St Kilda star set to retire from the AFL

Kieran Francis

St Kilda star set to retire from the AFL image

St Kilda star Brad Crouch is set to retire from the AFL because of a degenerative knee condition.

The 30-year-old only played one AFL game in 2024 - Round 1 - before struggling with the knee issue and managing only a handful of VFL matches.

Crouch was delisted by the Saints in their player cuts during the recent player movement period, but was redrafted with the club's only selection in the AFL Rookie Draft.

However, the Herald Sun reports Crouch is likely to retire in the coming days and has already been appointed as a non-playing assistant coach at Noble Park in 2025.

AFL DRAFT NEWS: 

Crouch's imminent delisting will free up a position on St Kilda's list, which would otherwise be at its maximum capacity.

The Saints could opt to list Next Generation Academy product Adrian Cole or father-son prospect Elwood Peckett, with both failing to get selected to the recent AFL drafts.

Crouch joined the Saints from Adelaide in 2021, signing a four-year deal and playing 66 games to make it a total of 161 games in his AFL career.

With Crouch's likely departure, the Saints have strengthened their midfield with the acquisition of Bulldogs veteran Jack Macrae and Carlton utility Jack Carroll, while they also selected 

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis Photo

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.