Opinion Matthew Nicks: Adelaide's Coach (Part 3) - The Biggest Loser

[kirky]

Nicks wasn't the reason we had a virtually injury free 2023, and 2024 injuries to key players
Nicks didn't break worralls arm
Nicks didn't do Thilthorpes and mileras knees
Nicks didn't injure texs back
Nicks didn't ping rankines hamstring
Nicks didn't have any part in us playing 9 eventual finalists in the final 12 games of the season.
Nicks didn't refuse to call a free against Draper for planking on the ball
Nicks has pulled Berry and Sholl off the scrap heap into the best form of their careers
Nicks dropped underperforming experienced players like Smith, Jones and pushed Laird out of the middle
Nicks played 39 players this season
Nicks isnt resonsible for the lack of depth due to failed draft picks taken before his time at the club
Nicks wasn't the one to make the extension call on his own contract...

There are plenty of things to blame Nicks for, plenty he has done wrong.Nearly every coach has them and Nicks has made more than his share. But citing something so trivial as not subbing on a 4th gamer 15 minutes earlier in a close match against a top 4 side as if it would have been the difference? Come on... I'll also add that none of his errors have been the difference between us winning a flag or not. None of them have even cost us a top 4 spot, or even a home final...

This Witch Hunt is getting a bit ridiculous. A lot of the things I see posted here as Nicks errors are speculative, meaning no one knows how it would have panned out if Nicks went the other way. The hate band wagon is looking more like the morning peak hour train in Mumbai.

I still believe that the Tippett sanctions, camp, McAsey, poor drafting from 2013 to 2018, Gibbs trade are all 10 times more to blame than Nicks for our current situation.

Do you want to offer an explanation for the first four games of the year when we were 0-4 with the second worst attack of the year, after being no. 1 last year, and having minimal injuries?

And being 0-4 meant that we were chasing our tail for the rest of the year?

And let’s be totally honest here, if Carlton and Essendon hadn’t butchered their games against us in the last two minutes of both games, we would be looking at a 6.5 win game season. How is that at any level acceptable in his 5th year?

We didn’t have a season racked by injuries either as we were ranked 11th for injuries.

Why did it take to R13 to debut the likes of Dowling etc whilst continuing to play underachievers, Murphy and McHenry, and cooked players like Smith?

Now thats the reality.

Lets see what happens in the first half of next year - he is coaching for his career and doesn’t have the comfort like 2024. He will be sacked with a year on his contract if he doesn’t make finals in 2025.

PS : Milera is no longer in our best 22. I’m sorry but I just have never seen him reach any heights expected of a first rounder.

 

[Dangerousfield]

Nicks wasn't the reason we had a virtually injury free 2023, and 2024 injuries to key players
Nicks didn't break worralls arm
Nicks didn't do Thilthorpes and mileras knees
Nicks didn't injure texs back
Nicks didn't ping rankines hamstring
Nicks didn't have any part in us playing 9 eventual finalists in the final 12 games of the season.
Nicks didn't refuse to call a free against Draper for planking on the ball
Nicks has pulled Berry and Sholl off the scrap heap into the best form of their careers
Nicks dropped underperforming experienced players like Smith, Jones and pushed Laird out of the middle
Nicks played 39 players this season
Nicks isnt resonsible for the lack of depth due to failed draft picks taken before his time at the club
Nicks wasn't the one to make the extension call on his own contract...

There are plenty of things to blame Nicks for, plenty he has done wrong.Nearly every coach has them and Nicks has made more than his share. But citing something so trivial as not subbing on a 4th gamer 15 minutes earlier in a close match against a top 4 side as if it would have been the difference? Come on... I'll also add that none of his errors have been the difference between us winning a flag or not. None of them have even cost us a top 4 spot, or even a home final...

This Witch Hunt is getting a bit ridiculous. A lot of the things I see posted here as Nicks errors are speculative, meaning no one knows how it would have panned out if Nicks went the other way. The hate band wagon is looking more like the morning peak hour train in Mumbai.

