Does retirement loom for Crowley?
Fremantle’s tagging machine Ryan Crowley has been issued a 12 month suspension from the game by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal. Crowley tested positive for a banned substance following Fremantle’s round 17 game on the 13th of July last year. He had taken a pain killer for persistent back pain which was not prescribed by the club, and it happened to contain a banned substance.
AFL Tribunal decision on Ryan Crowley: http://t.co/jPUu9p4cLm pic.twitter.com/R8FCwbAtUS
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) June 11, 2015
See Also: #AFLFreoTigers Match Review: What went wrong for Freo
Crowley will be eligible to play again from the 24th of September 2015 after having already served an eight-month provisional ban and he can resume training with the club again two months prior to his ban ending. He is off contract at the end of this season but has expressed his wishes to play with the club again.
Unfortunately, Crowley may find it hard to break back into the current Dockers line-up after such a successful start to the season without him. The Dockers have implemented a new strategy of playing without a tagger- which has fared very well for them so far this season. Fremantle arguably have the best midfield in the competition at the moment, which leaves Crowley with a difficult task of being included. Crowley has made a name for himself in the last couple of years thanks to his ‘pesky’ tagging tactics which seem to infuriate his opposition. Despite the reputation he has received, his tactics have proven effective on the field and he has been a very valuable player for Fremantle in the past.
Crowley will enter into negotiations regarding his future with the club at the end of this season. Personally, I think we may hear a retirement announcement from him if he does not get a contract extension with Fremantle.
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