Opinion Matthew Nicks: Adelaide's Coach (Part 2) - Full Support of the Board

[srv23]

Brodie Smith had 8 turnovers and 1 score involvement in round 1 in a game we lost by 6 points

That's the biggest discrepancy of any player in any match involving us this year

He also conceded a ridiculously stupid 50m penalty that took a difficult shot into the goal square, and one of his turnovers was a kick directly to a Gold Coast player 30m in front under no pressure (goal)

Bloke has played 250 games, but all he needed to do was apologize and he was backed in for the following week

There are clear double standards in the way we select senior players versus inexperienced players

Correct - Brodie wasnt subbed, he was not dropped. He then selfishly played injured and couldnt move (again in a close loss) he came back as sub and had 2 touches (1 of which was a kick out) in the last quarter against Port before completely undeservingly was brought back into the 22 for Nankervis who apart from a poor game against Essendon has been very good since coming back in.

The other difference is Smith is at the end of what has been a very good career and his output is only going to decline further. Curtin is a highly rated first year draft pick who has significant scope to improve and be an important factor in our next push for a flag - its actually very obvious which one of these players should be being backed in here and which one should be being exited from the team and retiring. What will actually happen is Smith will trigger his extension and play every game next season while Curtin walks from the club.

 

[Eddie Murphy]

People are dramatically underrating how bad Curtin's game was here. It was as bad a half of football as you will see, and we'd certainly have been more likely to win the game with someone else in the team instead of him. I'm happy with his selection and comfortable with the fact that we risk losing games by playing young players with potential, that's part of the game. But there's no need to delude ourselves by acting like Curtin's game is anything like Smith having a bad one where he turns the ball over a few times or whatever. As has been discussed here at length, almost all of Brisbane's first half goals were kicked by Curtin's direct opponent who outmarked or outpositioned him, or in the case of the Hipwood goal by him giving away a free kick against someone else's opponent. Subbing him was possibly an overreaction but it was an attempt to stop the bleeding and we'd likely have won the game if it wasn't for the injury that followed.

Knowing about the injury you wouldn't do it obviously but going down that path you can just as easily say that knowing how Curtin would go you wouldn't pick him. Don't really see the point.

edit: I should add, if you want to argue that selecting Smith against Gold Coast also cost us the game when compared to an alternative option, I think that's probably true. Smith probably should have been dropped for the Freo game based on his start to the season. Irrelevant to the issue with Curtin though.

The issue is relevant though because we won’t know how Curtin goes in his preferred position so long as Smith occupies it. Nicks is already backed in, which makes it all the more infuriating he won’t start taking risks and addressing current flaws with potential solutions that can simultaneously fast track development. Soligo is an example of this paying off - you cannot tell me spending his season on the wing would be as beneficial to his long-term development as how he’s currently played, nor would our current midfield work half as well without him there.

Smith’s spot is currently a flaw in our side. Curtin may very well end up stinking at the role but with where our club is at (and the fact Curtin could have a shocker in the role and we wouldn’t be losing too much from what Smith would offer) it’s a risk worth taking.

 

[SugarShane]

I’m done with this guy… values high effort, low skilled players. 2 more years of missing finals. This club is going nowhere.

We've all said it 100 times but it must be so demoralizing to be a young player at the club and be expected to be a perfect player with nothing to work on before you're even considered for an AFL gig, while Murphy comes back from over a month out and his selection criteria is "Did he get through an SANFL game without dying? Then chuck him in the 1's."

It can't feel good sitting in the stands watching games and seeing what some of our players dish up and thinking to themselves, the coaches consider me worse than that.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Why not? What’s different

Cmon, you tell us why footy today is the same as 25 years ago

I’m not saying today is better, but it is different

 

[Slippery Pete]

Cmon, you tell us why footy today is the same as 25 years ago

I’m not saying today is better, but it is different

It’s only different because coaches and their laptop lapdogs have made it different.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Laptop Lapdogs. I like that one.

Nobody else can use it without my express permission.

