For the love of Croz'

[Bulldog Revolution]

Our history with Hayden Crozier goes back to the year he was drafted where it was reported that we were right into selecting him in the draft before former coach Brendan Mccartney demanded Clay Smith - and we will never begrudge the Smith selection for his brilliant PF and GF performances with the Bullgods of 2016.

BUT....What Crozier has done with his footy since he's been with us is magnificent. His recruitment has been an absolute masterstroke.

He is a highly dependable backline competitor, smart with the ball, has good skills and helps his teammates in all sorts of ways.

I feel like we need a thread in these covid times that focuses on a bit of Croz' love

You are amongst friends, dont be afraid to share your feelings of Croz' love

[bornadog]

Absolutely love him, what a great acquisition he has been. Really missed him last week after the AFL changed the rules for tackling players.

[Twodogs]

Is he the best player we have recruited from another club? We are like a different team with him in the side.

Peter Foster and Nathan Eagleton are the other two we came up with last night.

[KT31]

Is he the best player we have recruited from another club? We are like a different team with him in the side.

Peter Foster and Nathan Eagleton are the other two we came up with last night.

Galaxy Coleman, Wallet, Jose and Libba Snr went alright also TD.

[Twodogs]

Galaxy Coleman, Wallet, Jose and Libba Snr went alright also TD.

Harvey Stevens won the 1953 B&F and played in the 1954 premiership after coming from Collingwood. He went there even though his dad was a Footscray legend because they lived in Preston and the F/S system didn't start until a couple of years after his debut for the Magpies. Collingwood left him out of their 1952 finals teams even though he was easily in their best 18 so Harvey walked to his dad's old club. By all accounts he was a very good player who played for Victoria. He lived to see us win the the 2016 flag but died not much longer afterward. He was the Talias' grandfather.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Stevens

[Bulldog4life]

Our backline is superior with Crozier in the side. A very important player for us.

[RoZDog]

From memory, his career at Freo was largely as an unfulfilled flashy forward half flanker that didn't get his hands on the footy enough, wasn't very hard and flew for unrealistic marks. I'd say his almost the opposite in bulldogs colours; hardly ever wastes a possession and goes for his marks without looking like an idiot, does the one percenters and is hard as nails. One of my favourite players and hopefully will earn a premiership medal like Clay.

[EasternWest]

He's a gun.

I still can't get over how gutsy he is.

[Remi Moses]

We were massive on him in his draft year
Didn’t Darylmple love Crozier and McCartney love Clay Smith ?
My memory of him at freo was a flashy half forward who was in and out
Been a great get

[bornadog]

He's a gun.

I still can't get over how gutsy he is.

He sure is gutsy, throws himself into the contest backs into packs, flys high to spoil or mark the ball.

Media always crapping on about Howe, but never mention this bloke.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjZ0CSY7FCI

[Happy Days]

Why did Freo give him up? Seemed like without much of a fight too.

[jeemak]

Why did Freo give him up? Seemed like without much of a fight too.

Think he was just going to go home no matter what and they complied.

Remember some posters around here getting into him seriously once recruited up until half a season in and then he settled. One of the biggest culprits doesn't post here anymore.

I think he could use the footy better by foot, but not every player is perfect and he's good enough in that area. What he lacks there is truly made up in courage, aerial ability and decision making.

[Grantysghost]

I love it when he sails across the pack and does either the hulk smash out of bounds or just hangs the arm up vertically and does the stiff arm to guide the ball out of danger.
Brilliant acquisition.

[Grantysghost]

Is he the best player we have recruited from another club? We are like a different team with him in the side.

Peter Foster and Nathan Eagleton are the other two we came up with last night.

You forgot Allen Jakovich.

[ledge]

Galaxy Coleman, Wallet, Jose and Libba Snr went alright also TD.

Barry hall , Akermanis, Cook, Bamblett, Buhagiar,Toohey and MintonConnell also played well for us.
Plenty over the years put in good service for us.
Even Hamling would fall in as a very good get.
Crozier and is a good win definitely.

[Happy Days]

Think he was just going to go home no matter what and they complied.

Remember some posters around here getting into him seriously once recruited up until half a season in and then he settled. One of the biggest culprits doesn't post here anymore.

I think he could use the footy better by foot, but not every player is perfect and he's good enough in that area. What he lacks there is truly made up in courage, aerial ability and decision making.

I think we were somewhat sold a false bill of goods, in that it was assumed he was an infuriating but mercurial half forward who occasionally took big grabs, and instead he's turned out to be this psychotically courageous defensive general (who occasionally takes big grabs).

I don't remember the vitriol from the posters (not to say it didn't happen because I'm sure it did), but I do remember McCartney vetoing recruiting him, with the main concern being over his toughness. I also specifically remember a tweet from Sam Landsberger saying "flighty half forward flankers need not apply".

He definitely came with an underserved reputation because Ross Lyon doesn't know how to nurture talent and made Freo games pretty much unwatchable to casual observers.

[Mofra]

Why did Freo give him up? Seemed like without much of a fight too.
He wanted to come to Victoria and given how we let Hamling go home with little fuss, they did the same for us.

I assume he's quite vocal on the field because we just seem more organised when he's out there.

[merantau]

Barry hall , Akermanis, Cook, Bamblett, Buhagiar,Toohey and MintonConnell also played well for us.
Plenty over the years put in good service for us.
Even Hamling would fall in as a very good get.
Crozier and is a good win definitely.

