Opinion Matthew Nicks: Adelaide's Coach (Part 3) - Re-Signed to 2027...

[PerthBoy86]

Brilliant summation. So shit scared of conceding a score that he’s yet again done a 180 on our game style and killed off our scoring ability.

Seems counter-intuitive when you're so strong defensively. Maybe all ground pressure might have actually been more effective at stopping their run ons too.

 

[Huang LoWel]

The "we do not have depth" argument gets long in the tooth, because we choose to play dinosaurs like Smith and incompetents like Murphy ahead of players we should be developing.

WTF does Dowling have to do to get the trust of the Coaching group to get a string of games? He cracks 40+ possessions and a couple of goals in the SANFL, kicks two in his one game back lumped into a HFF, and gets dropped the game after to make way for Max to play out of position up forward (so Smith can be retained in the squad for the final).

Edwards is being played out of position all year in defense so Murphy can rack up useless possessions in the SANFL in the middle to get a call up as soon a a spot is available, and gets included as a non-statistical "defensive" forward in contrast to how he's played in the lower league. The rare occasions Dowling and Taylor get a go, they're usually dumped up forward, again in contrast to their SANFL roles. Having a dedicated Crows SANFL team was supposed to fix all of this crap when players were played out of position compared to what would be expected of them at the top level - well I guess apparently not.

We all know this, and it gives us the shits no end. We "have no depth" because of our coaching ineptitude, our refusal to develop talent, unless it's so bloody obviously brilliant like Thilthorpe and Curtin that it just can't be ignored.

I agree the Crows have been inept for years now in developing talent and as such we have no depth to compete in finals. It's obvious. No player in SANFL has smashed the door down to play AFL during our failed SANFL tenure this year. I do blame it on the coaches and sack em all if that is what is required, hope Balme does whats needed next year.

Doesn't change anything this Friday night or beyond - hope I'm proven wrong. We still don't have the talent this year. Still have an average ruck person and an average midfield. Too late to change that this time of year.

This is a collective coaching organisation, what percentage has Davis contributed to this lack of development this year? Last I heard he was the coaching director. Is he as inept as Nicks?

 

[Doctor B]

The "we do not have depth" argument gets long in the tooth, because we choose to play dinosaurs like Smith and incompetents like Murphy ahead of players we should be developing.

WTF does Dowling have to do to get the trust of the Coaching group to get a string of games? He cracks 40+ possessions and a couple of goals in the SANFL, kicks two in his one game back lumped into a HFF, and gets dropped the game after to make way for Max to play out of position up forward (so Smith can be retained in the squad for the final).

Edwards is being played out of position all year in defense so Murphy can rack up useless possessions in the SANFL in the middle to get a call up as soon a a spot is available, and gets included as a non-statistical "defensive" forward in contrast to how he's played in the lower league. The rare occasions Dowling and Taylor get a go, they're usually dumped up forward, again in contrast to their SANFL roles. Having a dedicated Crows SANFL team was supposed to fix all of this crap when players were played out of position compared to what would be expected of them at the top level - well I guess apparently not.

We all know this, and it gives us the shits no end. We "have no depth" because of our coaching ineptitude, our refusal to develop talent, unless it's so bloody obviously brilliant like Thilthorpe and Curtin that it just can't be ignored.

I don't follow VFL.

Do Collingwood, Geelong, Gold Coast, Brisbane, well coached sides, play kids in the position they were drafted for to develop them for their AFL role?

 

[CrowBloke]

Im not going to determine Nicks is out of his depth however, if we lost in straight sets I hope the club refrains from any long term contract extensions and merely offers a one year extension. At some point Nicks needs to earn his contracts cant just be satisfied with finals mediocrity.

At the start of 2024, Nicks had the losing-est record of any Crows Coach and was close to, if not the worst AFL Coach, ever.
The Club extended him, astonishingly.

