fellas, you’ve got the oldest list in the comp and waste 2.3m a season on three blokes that wouldn’t get a game in a top eight side

Honestly, if you don’t win a flag this year it’s lights out for another 10; and you won’t win it this year

also, I am well aware of McGoverns shithousery and fatness, as well as Carltons shithousery - just a bit of kicking you while you’re down.

 

[bird_man]

Get off the pipe fellas, you’ve got the oldest list in the comp and waste 2.3m a season on three blokes that wouldn’t get a game in a top eight side

Tell us more about how well Carlton are going. Been hearing you are going to make finals for 4 years now. Doesn't look like it's happening again this year.

Our over all list age went well up when we added older players as depth this off season e.g. Hunter, McKernan, Frawley, Wood.

We won't lose any sleep when all those guys retire.

Believe it or not our over all average age for our 22 last year was the 4th youngest in the comp and we managed to finish top 6.

Our list is a long way off no doubt, but watching a Carlton supporter come on here like a vulture after one win is hilarious.

 

[an unbiased carlton man]

Tell us more about how well Carlton are going. Been hearing you are going to make finals for 4 years now. Doesn't look like it's happening again this year.

Our over all list age went well up when we added older players as depth this off season e.g. Hunter, McKernan, Frawley, Wood.

We won't lose any sleep when all those guys retire.

Believe it or not our over all average age for our 22 last year was the 4th youngest in the comp and we managed to finish top 6.

Our list is a long way off no doubt, but watching a Carlton supporter come on here like a vulture after one win is hilarious.

I should’ve added the edit, cause I do seem like a bit of a dick! Do I think we’ll make finals this year? Maybe?? Do I think we waste money? Sure; McGovern and Daisy are living proof of that. We bought the Gov on potential and Daisy on past performance. Saints bought three senior players in on past performance and it hasn’t worked out. Just great to see it happen to someone else for once. Saints were in the firing line this weekend for this success starved Carlton supporter!

I actually don’t mind the saints, but that Coops fella tends to be a pretty poor public representative

 

[Elmer_Hauser]

It was only one game. Think we need a far bigger sample size before we write Brouch off as a mistake for the Saints.

I would be much more worried about how Brad Hill is travelling if I was a Saints fan.

 

[an unbiased carlton man]

It was only one game. Think we need a far bigger sample size before we write Brouch off as a mistake for the Saints.

I would be much more worried about how Brad Hill is travelling if I was a Saints fan.

Hill is likely carrying an injury, or lacking match fitness - he looked lethargic but went at 100% by foot

FWIW I think Hill and Crouch will be OK but not hit the same heights as they did for their previous clubs. Similar to Daisy.

 

[aussierulesrules]

It was only one game. Think we need a far bigger sample size before we write Brouch off as a mistake for the Saints.

I would be much more worried about how Brad Hill is travelling if I was a Saints fan.

We were also clearly just easing him into it. Only played 73% game time and spent a chunk of that time forward, where he isn’t suited. Will be much better for a couple more runs.

That said, if we had’ve known what effect these new rules were going to have on the way the game is played, we might not have bothered targeting a pure inside mid like him.

 

[an unbiased carlton man]

We were also clearly just easing him into it. Only played 73% game time and spent a chunk of that time forward, where he isn’t suited. Will be much better for a couple more runs.

That said, if we had’ve known what effect these new rules were going to have on the way the game is played, we might not have bothered targeting a pure inside mid like him.

Also true, you could be helped by the addition of Ryder back to your squad, along with Marshall. A good ruck helps your inside mids, two very good ruckman should have a sizeable effect.

 

[Elmer_Hauser]

Hill is likely carrying an injury, or lacking match fitness - he looked lethargic but went at 100% by foot

FWIW I think Hill and Crouch will be OK but not hit the same heights as they did for their previous clubs. Similar to Daisy.

True and I guess the issue is how much they are paying them will hurt the Saints going forward.

Losing Gresham for 12 months is a devastating blow for St Kilda, probably after King, he was the one player St Kilda could least afford to lose with an long term injury.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Also true, you could be helped by the addition of Ryder back to your squad, along with Marshall. A good ruck helps your inside mids, two very good ruckman should have a sizeable effect.

They’ve been a monumental loss. Ryder made us a 3-4 goal better team in the 2nd half of last year, as he gave our midfield silver service, and it made us about the best in the comp at scores from stoppages.

He was also consistently the one to really stand up and inspire the team late in games, when we were under threat, or had lost momentum, and was then BOG for us in our finals win.

Paul Hunter was dismal trying to replace him in the first two weeks this year, and McKernan has been pretty much equally bad trying to replace Marshall, in the forward/ruck role, and then the no.1 ruck role on the weekend.

