ST KILDA has confirmed the premature retirement of midfielder Brad Crouch due to chronic knee issues.
Crouch played in round one this year against Geelong but missed the rest of the season and underwent arthroscopic surgery to address ongoing degenerative knee issues.
The injury eventually became too much for the 30-year-old, who has called time on his 161-game career.
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Crouch played 95 games for Adelaide, including the 2017 Grand Final alongside brother Matt, before moving to the Saints, where he played a further 66 games.
"It's been a really tough few months and this is definitely not how I saw my footy career ending," Crouch said.
"That being said, I've been able to live out my dream of playing AFL at two incredible clubs over 12 seasons, played in a Grand Final alongside my brother and made many lifelong friends.
"I'd really like to thank my family for their constant support not only through this period, but throughout my entire career.
"Without them, none of this would have been possible and spending more time with them is something I'm very much looking forward to in this next chapter of my life."
Contracted for 2025, Crouch was picked up in the Telstra AFL Rookie Draft last week after being delisted by the Saints at the end of October.
"This is a really disappointing way for Brad’s career to end,” Saints executive general manager of football David Misson said.
"We've been working with Brad for several months now as he has worked through his knee issues and we were hoping that we could get him back to a place where he could make an impact on-field, which is why we retained his place via our rookie list.
"However, we respect that Brad needs to think about his long-term health first and support him in this decision.
"Brad and the entire Crouch family will always be welcome at St Kilda, and we wish them all the best for the future."