Croad offers to take a pay cut   Written by: Caroline Wilson The Age 7/5/2003   Disillusioned Fremantle forward Trent Croad confirmed yesterday that he had offered to take a pay cut in a bid to ease the growing pressure on him in Perth, which he described as "a very lonely place". Croad, 23, who has been counselled over the past week by his coach Chris Connolly, his manager Paul Connors and Hawthorn director Dermott Brereton, has been criticised as overpaid. It is believed the former Hawk has been considering taking a $100,000 cut from the final two years of his four-year deal with the Dockers, worth about $1.7 million. Croad said he was forced to move out of the North Fremantle house he bought last year and into a higher-security apartment in a bid to avoid public and media scrutiny, which he said was "10-fold" in comparison with Melbourne. Croad, the No. 3 national draft pick in 1997, met Connolly after his disappointing performance in the derby 11 days ago against West Coast. The Dockers coach was believed to have advised the player how to withstand media pressure in WA. The club has allowed Croad to return to Melbourne today - 24 hours before the rest of the team travels - to stay with his family before Sunday's game against the Western Bulldogs. "I just want these people to realise I love this club and its players and I want to be part of Fremantle having success," said Croad. "I don't even know how to say this, I'm that rattled, but sometimes you do wonder whether it's worth it." Croad, who last season relinquished $100,000 from his 2002 agreement to prevent the club from exceeding its total player payments, is sharing his apartment with talented young team-mate Graham Polak and cited the retention of such potential champions as one reason for easing the Dockers' salary cap pressure. Yesterday, the former Hawthorn centre half-back was the subject of a story in The West Australian which alleged he was earning $2.1 million, a figure disputed by manager Connors, who said his four-year deal was closer to $1.7 million. "It was the ninth day in a row I had to read about myself in the local paper," said Croad. "Des Headland has had to cop it as well. It's such a small place here and it all seems to come down to money and where you live. "I bought a house and had to move out of my own house. It's ridiculous. It was tough on my family. My mum was over staying here and you know how defensive single mum's can get. The problem was, I was suspended for the first two games and then I played in a storm at the MCG against Richmond and I've only really played in three games so far." Brereton, who dined with Croad after the Essendon game at Subiaco last weekend, conceded it had been a huge decision for the Hawks to trade their then 21-year-old key-position player in return for the ultimate No. 1 draft choice, Luke Hodge. "Quite frankly, we'd have been better off between that period and now had we kept Trent," said Brereton, "but the decision was a long-term one. "What we spoke about is private but I do believe there's a significant proportion of the Perth media that is very biased. West Coast was the first franchise and well supported and Mick Malthouse used to belt up the media there and they were too scared to challenge him. Well done, Mick. But what Trent and his club are copping now is a hangover from that, and of course they do have a sad record so far. "Trent is a highly talented footballer and the hard-edged rudimentaries of football don't come naturally to him but they will eventually and he's got the body to hold it together . . . If they think the young fellas are being paid too much, let the buyer beware." The Dockers football manager, Steven Icke, who is tomorrow expected to launch restructured contract negotiations with Jeff Farmer through his manager Ron Joseph, confirmed he had met on Tuesday with Connors. "We are in negotiations with Trent and his management," said Icke. "Trent met Chris Connolly last week and then spoke with his manager and then his manager spoke to us. Next year we have some (total player payment) challenges but they are not insurmountable challenges."

>