If he goes out in straight sets, the Club (which is after all a business dominated by bean-counters) will still count 2025 as a massive success and extend for 2 years, to end 2028.
WITH a pay rise.
Worst case scenario is we get a couple of losing PFs (a la Hinkley) and they hang on to him (a la Hinkley).

The AFC is a better-the-Devil-you-know organisation, through and through.

 

[Doctor B]

At the start of 2024, Nicks had the losing-est record of any Crows Coach and was close to, if not the worst AFL Coach, ever.
The Club extended him, astonishingly.

If he goes out in straight sets, the Club (which is after all a business dominated by bean-counters) will still count 2025 as a massive success and extend for 2 years, to end 2028.
WITH a pay rise.
Worst case scenario is we get a couple of losing PFs (a la Hinkley) and they hang on to him (a la Hinkley).

The AFC is a better-the-Devil-you-know organisation, through and through.

Nicks is only 35 games away from overtaking Neil Craig to become our longest serving coach.

 

[Croweater78]

At the start of 2024, Nicks had the losing-est record of any Crows Coach and was close to, if not the worst AFL Coach, ever.
The Club extended him, astonishingly.

If he goes out in straight sets, the Club (which is after all a business dominated by bean-counters) will still count 2025 as a massive success and extend for 2 years, to end 2028.
WITH a pay rise.
Worst case scenario is we get a couple of losing PFs (a la Hinkley) and they hang on to him (a la Hinkley).

The AFC is a better-the-Devil-you-know organisation, through and through.

If we go out in straight sets AFC should NOT extend him....it's not a given we're back in the 8 next year. Wait until finals next year if we make it. He doesn't deserve an extension IMO. Our last month and a bit have been atrocious.

 

[Velvet George]

If we go out in straight sets AFC should NOT extend him....it's not a given we're back in the 8 next year. Wait until finals next year if we make it. He doesn't deserve an extension IMO. Our last month and a bit have been atrocious.

Yep absolutely no way we should re-sign him over the summer, wait until at least the bye and if it looks like we aren’t making finals, goodbye, if it looks like we are, 1 year but with an agreement on an extra 2 if we have a good finals campaign.

 

[Velvet George]

So has Wayne posted this week about Nicks?

 

[CrowBloke]

Really good post:

1) The other reason was the midfield cupboard was bare.
2)I think the bigger issue is missing Rash and Rankine highlights our lack of depth in one half the ground.

Recruiting (Ogilvie, Reid and Taylor) and player development (Nicks) are responsible for that.

3) Rankine's stupidity cost us ... his presence breaks up the opposition's structure, it puts panic into defenders.

Rankine is freakishly good; could surpass Betts for creativity, game-changing goals and midfield magic.
At only 25, he still has some serious growing up to do (I'm not preaching; behaviour-wise, I was probably worse at 25 and not within a galaxy of his ability).
His 4-games suspension last year and this year have unsettled the side and cost us wins, not to mention the wild overreactions to what he said, in the media and online and the ongoing fallout from that.

Nicks had no answers.

This is the biggest, immediate problem.
Stewart and Aliir, now Moore last week have all given us hell from being loose in defence and from their read-the-play and intercepting ability. Each time, Nicks did not counter it (unless you count sending Pedlar onto Stewart, which was laughable).
It's easy.
Pressure our ball-deliverers, causing panicky fumbles and hack-kicks forward and let the loose man mop-up.
It stuck out like a Doberman's balls last Thursday and Nicks has clearly not learned from previous situations, nor does he know how to counter it, not even in his sixth year as Head Coach!

Several posters (not me, but eg Scorpus, feenix67 and others) have come up with several good ideas and analyses and as davos44 said of himself not far back, he and other posters are not even Coaches.
The Club brought in Davis (great tactical advisor), Cumming, ANB and Peatling (the last 2 have been very good), Thilthorpe transformed himself from a gawky, underfed giraffe into a beast and several others have improved (Curtin, take a bow). Hell, Keays tied for Club Champion last year; that's how much he has come on, with Taylor and Pedlar showing signs of AFL-ability.
We've got the makings of a Finals-playing squad (Minor Premeirship has proved that) but I can't see us getting the ultimate prize while Nicks adheres to his odd selections, his poor player development into real depth (I feel most sorry for Dowling, Nankervis, Cook and Borlase) and tactical dullness.

