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Key Facts
Full name
Trent Eric Croad
Known as
Trent Croad
Born
9 March 1980 (age 44)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 18y 19d
Last game: 28y 202d
Height and weight
Height: 190 cm
Weight: 92 kg
Senior clubs
Hawthorn; Australia; Fremantle; Claremont
Trent Croad
| Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawthorn | AFL | 1998-2001, 2004-2008 | 184 | 129 | 0.70 | 48% | 8.42 | 4.27 | 4.98 | 23 |
| Australia | IR | 1999-2000, 2005 | 5 | 0 | 0.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fremantle | AFL | 2002-2003 | 38 | 60 | 1.58 | 53% | 7.76 | 2.05 | 3.08 | 2 |
| Claremont | WAFL | 2003 | 2 | 8 | 4.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
| AFL | 1998-2008 | 222 | 189 | 0.85 | 49% | 8.31 | 3.89 | 4.66 | 25 | |
| IR | 1999-2000, 2005 | 5 | 0 | 0.00 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| WAFL | 2003 | 2 | 8 | 4.00 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Total | 1998-2008 | 229 | 197 | 0.86 | — | — | — | — | — | |
AFL: 10,841st player to appear, 466th most games played, 456th most goals kickedHawthorn: 779th player to appear, 47th most games played, 50th most goals kickedFremantle: 93rd player to appear, 126th most games played, 37th most goals kicked
Trent Croad played 222 games for Hawthorn and Fremantle in a career that spanned 11 seasons from 1998 to 2008.
During his career, he achieved some of the Australian Football League's highest honours including an AFL premiership medallion, All-Australian selection, representing Australia and Victoria on multiple occasions.
Born in New Zealand, the grandson of Eric Boggs, an All Blacks rugby union player between 1946-1949 including the tour of South Africa, Trent migrated with his family to Australia and grew up in Narre Warren in Victoria. He began playing at a young age with the Narre Warren Junior Football Club and attended De La Salle College, Malvern.
He was scouted by recruiters and as an 18-year-old and nominated for the 1997 AFL Draft. Croad was invited to the AFL Draft camp where he set the draft camp record for a standing vertical jump at 83 cm, which remains a decade later.
Hawthorn picked up Croad with the third overall selection in the draft. He started out as a defender, playing at either centre half-back or fullback. But he showed his versatility as his career went on, being able to play in any number of key positions.
Croad was traded from Hawthorn to the Fremantle Dockers at the end of 2001. The picks given up by Fremantle were used by Hawthorn to select current Hawthorn stars Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell, whilst Luke McPharlin joined Croad in moving west. While Croad was reasonable but not spectacular at the Dockers, in 2002, he was Fremantle's leading goalkicker with 42 goals. The following season Croad lost confidence and kicked 18 goals. He cited homesickness and asked to be traded back to Victoria at the end of 2003.
He was traded back to the Hawks, this time only in return for pick 10, which was used by Fremantle to select Ryley Dunn. Croad was told that he would be the centre half back, with a regular position his form improved once he went back to the Hawks, winning All-Australian selection in 2005.
Croad relished the responsibility of being the senior man down back being strong, athletic type who took the oppositions best forward each week. During the second quarter of the 2008 Grand Final Croad broke his foot and played no further part in the game. Hawthorn went on to win the match and Croad earned his first Premiership medallion in over 200 games of AFL football.
Croad missed the entire 2009 season because of his Grand Final injury and on 6 January 2010 he announced his retirement.