If the hub feels "crunchy" and you still have significant play, there's a chance the surface of the bearings, cones, or cups is damaged. Look for pits on the surface of the bearings and any surface they touch. If the pitting is severe enough you may need to replace bearings/cones/cups/hub. If this is your first time repacking you probably haven't built a wheel before and wouldn't be able to just replace the hub, so you may need to buy a whole new wheel. Not so bad, the front is the cheap one.