Crusaders face midfield crisis
Crotty is expected to miss the opening two rounds of Super Rugby after damaging thumb ligaments.
Fruean is only expected to return to action after having surgery on a pectoral muscle he tore before the Christmas break.
However, despite the loss of Crotty and Fruean, head coach Todd Blackadder is confident he has the players to cover the duo's absence.
"We've got a few injuries we could focus on but we're not," Blackadder told stuff.co.nz. "We're just going to focus on the guys that are fit and ready to go," he said.
"I'm still really confident the way we've got enough depth to cover those positions."
Crotty's injury has also impacted on the leadership model with the Crusaders contemplating using the All Black centre and All Blacks skipper-in-waiting Kieran Read as co-captains.
"We've got a few decisions to make there, we're still working around Reado [Read] for the first couple of rounds," said Blackadder.
Source: stuff.co.nz
