Jared Crouch

Jared Crouch (born 5 March 1978) is a South Australian former Australian football player with the Sydney Swans of the Australian Football League (AFLL), who is colloquially known as “Crouchie” to Swans fans and media.

Having played for Norwood in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), Crouch was selected by Sydney in the first round of the 1995 AFL Draft. He did not make his senior debut until 1998, when he was called up to play against Collingwood in Round 7, having been originally selected as an emergency for that match. He played in every game for the rest of the season, earning a Rising Star Award nomination, and did not miss a game in the subsequent seven years.

Crouch's first serious injury occurred in the first match of the 2004 International Rules series (played after the AFL season had ended), when he broke a shoulder and it looked like his unbroken run in the AFL would come to an end. However, Crouch was fit to play in the first game of the 2005 AFL season, and played every game in Sydney's premiership-winning season. His run finally ended when he was unavailable for Round 13 of the 2006 AFL season. His 194 consecutive games from debut is an AFL record, and also places him fourth on the AFL list for consecutive games generally. He was overtaken by team-mate Brett Kirk in 2010.

Crouch usually played in the back pocket, where he kept many well-known opponents quiet. His consistency and professionalism saw him in the top 10 of the Swans' best and fairest count six years in a row, but his only recognition from outside the club was selection in the International Rules team that played Ireland in 2003 and 2004.

Crouch announced his retirement from football from the end of the 2009 AFL season.

External links

• Sydney Swans site player profile
• Jared Crouch's statistics from AFL Tables
• "How a piece of paper proved just the ticket for Crouch". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 April 2005. 
• "Crouch shows hard work really does pay off". Herald Sun. 23 September 2005. 

v t e Australian squad – 2003 International Rules Series Barry Bell Bickley Bizzell Brown Burgoyne Carr Crouch Crawford Hall Harvey Hasleby Hayes Jakovich B. Johnson C. Johnson Kirk Murphy Pavlich Power Rawlings Scarlett Simpson Smith Wells Wirrpanda Coach: Lyon

v t e Australian squad – 2004 International Rules Series Captain: Hird Ball C. Bolton J. Bolton Bowden Braun Brown Bruce Corey Crouch Dal Santo Didak Embley Green Haddrill Hudghton Johnson Jones Kirk McPhee McVeigh Michael Rawlings Riewoldt Solomon Coach: Lyon