Posters have said often we need another effective defensive forward (Pedlar maybe in 2026?) and another gun mid.
How about a gun Coach, please?

 

[CrowBloke]

If we go out in straight sets AFC should NOT extend him....it's not a given we're back in the 8 next year. Wait until finals next year if we make it.

I'd wait until the Bye, anyway, to see what he's learned and applied in 2026 from this year.

He doesn't deserve an extension IMO. Our last month and a bit have been atrocious.

I'm not a huge Nicks fan, but was starting to swing around on the back of 9 wins post-Bye.
9 wins, on the trot . I loved it ....
I was even thinking that Nicks had taught them a three-paced game (slowdown when necessary, absorb and rebound when necessary, flat-out when necessary) but based on the QF that was a false hope.

15th to Minor Premier is impressive; never been done before, but our games vs WCE and NM were awful.
I thought that was maybe from tapering, maybe even some burnout but I expected the break to have us firing on all cylinders (well, minus Rankine and Rachele) for the QF, but Collingwood were top-notch and we were shit.
Worse, under the Collingwood heat we wilted.
Deadset, it was like watching the 2024 Crows again; painful.

 

[CrowBloke]

Be great if we coached differently depending on who we play. Negate their weaknesses play to our strengths. Tag Daicos x 2 and Sidebum for starters
Have forwards that lead and mids and backs that lower their eyes when the ball is coming in.
How does Sidebottom always find so much space against us? He kills us every game he plays against us.

All of the above, .

 

[John Who]

Really good post:


Recruiting (Ogilvie, Reid and Taylor) and player development (Nicks) are responsible for that.

Rankine is freakishly good; could surpass Betts for creativity, game-changing goals and midfield magic.
At only 25, he still has some serious growing up to do (I'm not preaching; behaviour-wise, I was probably worse at 25 and not within a galaxy of his ability).
His 4-games suspension last year and this year have unsettled the side and cost us wins, not to mention the wild overreactions to what he said, in the media and online and the ongoing fallout from that.

This is the biggest, immediate problem.
Stewart and Aliir, now Moore last week have all given us hell from being loose in defence and from their read-the-play and intercepting ability. Each time, Nicks did not counter it (unless you count sending Pedlar onto Stewart, which was laughable).
It's easy.
Pressure our ball-deliverers, causing panicky fumbles and hack-kicks forward and let the loose man mop-up.
It stuck out like a Doberman's balls last Thursday and Nicks has clearly not learned from previous situations, nor does he know how to counter it, not even in his sixth year as Head Coach!

Several posters (not me, but eg Scorpus, feenix67 and others) have come up with several good ideas and analyses and as davos44 said of himself not far back, he and other posters are not even Coaches.
The Club brought in Davis (great tactical advisor), Cumming, ANB and Peatling (the last 2 have been very good), Thilthorpe transformed himself from a gawky, underfed giraffe into a beast and several others have improved (Curtin, take a bow). Hell, Keays tied for Club Champion last year; that's how much he has come on, with Taylor and Pedlar showing signs of AFL-ability.
We've got the makings of a Finals-playing squad (Minor Premeirship has proved that) but I can't see us getting the ultimate prize while Nicks adheres to his odd selections, his poor player development into real depth (I feel most sorry for Dowling, Nankervis, Cook and Borlase) and tactical dullness.

Posters have said often we need another effective defensive forward (Pedlar maybe in 2026?) and another gun mid.
How about a gun Coach, please?

Nicks’ selections are debatable at times, I dont think you have any disagreements from anyone here. Though we should also recognise the fact that he’s the main contributing factor to being in top position in a minor round. While this doesn’t necessarily translate to a winning formula in the Finals, it gives the team a bigger dose of confidence and a bigger momentum of improvement for the following years (assuming a young and healthy list). The point is, a dud coach can’t “accidentally” land his team in top spot, that would be logistically impossible.