I still believe that the Tippett sanctions, camp, McAsey, poor drafting from 2013 to 2018, Gibbs trade are all 10 times more to blame than Nicks for our current situation.

Justify Murphy then

 

[Scorpus]

Nicks wasn't the reason we had a virtually injury free 2023, and 2024 injuries to key players
Nicks didn't break worralls arm
Nicks didn't do Thilthorpes and mileras knees
Nicks didn't injure texs back
Nicks didn't ping rankines hamstring
Nicks didn't have any part in us playing 9 eventual finalists in the final 12 games of the season.
Nicks didn't refuse to call a free against Draper for planking on the ball
Nicks has pulled Berry and Sholl off the scrap heap into the best form of their careers
Nicks dropped underperforming experienced players like Smith, Jones and pushed Laird out of the middle
Nicks played 39 players this season
Nicks isnt resonsible for the lack of depth due to failed draft picks taken before his time at the club
Nicks wasn't the one to make the extension call on his own contract...

There are plenty of things to blame Nicks for, plenty he has done wrong.Nearly every coach has them and Nicks has made more than his share. But citing something so trivial as not subbing on a 4th gamer 15 minutes earlier in a close match against a top 4 side as if it would have been the difference? Come on... I'll also add that none of his errors have been the difference between us winning a flag or not. None of them have even cost us a top 4 spot, or even a home final...

This Witch Hunt is getting a bit ridiculous. A lot of the things I see posted here as Nicks errors are speculative, meaning no one knows how it would have panned out if Nicks went the other way. The hate band wagon is looking more like the morning peak hour train in Mumbai.

I still believe that the Tippett sanctions, camp, McAsey, poor drafting from 2013 to 2018, Gibbs trade are all 10 times more to blame than Nicks for our current situation.

Having three or four injuries shouldn't be the difference between finals and bottom 4

And if we were only going to be a finalist on the back of an incredible injury run like in 2023, we're basically not good enough. Teams shouldn't be relying on luck to finish outside bottom 4

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Nicks wasn't the reason we had a virtually injury free 2023, and 2024 injuries to key players
Nicks didn't break worralls arm
Nicks didn't do Thilthorpes and mileras knees
Nicks didn't injure texs back
Nicks didn't ping rankines hamstring
Nicks didn't have any part in us playing 9 eventual finalists in the final 12 games of the season.
Nicks didn't refuse to call a free against Draper for planking on the ball
Nicks has pulled Berry and Sholl off the scrap heap into the best form of their careers
Nicks dropped underperforming experienced players like Smith, Jones and pushed Laird out of the middle
Nicks played 39 players this season
Nicks isnt resonsible for the lack of depth due to failed draft picks taken before his time at the club
Nicks wasn't the one to make the extension call on his own contract...

There are plenty of things to blame Nicks for, plenty he has done wrong.Nearly every coach has them and Nicks has made more than his share. But citing something so trivial as not subbing on a 4th gamer 15 minutes earlier in a close match against a top 4 side as if it would have been the difference? Come on... I'll also add that none of his errors have been the difference between us winning a flag or not. None of them have even cost us a top 4 spot, or even a home final...

This Witch Hunt is getting a bit ridiculous. A lot of the things I see posted here as Nicks errors are speculative, meaning no one knows how it would have panned out if Nicks went the other way. The hate band wagon is looking more like the morning peak hour train in Mumbai.

I still believe that the Tippett sanctions, camp, McAsey, poor drafting from 2013 to 2018, Gibbs trade are all 10 times more to blame than Nicks for our current situation.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Having three or four injuries shouldn't be the difference between finals and bottom 4

And if we were only going to be a finalist on the back of an incredible injury run like in 2023, we're basically not good enough. Teams shouldn't be relying on luck to finish outside bottom 4

LOL .....you're talking the teams' spine ....you're talking some of our most important players, Rankine (missed 7 games) Thilthorpe, Murray, Worrell ....and with the injuries those latter 3 had, they simply don't come back in "top form"

Everyone underrates the importance of the Milera role ....arguably one of the most important roles, particularly when you lose so many CBA's and your starting attacks from the HB line

And lastly ...we lost key players in areas of greatest weakness, and experience .....and without experienced depth to cover

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Do you want to offer an explanation for the first four games of the year when we were 0-4 with the second worst attack of the year, after being no. 1 last year, and having minimal injuries?

