CROWS WERE RIGHT ON CROUCH: CAMPO
FORMER Adelaide senior assistant Scott Camporeale says the Crows were right to not match St Kilda’s offer for Brad Crouch and pay the “premium price” for the new Saints midfielder.
The 26-year-old sealed a move to the Saints on a four-year-deal, with an option or a fifth, on Wednesday, after the Crows chose not to match St Kilda’s offer for Crouch.
Adelaide has been handed pick 23 in the draft for Crouch, significantly less than the second selection the Crows had hoped for and threatened to St Kilda they would match if the offer for the prolific ball-winner did not trigger that compensation.
Crows head of football Adam Kelly said St Kilda called Adelaide’s bluff on matching a bid for Crouch, and the club was not willing to give him the contract the Saints had offered him to remain at West Lakes.
Camporeale said it would have been difficult to reintegrate Crouch at the Crows after he made his desire to join the Saints known.
“They’d be disappointed, but I think that’d be fair value (pick 23) for where it is at, at the moment,” he said on Grandstand SA.
“Having been inside and been privy to those conversations for the past nine years, it is a difficult one.
“They would have looked at Brad Crouch’s situation, they would have summed it up.
“Essentially my gut-feel is that they wouldn’t have wanted to offer any more than three years.
“The second part is they don’t want to pay a premium for a player that we know may break down in the future, when players leave they get a premium to leave. There is no doubt about that.
“Brad is getting a premium to leave and play for St Kilda.”
Camporeale said Crouch staying would have impacted the Crows’ desired rebuild.
“He put his head out there (and said he wanted to leave) with the Gold Coast (last year) and now with St Kilda, I just think that is really hard from a club and a team dynamic, and probably for Nicksy, to rebuild and get him back in,” he said.
“Yes, he would contribute to the team, but they would have weighed up if Brad Crouch’s minutes are more important than Harry Schoenberg’s going forward.”
Camporeale also said Port Adelaide should not bow down to Essendon’s demands for a first-round or future first-round pick for Orazio Fantasia to return to Adelaide.
“Pick 29 to 30 I reckon is around (the mark). He has played 33 games in three years also, so he is averaging 11 games in three years,” he said.
“He only played five this year and I’m not privy to how bad his hamstrings may be, but that would worry me.
“Even from a Port point of view, do you need him? You can still pinch-hit (Connor) Rozee in the midfield.
“It’s a bit of a punt for Port. If they can get him fit, he will definitely add to that forward line.
“But I wouldn’t part with a firstround pick or even a future first round-pick.”