Opinion Matthew Nicks: Adelaide's Coach

[Thylacinus]

The last two weeks have been a huge improvement, but I'm still waiting until mid to late 2023 before passing judgement.

Don't forget last year in the first 6 rounds

Lost to Freo by a point
Beat Port
Beat Richmond
Lost to Essendon by 4 points
Upset the Bulldogs in Ballarat

We started off just as well (maybe even better), but by half way through the season we were cooked. It's way too early to be saying that we're better than last year.

We are better than last year!

 

[MsTopG]

100%.

Have been 3-3 in both 2021/2022 before falling apart.

We are a legit chance of being any combination of 4-2, 3-3, 2-4.

We have a pretty tough schedule from 7-11 facing the Pies, Cats, Saints, Bulldogs and Lions. Thats gonna tell us a hell of a lot more about where we are headed than the first 6 rounds IMO.

We should beat Pies, Saints, and Lions at home. The Lions don't travel well and the Saints haven't faced decent opposition yet. Collingwood should be tough but they have no ruck currently and don't have an elite forward line. The Bulldogs game is 50/50 as the Bulldogs have dipped this year. The cats game will likely be a loss as we never win down there but Geeling haven't been that good so far so we may have a slight chance.

 

[Pugsley]

100%.

Have been 3-3 in both 2021/2022 before falling apart.

We are a legit chance of being any combination of 4-2, 3-3, 2-4.

We have a pretty tough schedule from 7-11 facing the Pies, Cats, Saints, Bulldogs and Lions. Thats gonna tell us a hell of a lot more about where we are headed than the first 6 rounds IMO.

Well said. You measure where you are at against quality opposition.

 

[Pugsley]

We should beat Pies, Saints, and Lions at home. The Lions don't travel well and the Saints haven't faced decent opposition yet. Collingwood should be tough but they have no ruck currently and don't have an elite forward line. The Bulldogs game is 50/50 as the Bulldogs have dipped this year. The cats game will likely be a loss as we never win down there but Geeling haven't been that good so far so we may have a slight chance.

ROB loses to opponents without ruckmen.

 

[rabidcrow]

We should beat Pies, Saints, and Lions at home. The Lions don't travel well and the Saints haven't faced decent opposition yet. Collingwood should be tough but they have no ruck currently and don't have an elite forward line. The Bulldogs game is 50/50 as the Bulldogs have dipped this year. The cats game will likely be a loss as we never win down there but Geeling haven't been that good so far so we may have a slight chance.

Have to tag Daicos - he beat us off his own boot last year. And as someone mentioned on another thread - doesn’t like the physical stuff. Need to tag him hard and make sure most possessions are contested and he gets tackled plenty of times

He big time shirked it against Brisbane a few times


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[VictorianCrow85]

Have to tag Daicos - he beat us off his own boot last year. And as someone mentioned on another thread - doesn’t like the physical stuff. Need to tag him hard and make sure most possessions are contested and he gets tackled plenty of times

He big time shirked it against Brisbane a few times


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Keays would probably be not a bad player to do a job on him. Has the physicality and fitness to make it a long match.

 

[Bazz_27]

Keays would probably be not a bad player to do a job on him. Has the physicality and fitness to make it a long match.

Really good point, has done the job on Saad before. Make them hurt the other way too

 

[GreyCrow]

We should beat Pies, Saints, and Lions at home.

And Cripps doesnt get Brownlow votes in losing games

 

[UcantCme]

Love your work Nicks

You built the foundations and the culture

Now you are adding the class and they game plan layers


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Sir Ronald Mac]

Best crows coach since Blighty, and a lot more humble and likeable.

 

[adelaidecrows]

So as one of Nick's biggest critics on here I should be required to make a statement and not disappear into the shadows.

Tonight was a test for Nicks. He has had these tests before and he fluffed it by being ultra defensive and refusing to back the boys in. Tonight, was the first real demonstration he could own a coaching box and not cave into his old ways. I say Nicks won the match for us tonight and demonstrated perhaps he is learning from his mistakes.

Now comes the consistency part. Can he maintain his attacking nerve or will he resort to defending games to death in the hope of winning the old counter attack game plan he has tried many times and failed. This is the test now.

Based on what I've witnessed thought the past 3 games, he is tracking in the right direction and I concede that he could be worth hanging onto for next season.

Long way to go though before he proves his consistency. Remember Ken had Port playing a good 6 months of football and was gifted the next 4 years of sub par mediocrity before he managed to make finals again. Even if Nicks makes the finals this year we should hold off gifting a contract extension until we see genuine results next season.

On CPH2371 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Scorpus]

I've changed my vote from leaning no to leaning yes

 

[MRB37]

So as one of Nick's biggest critics on here I should be required to make a statement and not disappear into the shadows.