I also think a lot of fans here are minimising our entire year of consistent full-game efforts. The wins have been astronomical, and the losses have been mostly all tight encounters. This was entirely a coaching responsibility, and it’s hard to pin it down to any other causal factors for this level of consistency. If we can maintain this consistency, there’s a strong chance of a good showing in the next few years, with the young squad that we have.

 

[CrowBloke]

Nicks’ selections are debatable at times, I dont think you have any disagreements from anyone here.

Mate, it is not just his "debatable" selections. There are other negative factors:
--- senior player favoritism (just one example, Dowling's red-hot form in the SANFL was ignored while Nicks selected Murphy and Smith ahead of him --- in the last, do you think for a moment that Dowling would have ignored the unmarked Cumming and 3 other players in space I50 and had a shot at goal from 75m out, as the experienced Smith did?)
--- Nicks' tactical dullness in the face of opposition heat
--- Nicks insistence that the whole team revert to a slowdown, chip-chip defensive pattern all over the ground, which stifles our run-on flair through the middle, clogs up the game and turns otherwise free-flowing players into flat-footed zombies who hack-kick and high-bomb the ball forward where an unchecked, happy-and-grateful Moore mopped up.
And not for the first time, neither! When's Nicks gonna learn?
That style of game created only-just-wins against 2 of the worst sides in the Comp (WCE and NM).

Though we should also recognise the fact that he’s the main contributing factor to being in top position in a minor round.

John, with respect, I've given Nicks plenty of credit for the 9 wins on the trot + finishing Minor Premiers.
If he deserves praise for that, then he can take the blame for our loss on the back of dismal play in the QF.

While this doesn’t necessarily translate to a winning formula in the Finals,

If it's not going to create Finals' wins, then it's a game style that needs to change/adapt to whomever our Final opponent is on the day.

it gives the team a bigger dose of confidence and a bigger momentum of improvement for the following years (assuming a young and healthy list).

Bluntly mate, "the following years" be damned. We're in the Finals now. This is our chance, now.
We played Collingwood on Thursday; that was our challenge.
Who we play and how we play in "the following years" can be addressed then.

The point is, a dud coach can’t “accidentally” land his team in top spot, that would be logistically impossible.

A dud Coach can land his team in 15th spot (2024) after nearly-Finals in 2023, and did, but nobody wants to discuss the reality of that any more.
Nicks has made some changes and improvements that have been very unlike-Nicks this year (thank you, Murray Davis) and the team's been boosted by the addition of ANB, Peatling and Cumming (the latter of whom is a half-back playing poorly on a wing (thanks Nicksy, in the same way/s that he plays midfield-player early round picks out-of-position in the AFL and drops them after one game eg poor-bastard-Dowling).

All additions were made to prop up a failing Coach and make his extension look like a good decision.

The AFC has become The Matthew Nicks-Apprenticeship Club and he showed his hand last Thursday night, plain as day. Same-old, same-old:
--- Hesitant, reactive, wait-and-see defence first of all,
--- with no Coaching response to Moore running around like an unregistered dog,
--- no tags on Daicos-X-2,
--- no tough nut on Sidebottom and
--- playing one of our best defenders (MM) forward to accommodate his selection of nine defenders.
The latter worked on Vlastuin and lowly Richmond but he signalled it vs. Collingwood and it failed.

I also think a lot of fans here are minimising our entire year of consistent full-game efforts.

Nope. That just did not happen, except against poorer sides. If anything, the Crows are downhill skiers.
Against top-8 sides (especially Hawks and Collingwood in Rounds 21 and 23 when we started very slowly/badly) we have fallen out of the game for extended periods.
I anticipate your response --- "Good sides will do that to us" --- Collingwood sure did, last Thursday .

The wins have been astronomical, and the losses have been mostly all tight encounters.