 

[Greenfinger]

People are dramatically underrating how bad Curtin's game was here. It was as bad a half of football as you will see, and we'd certainly have been more likely to win the game with someone else in the team instead of him. I'm happy with his selection and comfortable with the fact that we risk losing games by playing young players with potential, that's part of the game. But there's no need to delude ourselves by acting like Curtin's game is anything like Smith having a bad one where he turns the ball over a few times or whatever. As has been discussed here at length, almost all of Brisbane's first half goals were kicked by Curtin's direct opponent who outmarked or outpositioned him, or in the case of the Hipwood goal by him giving away a free kick against someone else's opponent. Subbing him was possibly an overreaction but it was an attempt to stop the bleeding and we'd likely have won the game if it wasn't for the injury that followed.

Knowing about the injury you wouldn't do it obviously but going down that path you can just as easily say that knowing how Curtin would go you wouldn't pick him. Don't really see the point.

edit: I should add, if you want to argue that selecting Smith against Gold Coast also cost us the game when compared to an alternative option, I think that's probably true. Smith probably should have been dropped for the Freo game based on his start to the season. Irrelevant to the issue with Curtin though.

You miss the point entirely. We played a man down and we played a rookie in the last line of defence. Nicks had far better options. Playing a man down for a half of football is on nicks and cost us the game. It’s more than simply Curtis’s performance. It meant our players had less of a rest which is partly why Brisbane got on top of us

 

[GreyCrow]

Who sits there either pregame or at half time and thinks a half time sub is a good move?

The first rule of decision making is to ask ' what could go wrong if I do X '

 

[Scorpus]

Who sits there either pregame or at half time and thinks a half time sub is a good move?

The first rule of decision making is to ask ' what could go wrong if I do X '

He saw Chris Scott do it two days before.

Doesn't copy any of the other stuff Chris Scott does, but he did copy that

 

[GreyCrow]

If that's your coaching philosophy - do what good coaches do

We may as well get chatgpt

 

[WaynesWorld19]

It’s only different because coaches and their laptop lapdogs have made it different.

I went to the CARL v CROWS game a few weeks ago ….. bored out of my mind & left at half time

Too much like Soccer …. too many uncontested kick/marks ….only highlights were goal reviews / reportable incidents
Watched the replay and was more watchable …. going to COLL game tomorrow …. hope for a better game

But highlights are few and far between now …. and there’s hardly any in-game moves that change the game flow now …. it’s all pre-planned during the week

 

[Scorpus]

I went to the CARL v CROWS game a few weeks ago ….. bored out of my mind & left at half time

Too much like Soccer …. too many uncontested kick/marks ….only highlights were goal reviews / reportable incidents
Watched the replay and was more watchable …. going to COLL game tomorrow …. hope for a better game

But highlights are few and far between now …. and there’s hardly any in-game moves that change the game flow now …. it’s all pre-planned during the week

This is a joke right?

You left the Carlton vs Adelaide game at half time, a tight game that only had a goal in it at that point? That we went on to win in a thriller?

There's no way you're serious

 

[skam85]

There's no way you're serious

I'll take 'sum up Wayne's posting in five words' for $10,000 please

 

[SugarShane]

Who sits there either pregame or at half time and thinks a half time sub is a good move?

The first rule of decision making is to ask ' what could go wrong if I do X '

My favourite thing about this was "Yep, in hindsight it was a mistake. But we're going to keep using our sub in that way."

The rule at home with our kids is "it's ok to make mistakes, as long as you learn from it". I guess if they don't they can always apply for work at the AFC.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

This is a joke right?

You left the Carlton vs Adelaide game at half time, a tight game that only had a goal in it at that point? That we went on to win in a thriller?

There's no way you're serious

Vary serious …. BORING!

When was the last Modra type mark …. the last bruising McKay bump …. the last 60 mtr Robran screw punt ?

I’m talking this game …. however AFL has more boring soccer type chess games these days …. minimal highlights

Tell me the highlights from last weeks game, everyone has been talking about at work ??

 

[Scorpus]

Vary serious …. BORING!

When was the last Modra type mark …. the last bruising McKay bump …. the last 60 mtr Robran screw punt ?

I’m talking this game …. however AFL has more boring soccer type chess games these days …. minimal highlights

Tell me the highlights from last weeks game, everyone has been talking about at work ??

I don't know how you could be a fan of football and specifically the Crows if you thought that match was boring

 

[jackster83]

I don't know how you could be a fan of football and specifically the Crows if you thought that match was boring

I thought the showdown was boring aside from some Rankine highlights. A team playing defensive vs a team playing shit.

