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Crouch steels himself to cheating tag
By Jenny McAsey
April 15, 2004
SYDNEY Swans defender Jared Crouch does not care if Brisbane Lions' loudmouth Jason Akermanis thinks he is a cheat, but he does get miffed when his cousin in Queensland believes it.
Crouch has more in common with the outspoken Akermanis than might at first be apparent.
Considered the iceman at the Swans because he is so obsessive and serious about his weekly preparation, 26-year-old Crouch is as bold and firm in his opinions as the Brisbane on-baller.
The only difference is he tends to keep them quiet. When Akermanis labelled him the worst kind of tagger ahead of their first-round game, Crouch maintained a steely silence.
But yesterday, two weeks after they met on the football field in a match-up considered a break-even, Crouch was keen to defend his reputation.
"He says I'm a cheat, I'm hanging on (to him)," Crouch said. "I'm more than happy to go over seven years of video tape to see if I have been holding on or doing anything. You've only got to watch video to see that I don't hold.
"I play close; I put my arm out so I know where my opponent is. If the ball is there, I try and win it, but I'm not holding, I'm not dragging him out of the contest when he doesn't have the ball, or anything like that.
"But he is the only bloke in the AFL saying that, and I've been playing for a long time.
"That's just 'Aker'. He has his own opinions. I do believe I am very strong in my opinions but I believe you've got to be able to back them up, not just by words or actions but by proof.
"Whatever I believe in, I can prove, and you can question what Aker says - how much of it can he actually prove and how much of it is just him saying stuff?"
Crouch said he had received numerous messages of support, both from his team-mates and opposition players he befriended when he was a member of the Australian team for last year's International Rules series.
"They were just laughing, saying be nice to Aker this week," he said.
But Crouch, who considers himself a "small defender" rather than a tagger, clearly has some concern people might take Akermanis seriously.
"It is funny, I've got friends in Queensland and cousins and they do believe what is written in the Brisbane media, which disappoints me a bit because they do know me," he said.
"I'm not going to go out of my way to try to change (Akermanis's) opinion because it is not an opinion that I really care about."
Crouch, taken at No.8 in the 1995 national draft, hails from Adelaide, the oldest of five brothers.
He knows he is not the most skilful player at the Swans, but is highly respected for the mental strength and physical endurance which has seen him play 135 consecutive games since his debut in 1998.
While he has a passion for horse racing, sailing and red wine, he swears off alcohol during the season and maintains a highly disciplined if not quite monastic lifestyle.
Each week Sydney coach Paul Roos gives him an important task and Crouch rarely lets him down.
After duelling with Akermanis, he kept Fremantle's Jeff Farmer quiet, and worked hard in Sydney's six-point win over Geelong.
Crouch is also trying to develop the attacking side of his game and has averaged nearly 20 possessions and kicked a goal each week in 2004.
He had a lot riding on the wins over Fremantle and Geelong, after a bet with Roos that if they won, he could have last Monday off to go to the Doncaster Handicap at Randwick. "I was the happiest bloke when we finally got up by a goal against Geelong," Crouch said.
By Jenny McAsey
April 15, 2004
SYDNEY Swans defender Jared Crouch does not care if Brisbane Lions' loudmouth Jason Akermanis thinks he is a cheat, but he does get miffed when his cousin in Queensland believes it.
Crouch has more in common with the outspoken Akermanis than might at first be apparent.
Considered the iceman at the Swans because he is so obsessive and serious about his weekly preparation, 26-year-old Crouch is as bold and firm in his opinions as the Brisbane on-baller.
The only difference is he tends to keep them quiet. When Akermanis labelled him the worst kind of tagger ahead of their first-round game, Crouch maintained a steely silence.
But yesterday, two weeks after they met on the football field in a match-up considered a break-even, Crouch was keen to defend his reputation.
"He says I'm a cheat, I'm hanging on (to him)," Crouch said. "I'm more than happy to go over seven years of video tape to see if I have been holding on or doing anything. You've only got to watch video to see that I don't hold.
"I play close; I put my arm out so I know where my opponent is. If the ball is there, I try and win it, but I'm not holding, I'm not dragging him out of the contest when he doesn't have the ball, or anything like that.
"But he is the only bloke in the AFL saying that, and I've been playing for a long time.
"That's just 'Aker'. He has his own opinions. I do believe I am very strong in my opinions but I believe you've got to be able to back them up, not just by words or actions but by proof.
"Whatever I believe in, I can prove, and you can question what Aker says - how much of it can he actually prove and how much of it is just him saying stuff?"
Crouch said he had received numerous messages of support, both from his team-mates and opposition players he befriended when he was a member of the Australian team for last year's International Rules series.
"They were just laughing, saying be nice to Aker this week," he said.
But Crouch, who considers himself a "small defender" rather than a tagger, clearly has some concern people might take Akermanis seriously.
"It is funny, I've got friends in Queensland and cousins and they do believe what is written in the Brisbane media, which disappoints me a bit because they do know me," he said.
"I'm not going to go out of my way to try to change (Akermanis's) opinion because it is not an opinion that I really care about."
Crouch, taken at No.8 in the 1995 national draft, hails from Adelaide, the oldest of five brothers.
He knows he is not the most skilful player at the Swans, but is highly respected for the mental strength and physical endurance which has seen him play 135 consecutive games since his debut in 1998.
While he has a passion for horse racing, sailing and red wine, he swears off alcohol during the season and maintains a highly disciplined if not quite monastic lifestyle.
Each week Sydney coach Paul Roos gives him an important task and Crouch rarely lets him down.
After duelling with Akermanis, he kept Fremantle's Jeff Farmer quiet, and worked hard in Sydney's six-point win over Geelong.
Crouch is also trying to develop the attacking side of his game and has averaged nearly 20 possessions and kicked a goal each week in 2004.
He had a lot riding on the wins over Fremantle and Geelong, after a bet with Roos that if they won, he could have last Monday off to go to the Doncaster Handicap at Randwick. "I was the happiest bloke when we finally got up by a goal against Geelong," Crouch said.
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