In that role he'd be working alongside Lambert, the club's player welfare manager. It sounds simple enough, but there was one major catch. Crowell was effectively replacing Melissa's husband Craig, who had been suspended for 12 months for his role in the Lachie Whitfield drug scandal that not only rocked the Lions, but Collingwood and Greater Western Sydney, too.

So when Crowell arrived at the club earlier this month after a long journey by car from South Australia with younger brother Travis, there was no point wasting time trying to shirk the issue with his new colleague. "It's something we spoke about right from the start," Crowell told Fairfax Media.

"We said 'there's a pretty big elephant in the room, let's get it out on the table and talk about how we're going to work together'. Mel's been fantastic to work with. She's full of energy, full of passion. Obviously she's been through a tough point, but she's conducting herself first-class at the moment. We've been pretty open about it and there hasn't been a huge amount of discussion about it. I think everyone's accepted that's what happened and all you can do is be professional and move forward."

That last sentence could well be the Lions' unofficial slogan for 2017. Crowell arrives at a club that has undergone a significant change of key personnel in recent months. The Lions landed seasoned and highly regarded pair Chris Fagan and David Noble as coach and head of football, respectively. There has been movement in the club's assistant coaching panel too, while a change of captains is expected after the turbulent  tenure of Tom Rockliff.

Much like with the exit of coach Justin Leppitsch at the end of last season, the winds had been blowing in the direction of a likely suspension for Craig Lambert weeks before the AFL  handed down its suspensions in mid-November. That had at least allowed Noble - fresh from being plucked from his home of more than a decade at the Adelaide Crows - some time to find a suitable replacement. It was at West Lakes that Noble and Crowell became acquainted. Delisted by the Crows at the end of 2003 after 44 games in four years, Crowell's involvement with the club continued in various roles, including in junior development, sponsorship, and even as a ground announcer. He had also spent the best part of a decade at the AFL Players Association's charity, Ladder - which works to combat youth homelessness - before eventually taking on a player development manager role at the AFLPA itself early last year . While he harboured ambitions to one day return to club land, Crowell had planned to stay at the players' union for at least a couple of years before looking to move.

But the Whitfield situation hastened that transition. Sensing a replacement for Craig Lambert would soon be needed, Noble contacted Crowell to gauge his interest. Crowell was open to it, but neither wanted to dance on Lambert's proverbial grave. "Out of respect for the Lambert family [Noble] said 'we need to let that play out'," Crowell said.

"When the AFL finally handed down the decision, I got a call from David and he said he's going to need to put someone in that place."

Crowell's appointment would fill a hole at the Gabba, but came with its own set of potential issues for Crowell himself - who with wife Myra has four children - the oldest of whom is just eight. Packing up and moving his life with a young family was one thing, but there was also the matter of leaving Crowell's father Bevan - who was diagnosed with cancer late last year. Crowell said it was difficult to move from his dad - who he describes as a "tough old farmer from the Yorke Peninsula". But it was made easier by the joy the news of the Lions' approach brought to his father. "Dad was incredibly proud that I was approached for that role. So I think he's got the chest puffed out as well."

Given the Lions' issues with player retention in recent years, the welfare roles at the Gabba are perhaps more important than at any other club. Having lured the Lamberts back to Craig's former home in 2015, the ban was a nasty surprise for a club that was already coming from a long way back both on and off the field. Thankfully for the Lions, the  players are still allowed to visit the Lamberts' house if Melissa is working and Craig isn't.

Crowell is excited by the challenge ahead. He feels for Craig, but is optimistic the banned retention and strategy manager will return to the club at the end of his suspension as part of an expanded "personal well-being and excellence department," working alongside Crowell and Melissa. "I think what you'll find is across the competition most of the clubs will start employing more people in this role," Crowell said.

"I don't think there'll be any issues around what will be available."

Crowell knows first-hand how important it is for players to have people to talk to. Last year he went public in detailing his mental health battles as a player - part of the AFLPA's Better Out Than In campaign that encourages people to speak out about their problems rather than bottling up their issues.

"A lot of people came to me and said, 'wow, you're really courageous for doing that'. I didn't really see it that way."

Still there was a positive result to come from his openness. "I probably had half-a-dozen people contact me, ex-players, country footballers, just people from the general public who said, 'look I've been struggling with what I think is depression and anxiety and I've never done anything about it, but now that you've come out about your issues I'm keen to do something about it'."