 

[Billy_01]

We've all said it 100 times but it must be so demoralizing to be a young player at the club and be expected to be a perfect player with nothing to work on before you're even considered for an AFL gig, while Murphy comes back from over a month out and his selection criteria is "Did he get through an SANFL game without dying? Then chuck him in the 1's."

It can't feel good sitting in the stands watching games and seeing what some of our players dish up and thinking to themselves, the coaches consider me worse than that.

The most frustrating thing is our experienced contingent have achieved nothing. You can understand how the pies are playing the likes of Sidebottom, Mitchell, Howe even if they’re cooked because they’ve earned it. Our senior players have a gross sense of entitlement that probably comes from years of them feeling hard done by.

 

[CrowBloke]

I went to the CARL v CROWS game a few weeks ago ….. bored out of my mind & left at half time

+

This is a joke right?
You left the Carlton vs Adelaide game at half time, a tight game that only had a goal in it at that point? That we went on to win in a thriller?
There's no way you're serious

Me:

 

[119others]

Absolutely it did ! We played a man down after worrells injury 5 minutes into the second half. Nicks had options to move curtin away from the last line of defence and basically threw him to the wolves.
Rookie error to sub a player unforced at half time ! No other coach ever does that ! Commentators were very scathing

Erm, didn’t dual premiership coach, C Scott, do the same thing last weekend. Just EARLIER in the game when one of his players wasn’t making an impact.

 

[Samcro24]

Erm, didn’t dual premiership coach, C Scott, do the same thing last weekend. Just EARLIER in the game when one of his players wasn’t making an impact.

Erm, they were 7 goals down.

 

[119others]

People are dramatically underrating how bad Curtin's game was here. It was as bad a half of football as you will see, and we'd certainly have been more likely to win the game with someone else in the team instead of him. I'm happy with his selection and comfortable with the fact that we risk losing games by playing young players with potential, that's part of the game. But there's no need to delude ourselves by acting like Curtin's game is anything like Smith having a bad one where he turns the ball over a few times or whatever. As has been discussed here at length, almost all of Brisbane's first half goals were kicked by Curtin's direct opponent who outmarked or outpositioned him, or in the case of the Hipwood goal by him giving away a free kick against someone else's opponent. Subbing him was possibly an overreaction but it was an attempt to stop the bleeding and we'd likely have won the game if it wasn't for the injury that followed.

Knowing about the injury you wouldn't do it obviously but going down that path you can just as easily say that knowing how Curtin would go you wouldn't pick him. Don't really see the point.

edit: I should add, if you want to argue that selecting Smith against Gold Coast also cost us the game when compared to an alternative option, I think that's probably true. Smith probably should have been dropped for the Freo game based on his start to the season. Irrelevant to the issue with Curtin though.

That’s not going to be popular here but well said and I agree. When one player costs you 4 of 6 goals it’s a disaster, especially when they are to peripheral players. And for all these discussions about his “preferred” position - did Curtin say it was his preferred position or has he even played there much as a 197 HBF - geez he doesn’t look overly fast or agile to be playing on too many quality normal sized HFF’s in my view.

Also agree with you and others that Smith should have been dropped earlier in the year and not played when hurt before the Dons game

 

[Gtowncrow]

The most frustrating thing is our experienced contingent have achieved nothing. You can understand how the pies are playing the likes of Sidebottom, Mitchell, Howe even if they’re cooked because they’ve earned it. Our senior players have a gross sense of entitlement that probably comes from years of them feeling hard done by.

I think, with the possible exception of Smith and O'Brien, all our senior players have been AA at some stage.

I get your point though. I feel senior players need to display leadership and guidance to the team. Tex is a paragon in this regard. The orhers...not so much.

 

[119others]

Erm, they were 7 goals down.

Ahhh, ok. So now it’s becoming a conditional statement as the first one was clearly wrong.

 

[dogs105]

I think, with the possible exception of Smith and O'Brien, all our senior players have been AA at some stage.

I get your point though. I feel senior players need to display leadership and guidance to the team. Tex is a paragon in this regard. The orhers...not so much.

Who else is there? Laird and Tex?

Keays?