I shudder to think what Nic Nat will do to us this week.

 

[an unbiased carlton man]

They’ve been a monumental loss. Ryder made us a 3-4 goal better team in the 2nd half of last year, as he gave our midfield silver service, and it made us about the best in the comp at scores from stoppages.

He was also consistently the one to really stand up and inspire the team late in games, when we were under threat, or had lost momentum, and was then BOG for us in our finals win.

Paul Hunter was dismal trying to replace him in the first two weeks this year, and McKernan has been pretty much equally bad trying to replace Marshall, in the forward/ruck role, and then the no.1 ruck role on the weekend.

I shudder to think what Nic Nat will do to us this week.

Yeah, it’s tough man! What’s the timeline on Marshall?

 

[BrutThough]

Yeah, it’s tough man! What’s the timeline on Marshall?

He played about 3/4 in the VFL on Saturday so is a chance to come in but they might decide to give him the extra week instead of getting mauled by Nic Nat. That would leave Carlisle as our best ruck option.

The good news is Ryder is on his way back today.

 

[Freomaniac]

How much are they paying Mitch McGovern again?

$800,000 a year...... aussierulesrules , i loved some of your reactions on the saints board after that loss to Essendon lol.


I felt sorry for one of them lol. Life is bad when one of your family members throws the saints shirt away and considers barracking for Freo of all teams lol.

Still..... Back in the topic. Brad crouch didn't set the world on fire didn't he?

 

[Freomaniac]

Who is brackets? McGovern?

McGovern is turning 27 this year, you can't use the "he's still young" line anymore.

And according to the rich list conducted by HS last year he's earning more than Hannebery.

You'd probably want to win more than one game before you start slagging off other clubs mate.

I never said Freo were bad a** gangstas after beating GWS. I don't think you did after beating GWS in round 1 either.

But this is about Brad Crouch. Goin' to be interesting how his 5 years at the saints will go. Your team has turned on brad Hill

 

[Freomaniac]

Oh I love seeing the saints squander 2.3m a season on Hill, Hanners and Crouch!

As posted.... It's not the saints fault. I partially blame the AFL and the AFL players association or AFLPA.

It's crap that the minimum salary cap is 95 percent. So with a 13 million in salary cap that's only $650,000 in wriggle room.

So average teams have to front end contracts or pay more for average players to reach the minimum salary cap.

To me personally it should go down to 92.5% or even down to 90%

90 per cent of the cap means there 1.3 million dollars of spare money to work around.

This would benefit a team like north for example. You can tell north are going to struggle for at least 2-4 years in the bottom 6.

So if North are going to struggle down there, allow them to use 90 percent of the cap until they make finals. Once they make finals, they can use that remaining 10 percent of the cap to lure a good player or 2.

 

[bird_man]

I never said Freo were bad a** gangstas after beating GWS. I don't think you did after beating GWS in round 1 either.

But this is about Brad Crouch. Goin' to be interesting how his 5 years at the saints will go. Your team has turned on brad Hill

Haha, mate I've got no idea who are but you seem like a creep.

Why did you tag me in a post in a thread that I've never posted in before that was unrelated to anything I have said to you?

I have no idea what being a bad arse gangster is referring to but I am sure you must have me mixed up with someone else?

Did we have some kind of argument in the past that I'm meant to remember?

 

[Freomaniac]

Haha, mate I've got no idea who are but you seem like a creep.

Why did you tag me in a post in a thread that I've never posted in before that was unrelated to anything I have said to you?

I have no idea what being a bad arse gangster is referring to but I am sure you must have me mixed up with someone else?

Did we have some kind of argument in the past that I'm meant to remember?

well you did call me a mother f##ker on the main board on big footy.

I told aussierulesrules about it. I thought it was funny. Aussie rules rules said you had a good judge of character lol

 

[bird_man]

well you did call me a mother f##ker on the main board on big footy.

I told aussierulesrules about it. I thought it was funny. Aussie rules rules said you had a good judge of character lol

Mate, you clearly have me mixed up with someone else.

Very rarely do I post on the main board, it's either the Saints board or draft and trade.

Don't think I've ever called anyone a mother ****er tbh. A campaigner maybe?

 

[aussierulesrules]

Haha, mate I've got no idea who are but you seem like a creep.

See Freomaniac I told you Birdy was a good judge of character!

 

[Freomaniac]

See Freomaniac I told you Birdy was a good judge of character!

Do you remember the time bird_man called me a mother f***er?

I finally found the post. You also reacted to it too. lol

if you want to see it, just quote me. Brace yourself lol