St Kilda midfielder Brad Crouch has today announced his retirement from Australian Rules Football, effective immediately.
Crouch hangs up the boots after a total of 161 AFL games since making his debut for Adelaide in Round 2 of the 2013 season against Brisbane.
During this time, he was awarded the Crows’ prestigious Malcolm Blight Medal (2019), finished inside the top 10 of St Kilda’s Trevor Barker Awards (2022, 2023) and also polled a career-best 18 votes in the 2023 Brownlow Medal count.
The decision comes after months of rehabilitation following arthroscopic surgery to address ongoing degenerative knee issues.
“This is a really disappointing way for Brad’s career to end,” Executive General Manager of Football David Misson said.
“We’ve been working with Brad for several months now as he has worked through his knee issues and we were hoping that we could get him back to a place where he could make an impact on-field, which is why we retained his place via our rookie list.
“However, we respect that Brad needs to think about his long-term health first and support him in this decision.
“Brad and the entire Crouch family will always be welcome at St Kilda, and we wish them all the best for the future.”
Crouch arrived at RSEA Park as a restricted free agent in in 2021 after 95 games with Adelaide Football Club. His skill, consistency and competitive game had immediate impact, with the 30-year-old missing only six games in his first three seasons at the Saints.
“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.”
Hailing from country Victoria, Crouch was selected with Pick No. 2 in the 2011 mini-draft.
