Preview R2: Changes vs. Essendon

[Samcro24]

No it isn't.

This is a club that has lost 7 of their last 8 matches.

This is a squad that hasn't made the finals the past 2 years and is missing half of their forward line.

We should absolutely wipe the floor with them.

We have a long history of blowing this exact type of game.

Vulnerable opposition, we get out to an early lead, look comfortable, things going to plan. Then some B grade dickhead bobs up and kicks a couple of quick goals. Game goes up a notch, the home crowd perks up momentum shifts.

Game on in the last, home side gets the 50/50 calls, kicks the important goals, scoring dries up for us, we lose.

This shouldn’t be one of drug’s “sign post games” but it probably is. Away wins are rare under Nicks, as are wins at the G. This will tell us a bit regardless of the strength of the bombers side, looking forward to it.

 

[Ciao Giacomo]

Travelling emergency. I'd prefer Murphy be that and Pedlar play another full game in the Magoos

No game for the SANFL this week.

 

[Betts are off]

No game for the SANFL this week.

Booooooooo

 

[Vader]

We have a long history of blowing this exact type of game.

Vulnerable opposition, we get out to an early lead, look comfortable, things going to plan. Then some B grade dickhead bobs up and kicks a couple of quick goals. Game goes up a notch, the home crowd perks up momentum shifts.

Game on in the last, home side gets the 50/50 calls, kicks the important goals, scoring dries up for us, we lose.

This shouldn’t be one of drug’s “sign post games” but it probably is. Away wins are rare under Nicks, as are wins at the G. This will tell us a bit regardless of the strength of the bombers side, looking forward to it.

To be fair, wins at the G were rare long before Nicks came on the scene. We have a 29-1-49 record there across the club's entire 34 years of existence. Remarkably, we have a 7-8 record in finals at the MCG, so we're 22-1-41 in H&A rounds.

Blaming Nicks for our MCG woes is really being disingenuous.

 

[Stephen2]

Booooooooo

Someone in the SANFL thread said there might be a trial vs Port, that'd be great if it happens. Otherwise Booooooooo

 

[AFC979810]

We have a long history of blowing this exact type of game.

Vulnerable opposition, we get out to an early lead, look comfortable, things going to plan. Then some B grade dickhead bobs up and kicks a couple of quick goals. Game goes up a notch, the home crowd perks up momentum shifts.

Game on in the last, home side gets the 50/50 calls, kicks the important goals, scoring dries up for us, we lose.

This shouldn’t be one of drug’s “sign post games” but it probably is. Away wins are rare under Nicks, as are wins at the G. This will tell us a bit regardless of the strength of the bombers side, looking forward to it.

Cannot argue with any of this.

But you haven't factored in one thing - these are the BRAND NEW CROWS. 40+ plus win on the cards.

 

[AFC979810]

To be fair, wins at the G were rare long before Nicks came on the scene. We have a 29-1-49 record there across the club's entire 34 years of existence. Remarkably, we have a 7-8 record in finals at the MCG, so we're 22-1-41 in H&A rounds.

Blaming Nicks for our MCG woes is really being disingenuous.

Don't think its disingenuous at all.

Our clubs record at the G prior to Nicks was 29-1-43 - Thats a 39.7% win percentage.

Nicks record at the G is 0-6 which is a 0% win record.

 

[Thylacinus]

Cannot argue with any of this.

But you haven't factored in one thing - these are the BRAND NEW CROWS. 40+ plus win on the cards.

I think Saturday will tell us if these really are the BRAND NEW CROWS. Over the past few years we would have likely lost this game. Coming off a good win and being favorites would have led us to complacency. Away game and crowd. Much shorter turn around with many players cramping late last Sunday. If we win, and particularity win well, yes, we will be looking like the BRAND NEW CROWS.

 

[Vader]

Don't think its disingenuous at all.

Our clubs record at the G prior to Nicks was 29-1-43 - Thats a 39.7% win percentage.

Nicks record at the G is 0-6 which is a 0% win record.

He's also had the weakest team in AFC history to work with, as he basically rebuilt it from the ground up. 2023 & 2025 are the only years where the team has been comparable in strength to what it was for almost the entire AFC history.

Clarkson's record at Norf proves that even the best coaches struggle when they don't have the cattle to work with. I'm not suggesting that Nicks is a good coach, but he certainly didn't have the cattle for most of his tenure to date.