Do you care to give an explanation for BRIS's start then ?

What about the WB early season ?

It's OK I'll wait .....oh sorry, you just regurgitate other's posts

 

[FullyBigKPro]

People trying to defend Nicks and our bin fire of a season using Milera's injury as an excuse..... The guy is totally cooked and constantly injured.

Crikey I've read it all now on Bigfooty

 

[FullyBigKPro]

Do you care to give an explanation for BRIS's start then ?

What about the WB early season ?

It's OK I'll wait .....oh sorry, you just regurgitate other's posts

You mean those two teams who turned it around, changed up their game plan and made finals?

Gee wish we could have done that

 

[WaynesWorld19]

You mean those two teams who turned it around, changed up their game plan and made finals?

Gee wish we could have done that

Cmon, you're better than that

I asked for the explanation on the start of those teams ....not the end ....or should we discuss also how we finished the season as well, one we got some players back ....albeit the kids (Soligo) was running on fumes

 

[Scorpus]

LOL .....you're talking the teams' spine ....you're talking some of our most important players, Rankine (missed 7 games) Thilthorpe, Murray, Worrell ....and with the injuries those latter 3 had, they simply don't come back in "top form"

Everyone underrates the importance of the Milera role ....arguably one of the most important roles, particularly when you lose so many CBA's and your starting attacks from the HB line

And lastly ...we lost key players in areas of greatest weakness, and experience .....and without experienced depth to cover

We had a greater winning percentage in 2024 without Rankine than with Rankine.

Are you sure those players would have changed the results?

 

[WaynesWorld19]

We had a greater winning percentage in 2024 without Rankine than with Rankine.

Are you sure those players would have changed the results?

That's one of the weirdest pieces of logic I've seen .......

 

[Scorpus]

That's one of the weirdest pieces of logic I've seen .......

Rankine, our best player, played 15 games and we won 5 of them

He's apparently crucial to our success. Star player, the best we've got. And yet when he actually did play, look at how well we did

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Rankine, our best player, played 15 games and we won 5 of them

He's apparently crucial to our success. Star player, the best we've got. And yet when he actually did play, look at how well we did

I'm still shaking my head .....your depth of analysis is paper thin .....sorry, analysis was incorrectly used

 

[Mr_Moogle]

People trying to defend Nicks and our bin fire of a season using Milera's injury as an excuse..... The guy is totally cooked and constantly injured.

Crikey I've read it all now on Bigfooty

Unless it's something cartoonishly ridiculous like West Coast's recent injury run, blaming injuries for poor results is just loser talk.

 

[Scorpus]

I'm still shaking my head .....your depth of analysis is paper thin .....sorry, analysis was incorrectly used

Making points, generating responses, then coming back with stuff like this is trolling.

I think the board has had enough of it to be honest.

 

[1990crow]

Making points, generating responses, then coming back with stuff like this is trolling.

I think the board has had enough of it to be honest.

Maybe we can start a gofundme page for cancelling Wayne's account.
Like if every crows bigfooty people who want him gone donate 5 dollars that would go close to being enough.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Do you care to give an explanation for BRIS's start then ?

What about the WB early season ?

It's OK I'll wait .....oh sorry, you just regurgitate other's posts

There is no explanation warranted

Teams have rough patches sometimes

Nicks has only had rough patches for five full seasons which is the issue and why those examples have absolutely no bearing here.

 

[kirky]

Interested to know why one poster keeps referencing Brisbane’s poor start and yet their poor start didn’t stop them making finals and nearly snagging top 4 given their injury run which also included having 6 season ending knee injuries (which occurred mostly earlier in the season as well).

 

[kirky]

People trying to defend Nicks and our bin fire of a season using Milera's injury as an excuse..... The guy is totally cooked and constantly injured.