Again, not the case.
We had 7 big wins against sides that finished 10th to 18th. Our best 4-quarter effort was against PA.

This was entirely a coaching responsibility, and it’s hard to pin it down to any other causal factors for this level of consistency.

The Coaching responsibility was on the Nicks-Davis team but it's worth asking where Nicks (and the Crows) would be without Davis in 2025 --- and the answer to that is where they finished in 2022-24.

If we can maintain this consistency, there’s a strong chance of a good showing in the next few years, with the young squad that we have.

Again, "next few years" be damned. "A good showing", be damned. We need to win a Flag, or two, or three.

We're playing Finals now. The chance is now. We earned the opportunity and blew it.
We played Collingwood and were shown up to be what we are; specifically, Collingwood's bunny.
One win under Nicks in the last 6 years, Round 23.

<<takes a deep breath>>
OK ... 2025 has been much better. Good.
That may or may not be sustained; we've yet to know.
But I am allowed to be very disappointed by 2020-24 and by the insipid loss to Collingwood last Thursday, where the worst of the Crows under Nicks 2020-24 was clearly on show. Again!

Maybe 2025 is the first year of a Hardwick-like transformation (under Peggy O'Neal's Admin. and leadership) in Nicks, with Davis? That hypothetical is cold comfort to me after the Collingwood loss and staring at a 2025 exit in straight sets in 2 days' time.
P.S. (Btw, I think someone mentioned that Davis was not in the box with Nicks last Thursday, on leave? I Googled and here's the AI response:
"No, Murray Davis was not in the coaching box with Matthew Nicks for the qualifying final on Thursday, September 4, 2025".
If that's the case, we saw a loss based on what Nicks did on the night, solo.
It wasn't pretty )

 

[AFCCroweater]

Mate, it is not just his "debatable" selections. There are other negative factors:
--- senior player favoritism (just one example, Dowling's red-hot form in the SANFL was ignored while Nicks selected Murphy and Smith ahead of him --- in the last, do you think for a moment that Dowling would have ignored the unmarked Cumming and 3 other players in space I50 and had a shot at goal from 75m out, as the experienced Smith did?)
--- Nicks' tactical dullness in the face of opposition heat
--- Nicks insistence that the whole team revert to a slowdown, chip-chip defensive pattern all over the ground, which stifles our run-on flair through the middle, clogs up the game and turns otherwise free-flowing players into flat-footed zombies who hack-kick and high-bomb the ball forward where an unchecked, happy-and-grateful Moore mopped up.
And not for the first time, neither! When's Nicks gonna learn?
That style of game created only-just-wins against 2 of the worst sides in the Comp (WCE and NM).

John, with respect, I've given Nicks plenty of credit for the 9 wins on the trot + finishing Minor Premiers.
If he deserves praise for that, then he can take the blame for our loss on the back of dismal play in the QF.

If it's not going to create Finals' wins, then it's a game style that needs to change/adapt to whomever our Final opponent is on the day.

Bluntly mate, "the following years" be damned. We're in the Finals now. This is our chance, now.
We played Collingwood on Thursday; that was our challenge.
Who we play and how we play in "the following years" can be addressed then.

A dud Coach can land his team in 15th spot (2024) after nearly-Finals in 2023, and did, but nobody wants to discuss the reality of that any more.
Nicks has made some changes and improvements that have been very unlike-Nicks this year (thank you, Murray Davis) and the team's been boosted by the addition of ANB, Peatling and Cumming (the latter of whom is a half-back playing poorly on a wing (thanks Nicksy, in the same way/s that he plays midfield-player early round picks out-of-position in the AFL and drops them after one game eg poor-bastard-Dowling).

All additions were made to prop up a failing Coach and make his extension look like a good decision.