Tonight was a test for Nicks. He has had these tests before and he fluffed it by being ultra defensive and refusing to back the boys in. Tonight, was the first real demonstration he could own a coaching box and not cave into his old ways. I say Nicks won the match for us tonight and demonstrated perhaps he is learning from his mistakes.

Now comes the consistency part. Can he maintain his attacking nerve or will he resort to defending games to death in the hope of winning the old counter attack game plan he has tried many times and failed. This is the test now.

Based on what I've witnessed thought the past 3 games, he is tracking in the right direction and I concede that he could be worth hanging onto for next season.

Long way to go though before he proves his consistency. Remember Ken had Port playing a good 6 months of football and was gifted the next 4 years of sub par mediocrity before he managed to make finals again. Even if Nicks makes the finals this year we should hold off gifting a contract extension until we see genuine results next season.

On CPH2371 using BigFooty.com mobile app

It's probably what made a win tonight so important, because it'll reinforce it's the way to go going forwards. We were in this position last year and bottled it at home against GWS after two good wins over the Bulldogs and Tigers and that's what led to his uber defensive, dour, throw contested players at the ball everywhere that led to us having a crap 8-9 game streak after that.

 

[Sir Ronald Mac]

So as one of Nick's biggest critics on here I should be required to make a statement and not disappear into the shadows.

Tonight was a test for Nicks. He has had these tests before and he fluffed it by being ultra defensive and refusing to back the boys in. Tonight, was the first real demonstration he could own a coaching box and not cave into his old ways. I say Nicks won the match for us tonight and demonstrated perhaps he is learning from his mistakes.

Now comes the consistency part. Can he maintain his attacking nerve or will he resort to defending games to death in the hope of winning the old counter attack game plan he has tried many times and failed. This is the test now.

Based on what I've witnessed thought the past 3 games, he is tracking in the right direction and I concede that he could be worth hanging onto for next season.

Long way to go though before he proves his consistency. Remember Ken had Port playing a good 6 months of football and was gifted the next 4 years of sub par mediocrity before he managed to make finals again. Even if Nicks makes the finals this year we should hold off gifting a contract extension until we see genuine results next season.

On CPH2371 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Not going with one Key Defender

Not asking Doedee to play as a tall

Not putting an inside mid like Hately or Crouch on the wing

Picking Thilthorpe instead of Himmelberg

Finally funking off the preseason wonder Frampton

Rotating more than 4 players through the centre square

Oh, and Dawson into the midfield

Nicks stumbled across BigFooty just in time to save his coaching career!

 

[Apsaalooke]

Dawson’s headlock on Nicks has been a turning point and could end up saving his coaching career

 

[adelaidecrows]

On CPH2371 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Mr_Moogle]

If Nicks turns out to be good, wouldn't that mean the Hinkley factory turned out a good product?

 

[WaynesWorld19]

So for all the naysayers on Nicks ....for all who said categorically Nicks is a defensive Coach .....and simply coaching to protect his job / minimlise losses

For those posters ....have a listen to this, 40 minutes into the show

 

[WaynesWorld19]

David King calling Nicks a "Special" Coach ....10 players with less than 50 games, unheard of

 

[George Kramer]

So for all the naysayers on Nicks ....for all who said categorically Nicks is a defensive Coach .....and simply coaching to protect his job / minimlise losses

For those posters ....have a listen to this, 40 minutes into the show

For all of those posters who defended playing Dawson in defence using heat maps….

 

[hippyhippy]

My mind ain't changing in 3 games... I'm still not convinced. Happy to be wrong but I'm still in the no camp. We have much better list than when he started though, how much of it is talent and how much is head coaching? We've seen this type of quick improvement before, Craig, sando, pyke etc.... we need real results which currently don't exist still.

Coaches go from cold to hot in a matter of weeks in the afl...

 

[George Kramer]

So for all the naysayers on Nicks ....for all who said categorically Nicks is a defensive Coach .....and simply coaching to protect his job / minimlise losses

For those posters ....have a listen to this, 40 minutes into the show

And did anyone actually say Nicks was a defensive coach?

I for one was critical for Nicks going defensive last year after a couple of losses and trying to minimise the size of our losses rather than playing to our strengths which was our forward line and playing Dawson in defence.

And what do you know…

 

[WaynesWorld19]

For all of those posters who defended playing Dawson in defence using heat maps….

Today is a day, you're best not be making any more predictions ....you've made some shocking calls on Nicks, the recruiting staff ....and I've lost count of how many players

But as they say, and I think this summarises beautifully

 

[Amacca 23]

4 rounds in and we haven’t played a single side that looks a finals contender yet. Only a fool would judge us as being anything great at 2:2 and having played GWS, Tigers, Port and Freo. But it’s no surprise that you’re seeing us as world beaters.

Still beat no one guess the good judges were wrong also

On SM-G996B using BigFooty.com mobile app