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Crouch gives as good as he gets
By Tim Morrissey
April 16, 2004
WHEN Brisbane loudmouth Jason Akermanis unleashed his verbal tirade on Jared Crouch, the Swans tagger didn't bite.
Not even a nibble.
The AFL's master of the outrageous called Crouch a cheat and the worst kind of tagger just before the Swans' season opener against the Lions at the 'Gabba.
They were fighting words and no one would have been surprised if Crouch had come out and said he was going to shut Aker's mouth for him.
But the silence from the Swans' version of the little Energiser battery guy was deafening, which doesn't fit coach Paul Roos' description of Crouch.
"Crouchy is not a meek, mild 5-foot-9 back-pocket player," Roos said.
"He has a hunger and says what he thinks."
Swans officials at the time told the media Crouch didn't want to buy into the Akermanis circus and give the Lions more ammunition to return fire with.
Everyone bought it.
What made it an easy sell was the fact Crouch is a church-going Christian and a conservative straight-down-the-line kind of guy who plays in the less-glamorous position of back pocket.
The truth is, Crouch was ready and willing to return serve. He had no problem starting a war of words with Akermanis to defend his honour as a so-called "tagger".
However, just before the "Akattack", Crouch's teammate Michael O'Loughlin was named by a newspaper as one of three AFL players who had paid money to an Adelaide women over an alleged assault in August 2000.
O'Loughlin was cleared and never charged.
"They misused headlines to sell a story [about O'Loughlin] ... so I decided not to pick a fight with Aker in the media just so they could sell more newspapers."
It's the same reason Crouch was privately riled when Akermanis shot off his mouth in the media without having to back it up with any proof.
"Aker likes to talk it up but I've been playing for seven seasons and you only have to watch the videotapes to see I don't [break the rules]," says Crouch.
In the round one clash between Crouch and Akermanis, it ended up pretty much a draw.
But the loud one earned bragging rights when the Lions won by two points after Sydney's Jason Ball missed a six-point "gimme" inside the last minute.
In the Swans' 31-point win over Fremantle at home in round two, Crouch was best on ground in most people's eyes after restricting Dockers star Jeff Farmer's influence on the game.
It was Crouch's best performance since his debut with the club in 1998.
He has not missed a senior match since his debut, notching up 135 consecutive games.
Even against Geelong last week, when Sydney didn't really turn up until three-quarter time, Crouch was
effective. He will need to produce more of the same when the Swans face the undefeated Kangaroos at Canberra's Manuka Oval on Sunday.
Crouch is your typical little Aussie battler who always puts in a hard day's work, which is why he wasn't amused when Daily Telegraph columnist Jeff Wells made light of his blue boots.
In Crouch's eyes he was being painted as a prima donna, which didn't sit well with him, especially as he is obliged to wear the boots as part of his contract.
"People who know me know I see things in black and white and that I am pretty straight down the middle and play hard," Crouch says. "I don't go chasing media attention. I'd rather be out there talking to schoolchildren than doing an interview."
Crouch heads up the Pfizer Australia Team Swans - the club's schools and community program - and is as passionate about developing the grass roots of the game as he is about playing.
Down in one of the pockets against Freo, a bunch of children from Willoughby Primary School were watching their first Swans game after Crouch paid them a visit.
"From all reports they all had a ball and that in some ways is just as special as actually playing the game and going out there and having fun," Crouch says.
Crouch's commitment to kids doesn't stop there. He is very outspoken on the issue of childhood obesity and plans to tackle the problem through the Team Swans program.
"To be able to use my position to get to kids and encourage them to play sport can make a difference," he says.
"I want all of them to play AFL, but as long as kids are playing sport and living a healthy lifestyle, that is all that matters."
By Tim Morrissey
April 16, 2004
WHEN Brisbane loudmouth Jason Akermanis unleashed his verbal tirade on Jared Crouch, the Swans tagger didn't bite.
Not even a nibble.
The AFL's master of the outrageous called Crouch a cheat and the worst kind of tagger just before the Swans' season opener against the Lions at the 'Gabba.
They were fighting words and no one would have been surprised if Crouch had come out and said he was going to shut Aker's mouth for him.
But the silence from the Swans' version of the little Energiser battery guy was deafening, which doesn't fit coach Paul Roos' description of Crouch.
"Crouchy is not a meek, mild 5-foot-9 back-pocket player," Roos said.
"He has a hunger and says what he thinks."
Swans officials at the time told the media Crouch didn't want to buy into the Akermanis circus and give the Lions more ammunition to return fire with.
Everyone bought it.
What made it an easy sell was the fact Crouch is a church-going Christian and a conservative straight-down-the-line kind of guy who plays in the less-glamorous position of back pocket.
The truth is, Crouch was ready and willing to return serve. He had no problem starting a war of words with Akermanis to defend his honour as a so-called "tagger".
However, just before the "Akattack", Crouch's teammate Michael O'Loughlin was named by a newspaper as one of three AFL players who had paid money to an Adelaide women over an alleged assault in August 2000.
O'Loughlin was cleared and never charged.
"They misused headlines to sell a story [about O'Loughlin] ... so I decided not to pick a fight with Aker in the media just so they could sell more newspapers."
It's the same reason Crouch was privately riled when Akermanis shot off his mouth in the media without having to back it up with any proof.
"Aker likes to talk it up but I've been playing for seven seasons and you only have to watch the videotapes to see I don't [break the rules]," says Crouch.
In the round one clash between Crouch and Akermanis, it ended up pretty much a draw.
But the loud one earned bragging rights when the Lions won by two points after Sydney's Jason Ball missed a six-point "gimme" inside the last minute.
In the Swans' 31-point win over Fremantle at home in round two, Crouch was best on ground in most people's eyes after restricting Dockers star Jeff Farmer's influence on the game.
It was Crouch's best performance since his debut with the club in 1998.
He has not missed a senior match since his debut, notching up 135 consecutive games.
Even against Geelong last week, when Sydney didn't really turn up until three-quarter time, Crouch was
effective. He will need to produce more of the same when the Swans face the undefeated Kangaroos at Canberra's Manuka Oval on Sunday.
Crouch is your typical little Aussie battler who always puts in a hard day's work, which is why he wasn't amused when Daily Telegraph columnist Jeff Wells made light of his blue boots.
In Crouch's eyes he was being painted as a prima donna, which didn't sit well with him, especially as he is obliged to wear the boots as part of his contract.
"People who know me know I see things in black and white and that I am pretty straight down the middle and play hard," Crouch says. "I don't go chasing media attention. I'd rather be out there talking to schoolchildren than doing an interview."
Crouch heads up the Pfizer Australia Team Swans - the club's schools and community program - and is as passionate about developing the grass roots of the game as he is about playing.
Down in one of the pockets against Freo, a bunch of children from Willoughby Primary School were watching their first Swans game after Crouch paid them a visit.
"From all reports they all had a ball and that in some ways is just as special as actually playing the game and going out there and having fun," Crouch says.
Crouch's commitment to kids doesn't stop there. He is very outspoken on the issue of childhood obesity and plans to tackle the problem through the Team Swans program.
"To be able to use my position to get to kids and encourage them to play sport can make a difference," he says.
"I want all of them to play AFL, but as long as kids are playing sport and living a healthy lifestyle, that is all that matters."
