His midfield coach Scott Camporeale says Crouch is just a "reserved type of guy", a Ballarat boy not used to the fanfare, who just goes about his business. "He's not the loudest of the group, but that's OK, he has a sense of humour and at times behind the scenes he can be a bit of a lad," he adds.

It reminds us that all footballers are different; we all are, and when you look behind the shield that Crouch wears we see an extraordinary young man whom Camporeale described a few years ago as one of the most mature for his age.

The pressures coming out of the draft for any player are well documented, but when Crouch, now 22, was part of the deal in late 2013 involving Bernie Vince being traded to Melbourne there were rumblings in villages across South Australia.

There were comparisons with Crouch's older brother Brad, who was drafted the previous year, and few believed Matt would be good enough to break into an entrenched Crows' midfield that included Patrick Dangerfield, Rory Sloane, Scott Thompson and Richard Douglas - all club best-and-fairest winners.

But young Matt did in his first year, and also moulding his personality was that before he turned 21, and before he played 25 AFL games, he had four coaches within just three AFL seasons: the controversy surrounding the sacking of Brenton Sanderson, the sadness with the death of Phil Walsh, the forced change with Camporeale, and since last year the magnificent direction of Don Pyke.

Outside the Crows' inner sanctum it would be difficult for anyone to imagine what played on this young man's mind, and Camporeale said it was his observation that no one could have handled the unprecedented flow of emotions and uncertainty better than Crouch.

Camporeale said for Crouch to work much harder and remain focused on becoming a better player throughout those incredibly mentally challenging three years as an AFL player, and to then record the most disposals for Adelaide last year and so far this season was remarkable.

Crouch had gone under the radar with many observers, but this season he was acknowledged as winner of The Age Footballer of the Year, and earned All-Australian selection.

Camporeale said the aspect that stood out to him which has made Crouch a quality player - still with a long way to go - was his insatiable appetite to learn about his craft and work hard.

"From the day Matt walked into the club he was in a hurry to be an AFL player," Camporeale said. "He is one who has really grown and matured.

"We thought we had a set midfield, one that was tough for him to break into and he knew he had to earn his stripes. After being given a taste he went back to the SANFL and forced his way back into the team just by his pure performance.

"Even in his draft year and when he first came over Matt could just find the footy. He just has a knack of being in the right place at the right time and reads the game really well.

"He is not overly quick if you compare him with some other damaging midfielders in the competition. But he finds the ball; he's clean. He doesn't fumble. His hands are elite and he's done a fair bit of work on his kicking, which has now become a real weapon for him as well.

"Matt is massive on working on your craft. We have an indoor area upstairs and after training he goes in there and really embraces the idea of keeping on working. He has got reward for effort, which is great.

"He is just so driven. He doesn't say much, but when he wasn't getting a game when he first came here you could sense he was disappointed. But he got on with it ... I think that drove him to be better and he needed to improve in a couple of areas before he was selected in the AFL.

"All of this hasn't just happened for Matt; he has worked really hard at it and those type of guys are always going to make it in the AFL.

"In terms of 'did he have anything special?' when he came here, no, he didn't. He just had a drive or want to get better and play at the top level."

Crouch had 45 disposals against the West Coast Eagles in the last home-and-away game, taking his season match average to 33, which surpassed the club record of 32.7 set by inaugural club captain Chris McDermott in 1992. Also, Matt and Brad set a new AFL record for the most disposals in a season by a set of brothers - 1202, surpassing the 1174 set by Kane and Chad Cornes in 2007.

Camporeale believes that as brothers, Brad, 23, and Matt have always handled the comparisons people draw between them beautifully. "Matt came in in the draft second round and everyone compared them, but they play completely different styles," he said.

"Matt topped our possessions last year, but this year has been so much better, absolutely. He has used them well; he had become much more damaging with his possessions.

"It's all right to get 30 touches, but some of it's rubbish, not composed or reflected in helping the team score. Players usually get to a stage where they feel more composed, they have more time and make better decisions. That comes with experience, and as I have said, with Matt this year it has also been about simply wanting to be better.

"Matt has become far more valuable by both hand and foot this season, no doubt. Football is always about team success, but to see Matt get this award from The Age and All-Australian selection is really pleasing. He doesn't have to say that; everyone knows."