The AFC has become The Matthew Nicks-Apprenticeship Club and he showed his hand last Thursday night, plain as day. Same-old, same-old:
--- Hesitant, reactive, wait-and-see defence first of all,
--- with no Coaching response to Moore running around like an unregistered dog,
--- no tags on Daicos-X-2,
--- no tough nut on Sidebottom and
--- playing one of our best defenders (MM) forward to accommodate his selection of nine defenders.
The latter worked on Vlastuin and lowly Richmond but he signalled it vs. Collingwood and it failed.

Nope. That just did not happen, except against poorer sides. If anything, the Crows are downhill skiers.
Against top-8 sides (especially Hawks and Collingwood in Rounds 21 and 23 when we started very slowly/badly) we have fallen out of the game for extended periods.
I anticipate your response --- "Good sides will do that to us" --- Collingwood sure did, last Thursday .

Again, not the case.
We had 7 big wins against sides that finished 10th to 18th. Our best 4-quarter effort was against PA.

The Coaching responsibility was on the Nicks-Davis team but it's worth asking where Nicks (and the Crows) would be without Davis in 2025 --- and the answer to that is where they finished in 2022-24.

Again, "next few years" be damned. "A good showing", be damned. We need to win a Flag, or two, or three.

We're playing Finals now. The chance is now. We earned the opportunity and blew it.
We played Collingwood and were shown up to be what we are; specifically, Collingwood's bunny.
One win under Nicks in the last 6 years, Round 23.

<<takes a deep breath>>
OK ... 2025 has been much better. Good.
That may or may not be sustained; we've yet to know.
But I am allowed to be very disappointed by 2020-24 and by the insipid loss to Collingwood last Thursday, where the worst of the Crows under Nicks 2020-24 was clearly on show. Again!

Maybe 2025 is the first year of a Hardwick-like transformation (under Peggy O'Neal's Admin. and leadership) in Nicks, with Davis? That hypothetical is cold comfort to me after the Collingwood loss and staring at a 2025 exit in straight sets in 2 days' time.
P.S. (Btw, I think someone mentioned that Davis was not in the box with Nicks last Thursday, on leave? I Googled and here's the AI response:
"No, Murray Davis was not in the coaching box with Matthew Nicks for the qualifying final on Thursday, September 4, 2025".
If that's the case, we saw a loss based on what Nicks did on the night, solo.
It wasn't pretty )

Pretty sure Davis was in the box - this image was from Thursday night

 

[Truck25]

Lot of built up tension being released in this thread,

"what we lost a game! Finally, Grab the pitch forks"

 

[Slippery Pete]

So has Wayne posted this week about Nicks?

 

[Slippery Pete]

I’ve taken a couple of weeks annual leave so I can read CrowBloke’s last few posts.

 

[CrowBloke]

Pretty sure Davis was in the box - this image was from Thursday night

Thanks for that; I couldn't remember seeing him when Ch7 went to shots of Nicks up there.
Looks like they both stuffed up then.

 

[CrowBloke]

I’ve taken a couple of weeks annual leave so I can read CrowBloke’s last few posts.

Shows more forward planning than our head Coach, goodonya.

 

[feenix67]

I’ve taken a couple of weeks annual leave so I can read CrowBloke’s last few posts.

Two things in life Ive never been able to get through without falling asleep.

1. Lord of the Rings
2. CrowBloke's epic posts

 

[CrowBloke]

Two things in life Ive never been able to get through without falling asleep.

1. Lord of the Rings
2. CrowBloke's epic posts

Guilty, as charged. ... .

 

[cleanhands]

View attachment 2422086

I betta not catch him fishing in my waters

 

[Velvet George]

Lot of built up tension being released in this thread,

"what we lost a game! Finally, Grab the pitch forks"

Idiotic post. We lost a final which could have had us in a prelim. We played 9 defenders and Nicks let Moore create an intercept record.

Instead of focusing on posters who aren’t fanbois, give your critique of Nicks first finals as coach.

 

[cleanhands]

Two things in life Ive never been able to get through without falling asleep.

1. Lord of the Rings
2. CrowBloke's epic posts

Imagine typing them

 

[feenix67]

Imagine typing them