St Kilda veteran Brad Crouch has finally told his teammates that his AFL career is over.
7NEWS chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary has revealed that Crouch has “officially retired”, and it’s effective immediately.
“(Crouch) addressed his now former St Kilda teammates this morning,” Cleary said on Tuesday.
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The 30-year-old was contracted for next season, and Crouch had been in talks with the club about a potential payout.
Crouch battled a degenerative knee injury throughout 2024 and only managed one senior match — in Round 1 — before spending time in the VFL.
The official retirement news comes two months after it was revealed by an investment company that Crouch had started a new job.
Investment management company Colliers made the announcement in September.
“We are excited to welcome Brad Crouch to the Melbourne North West Industrial & Logistics team in the role of Executive,” the company said in a bio on its website.
“Having enjoyed a stellar career playing AFL for the Adelaide and St Kilda Football Clubs, Brad has always had a keen interest in property currently dedicating some of his free time to broadening his skills in the commercial property sector in readiness for his new role.
“Brad is a valuable addition to Industrial & Logistics and we look forward to welcoming him to the North West Team.”
St Kilda said in October they had delisted Crouch but were committed to picking him up in the AFL’s rookie draft.
But his retirement now brings an end to a 161-game career.
“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.”
Crouch joined Adelaide via the mini-draft in 2011 and went on to play 95 games with the club.
He missed the entire 2018 season with groin injuries, but bounced back in 2019 to win the best and fairest award.
In September of 2020 Crouch, along with Tyson Stengle, was caught in possession of an illicit substance by South Australian police.
Crouch was suspended by the AFL for two matches but did not face a criminal charge.
He joined St Kilda at the end of 2020 as a free agent and quickly established himself as one of the Saints’ best players by winning the best and fairest in 2022.
“This is a really disappointing way for Brad’s career to end,” St Kilda football boss 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.”
The Saints secured the services of Western Bulldogs midfielder Jack Macrae this off-season, who will be an automatic replacement for Crouch.