Agree with all those. Crozier top drawer. Would add Mark Kellett, Bruce Duperouzel, Ray Huppertz, Chris Hansen

[jeemak]

I think we were somewhat sold a false bill of goods, in that it was assumed he was an infuriating but mercurial half forward who occasionally took big grabs, and instead he's turned out to be this psychotically courageous defensive general (who occasionally takes big grabs).

I don't remember the vitriol from the posters (not to say it didn't happen because I'm sure it did), but I do remember McCartney vetoing recruiting him, with the main concern being over his toughness. I also specifically remember a tweet from Sam Landsberger saying "flighty half forward flankers need not apply".

He definitely came with an underserved reputation because Ross Lyon doesn't know how to nurture talent and made Freo games pretty much unwatchable to casual observers.

Not sure it was necessarily vitriol, I think people had the view that us bringing him in due to his history combined with playing him as we did was more laughable than anything else.

It's kind of funny that Smith had such a huge impact in delivering us a premiership so was the right choice in the end, and the guy the recruiters originally wanted at 26 is likely to be a part of our next crack and is playing great footy. If it comes off it's a great best of both worlds scenario.

Regarding players traded in, Paul Hudson was pretty handy and up with the best we've had going at a couple of goals a game and earning all Australian selection in his second year with us.*


*We don't mention the moment in the goal square in the 97 prelim.

[Bulldog Joe]

*We don't mention the moment in the goal square in the 97 prelim.

I have removed his name because of that don't mention moment.

Surely Stuart Magee deserves a mention from other clubs. came to us from South Melbourne in 1968 and was appointed captain after Ted Whitten.

[Eastdog]

A fantastic pick up. Been excellent in that backline for us. He sure knows how to get up there and take some great marks.

[GVGjr]

I think we were somewhat sold a false bill of goods, in that it was assumed he was an infuriating but mercurial half forward who occasionally took big grabs, and instead he's turned out to be this psychotically courageous defensive general (who occasionally takes big grabs).

I don't remember the vitriol from the posters (not to say it didn't happen because I'm sure it did), but I do remember McCartney vetoing recruiting him, with the main concern being over his toughness. I also specifically remember a tweet from Sam Landsberger saying "flighty half forward flankers need not apply".

He definitely came with an underserved reputation because Ross Lyon doesn't know how to nurture talent and made Freo games pretty much unwatchable to casual observers.

Fantastic analogy so thanks for posting it, pressing the like button didn't seem to be a sufficient acknowledgement

I think Crozier struggled a bit when he first arrived but once he settled into the back line he's been terrific.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

It might be a stretch to say the result would have been different against Carlton had he been playing, but watching him back in the defense on Friday night sure made me realise how important he is to our side. He's always in the right spots and always makes the right decision. He doesn't try mark it when a simply spoil is the best option. He and Keath are our most important defenders, both recruits from other clubs. Can you imagine our backline without those two? Yikes

[Ozza]

The back six is noticeably better with Croze in it. Apart from the aerial ability and reading of the play, I do like that he has a bit of dash on occasion and will take off with the footy for 10-15 metres and make it a big switch to the other side of the ground with a 55m kick. You very rarely get a 15 metre chip sideways from him, if he switches, he goes big mostly - so I feel comfortable when he has the footy. Caleb can absolutely slice the opposition up with his kicking from half back, but I do still feel like I'm waiting for that one where he bites off too much and costs a goal.

[Eastdog]

It might be a stretch to say the result would have been different against Carlton had he been playing, but watching him back in the defense on Friday night sure made me realise how important he is to our side. He's always in the right spots and always makes the right decision. He doesn't try mark it when a simply spoil is the best option. He and Keath are our most important defenders, both recruits from other clubs. Can you imagine our backline without those two? Yikes

Keath another who has been a very good acquisition for us.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I actually thought he looked off on Friday Night with his timing, but overall he has been a great selection - one of our best for quite a while.

[Twodogs]

Agree with all those. Crozier top drawer. Would add Mark Kellett, Bruce Duperouzel, Ray Huppertz, Chris Hansen

All good ones but Ray Huppatz went the other way. Hr came to us from SA and then left and went to North Melbourne. He worked with my dad at Footscray council back in the days when the offer of a council job could tip the scales in one club's favour over another one when it came to recruiting.

[jazzadogs]

Did I see something about his brother working for us? I wonder who helped recruit who...

[Twodogs]

Did I see something about his brother working for us? I wonder who helped recruit who...

A cousin too I think.

[bornadog]

Did I see something about his brother working for us? I wonder who helped recruit who...

His cousin is the Commercial Manager

[Axe Man]

Did I see something about his brother working for us? I wonder who helped recruit who...

Not sure about a brother but the Chief Commercial Officer Nick Truelson is his cousin I believe and was at the club before Hayden.

[Eastdog]

Not sure about a brother but the Chief Commercial Officer Nick Truelson is his cousin I believe and was at the club before Hayden.

Small world I didn’t know that :)

[ratsmac]

Love Croz! Hard little bugger too

[merantau]

I put my hand up as someone who bagged Crozier early on. I was WRONG. He has become s vital cog in our defence.

[bornadog]

Listen to Hayden here (https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=701098)