Crikey I've read it all now on Bigfooty

I’m amazed what anyone sees in Milera. He is as vanilla as they come and shirks any body contact. Another 1st round bust.

 

[FR0GGY]

Nicks didn't injure texs back

No but he did pick and play an injured Tex.

 

[FR0GGY]

. But citing something so trivial as not subbing on a 4th gamer 15 minutes earlier in a close match against a top 4 side as if it would have been the difference? Come on... I'll also add that none of his errors have been the difference between us winning a flag or not. None of them have even cost us a top 4 spot, or even a home final...

half the issue with the curtin subbing in the Geelong game was post game Nicks’s comment that basically said he didn’t trust him.
As a young kid trying to find his way on the game, how would that make you feel when it’s said so publicly?

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

Do you want to offer an explanation for the first four games of the year when we were 0-4 with the second worst attack of the year, after being no. 1 last year, and having minimal injuries?

And being 0-4 meant that we were chasing our tail for the rest of the year?

And let’s be totally honest here, if Carlton and Essendon hadn’t butchered their games against us in the last two minutes of both games, we would be looking at a 6.5 win game season. How is that at any level acceptable in his 5th year?

We didn’t have a season racked by injuries either as we were ranked 11th for injuries.

Why did it take to R13 to debut the likes of Dowling etc whilst continuing to play underachievers, Murphy and McHenry, and cooked players like Smith?

Now thats the reality.

Lets see what happens in the first half of next year - he is coaching for his career and doesn’t have the comfort like 2024. He will be sacked with a year on his contract if he doesn’t make finals in 2025.

PS : Milera is no longer in our best 22. I’m sorry but I just have never seen him reach any heights expected of a first rounder.

There is no explanation for the start of the year. We looked shocking. We weren't the only side this season to start like this.

Carlton and Essendon butchered their games? So you still can't give the team praise for those wins? We won due to their stuff ups? Sheesh. If you want to play sliding doors moments, we were 12 straight kicks away from finishing equal third on the ladder with 15 wins. Those opportunities were there in every game, we didn't take them.

Ranking injuries is pretty weak evidence. Instead of injuries to Rankine, Worrall, Murray, thilthorpe, butts, Crouch, Tex it could have been Jones, Murphy, Laird, himmelberg, borlase etc.

I don't know why dowling wasn't played until round 13, and neither do we. Was he carrying a niggle? Fitness? Given personal targets to reach before getting afl games? We arent in selection meetings, for all we know there was a reason. Smith deserved some time, probably a few games too many. I was fine with Mchenry getting a couple games, sholl and Berry were also allowed the same and showed they had improved. Mchenry did not and was dropped. Murphy, can't stand him.

I agree Milera never reached his potential, still a mile better than Murphy, Jones, mchenry etc. We are a better team with Milera in, those about out.

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

Justify Murphy then

David MacKay passed on whatever bribe material he used to get selected week in week out.

Seems there is an unwritten rule at the AFC that we must carry one spud at all times.

I can't justify it, I can only throw darts at the photo of Murphy taped over the bullseye on my dart board.

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

Having three or four injuries shouldn't be the difference between finals and bottom 4

And if we were only going to be a finalist on the back of an incredible injury run like in 2023, we're basically not good enough. Teams shouldn't be relying on luck to finish outside bottom 4

Shouldn't. But it is when you look at our list. We haven't had the luxury of father and sons thrown at us each year for discounts, academy picks knocking down the door, or even A Grade drafting. Let alone covering the mass exodus from years gone by.

I think we are very lucky to have hit a few diamonds in the rough like Keane, Keays, Hinge for basically free.

Replacing even a middle level AFL hardened body with a skinny speculative draft pick is never a like for like. It

We need rebuild Part B, cut the failures and plug the gaps with Free Agents and trades while drafting for needs.

FWIW I don't think we have been good enough to play finals in the last 3 years. We are 4 or 5 players across the list short. We need to be able to cover injuries and poor form

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

No but he did pick and play an injured Tex.

Playing a terrible combo of Burgess and Berg wouldn't have helped either