The Beaufort product has slotted straight into the Saints lineup for Saturday, having served a two-game ban for an incident in which he was caught by police with illicit drugs in the early hours of the morning late last year.

Speaking to RSN Breakfast Club, the 27-year-old said his life was thrown into disarray.

"The first couple of days were really hard. I was thinking, what have I done, how did it happen," Crouch said.

"It was a really tough thing because I was pretty blurry about the whole night. I didn't really know much about what had happened. So it was a really bizarre couple of days for me.

"The hardest thing for me was my family. I felt for them the most.

"It wasn't really about me at that stage. I was pretty gutted about what I had done, but it was more about the effect that it had on everyone else."

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The drugs bust came at a time Crouch was questioning his future in football.

The doggish onballer exercised his rights as free agency rights to leave an Adelaide side that won just three games in 2020.

After two seasons blighted by poor team performances and incessant injury woes, Crouch said he was ready to hang up the boots before the Saints came calling.

"I probably got to a stage with my groins in 2018 where I couldn't even walk without being in real pain, and so I'd tried a conservative treatment with my groins for about eight to ten months, and nothing had worked," he said.

"I honestly thought I'd never play footy again, so I was thinking (heading into 2019) I've got one more year on my contract I'm going to start looking at what else I can do.

"And so in my head, I was thinking if my body is 100 per cent no good at the end of 2020, I can finish up footy and do something else. I've given it every chance, but I've just got a career-ending injury."

As the Crows entered a rapid descent from grand finalists to cellar-dwellers, Crouch began to look for opportunities elsewhere.

"It probably got to a stage with me thinking I'm turning 27 next year, do I want to go back and have a chance and be a part of a really successful side again and have a real change up?," he said.

"It was a big call for me because I loved Adelaide and the footy club ... but I was really keen to get out of my comfort zone again. I was in a bit of a rut there for sure."

Crouch entertained talks with other clubs, but said it was the support St Kilda showed him after the drugs incident that pushed him towards Moorabbin.

"It was a massive distraction. What I was virtually focused on all year working out where I wanted to be next year. It was really hard for me, but at the same time, St Kilda was the most supportive out of all the clubs, and we had some really good conversations about it," he said.

"They said 'we are going to help you, and if you come play for us, we will support you and be there for you. They made me feel really good and have been since I came over."

St Kilda Brett Ratten said Crouch's inclusion would provide a massive boost against a winless Essendon.

"We did a controlled session with him last week because he's done so much work and already played the two practice matches, so he didn't need to play anymore," Ratten said.

"It will be exciting. We got him to our football club to influence around the stoppages and around the midfield, so he'll do that with (Jack) Steele.

"As well as (Zak) Jones, (Jade) Gresham and (Seb) Ross, I think it will be a good start to his career, and he'll remember this day for a long time.

"Against the Bombers, who have been a great club for so long, to start his career at the Saints against them, will be brilliant."

Crouch and the Saints take on Essendon at Marvel Stadium at 4:35pm on Saturday.

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