Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson has heaped praise on new Crows life member Matt Crouch's "professionalism and attitude" to fight his way back into Matthew Nicks' plans.
Crouch - who was joined by Matthew Wright, Matthew Clarke, Phil Harper and Mark Nagel in having their contributions to the Crows recognised by the club this week - spent the majority of the last two seasons playing in the SANFL after falling out of favour under Nicks.
The 28-year-old fought his way back into the senior side late into last year and would piece together a strong run of form to help mount the case of a finals finish for the Crows - including a near best-on-ground performance in the Round 20 Showdown win over rivals Port Adelaide.
Following the cessation of the club's 2023 campaign, the club and Crouch agreed to a new two-year deal - an outcome that looked unlikely just months earlier.
Speaking toย Zero Hangerย this week, Dawson said the club sees Crouch as "a real barometer" following his efforts to keep his career alive.
"In the back end of last year he really stepped up and got back to his best," Dawson said.
"It was a great test of resilience really for 'Crouchy', he was obviously playing SANFL footy as an All-Australian and a Club Champion. It's not where you want to be.
"So for him to knuckle down and just consistently rock up and play well at that level and then to come in and probably be one of the best players in the team for the last five weeks (of the season).
"It's really just a testament to his professionalism and attitude.
"He's started the pre-season really strong again and he's looking to go from where he left off last year and keep playing good footy. I love playing with him, he's a real barometer for us and his ability to win the ball is something that you can never have enough of."
Unlike last season, Crouch is likely to start in Nicks' Round 1 side to face Gold Coast as part of a "dynamic" midfield unit led by Dawson and Rory Laird.
The Crows have experimented with forward duo Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele in the middle so far this pre-season, which has excited their skipper for the year ahead.
Looking to break into the finals frame in 2024, Dawson said having a shape-shifting engine room ensemble will be important to their premiership prospects.
"We've got Izak Rankine, Sam Berry, Josh Rachele and Luke Pedlar coming through," the All-Australian added.
"There's a lot of guys kind of rotating through, which is exciting for me and 'Lairdy', to really see that dynamic of the group change and not be set in that kind of three or four-person midfield. We can really change it up.
"So I'm excited about those guys coming through, there'll be more and we're excited to see what they can do."
Adelaide will face West Coast at Richmond Oval on Saturday for their final game of the pre-season, eventually turning their attention to a season-opening trip to the Gold Coast in mid-March.