2025 is the first time in Nicks' tenure that we've had a list which was genuinely capable of challenging for the finals. Yes, we were 1 umpiring blunder away in 2023, but we really weren't challenging to go deep into September. 2025 is make or break year for Nicks - he has the cattle now, so now he needs to prove whether or not he really can coach.

 

[skam85]

Cannot argue with any of this.

But you haven't factored in one thing - these are the BRAND NEW CROWS. 40+ plus win on the cards.

would that make Nicks THE MAESTRO 2.0 ?

 

[Samcro24]

Blaming Nicks for our MCG woes is really being disingenuous.

I wrote it as two separate things.

Away wins are rare under Nicks, as are wins at the G.

 

[AFC979810]

I think Saturday will tell us if these really are the BRAND NEW CROWS. Over the past few years we would have likely lost this game. Coming off a good win and being favorites would have led us to complacency. Away game and crowd. Much shorter turn around with many players cramping late last Sunday. If we win, and particularity win well, yes, we will be looking like the BRAND NEW CROWS.

WE ARE THE BRAND NEW CROWS. I refuse to hear otherwise.*



*until we are the same old crows.

 

[AFC979810]

He's also had the weakest team in AFC history to work with, as he basically rebuilt it from the ground up. 2023 & 2025 are the only years where the team has been comparable in strength to what it was for almost the entire AFC history.

Clarkson's record at Norf proves that even the best coaches struggle when they don't have the cattle to work with. I'm not suggesting that Nicks is a good coach, but he certainly didn't have the cattle for most of his tenure to date.

2025 is the first time in Nicks' tenure that we've had a list which was genuinely capable of challenging for the finals. Yes, we were 1 umpiring blunder away in 2023, but we really weren't challenging to go deep into September. 2025 is make or break year for Nicks - he has the cattle now, so now he needs to prove whether or not he really can coach.

Thats a lot of waffling to explain his 0-6 record at the MCG. Once again - to stay on topic - there is nothing disingenuous about saying Nicks has a bad record at the MCG.

 

[Golumless]

Cannot argue with any of this.

But you haven't factored in one thing - these are the BRAND NEW CROWS. 40+ plus win on the cards.

They're not "brand new crows". We're hoping our kids (Soligo, Thilthorpe, Rachele, Worrell etc) that's finally taken that next step to take the league by storm.

Right now they're 1/1 this year, however it was only St Kilda.

 

[AFC979810]

They're not "brand new crows". We're hoping our kids (Soligo, Thilthorpe, Rachele, Worrell etc) that's finally taken that next step to take the league by storm.

Right now they're 1/1 this year, however it was only St Kilda.

BRAND. NEW. CROWS.

 

[Thrillthorpe7]

Triple M from Tex

Tex didn’t confirm it at all, you’re absolutely misquoting him here

 

[Thrillthorpe7]

Kako has a lifetime goal kicking tally of 1. They are in big trouble if not having him means they can no longer kick a winning score.

They haven’t had any life in their small forward stocks for a while, he’s a seriously good prospect for them. With Langford, Wright and Guelfi all missing as well (and also traded out Stringer), they’re very thin on goal kicking options, so yes Kako is important for them already.

We should be handling them regardless of whether he plays or not, but it certainly makes our matchups easier if he misses.

 

[SugarShane]

We have a long history of blowing this exact type of game.

Vulnerable opposition, we get out to an early lead, look comfortable, things going to plan. Then some B grade dickhead bobs up and kicks a couple of quick goals. Game goes up a notch, the home crowd perks up momentum shifts.

Game on in the last, home side gets the 50/50 calls, kicks the important goals, scoring dries up for us, we lose.

This shouldn’t be one of drug’s “sign post games” but it probably is. Away wins are rare under Nicks, as are wins at the G. This will tell us a bit regardless of the strength of the bombers side, looking forward to it.

I agree with every single piece of this post except the bolded. For me this is more of a "Let them get a 3 goal head start, then out score them from that point on but still lose" game.

The rest though, bang on. It's very early in the season to call anything, but it's going to be a huge indicator on whether we are actually any better than the last 5 years. If we're going to play finals, we can NOT drop games like this.

 

[crows dude]

Someone in the SANFL thread said there might be a trial vs Port, that'd be great if it happens. Otherwise Booooooooo

Port have a trial agains West tomorrow

 

[FR0GGY]

Cannot argue with any of this.

But you haven't factored in one thing - these are the BRAND NEW CROWS. 40+ plus win on the cards.

You spelt brand new wrong

 

[CrowBloke]

Away wins are rare under Nicks, as are wins at the G.

We still have the "under Nicks" problem.
Win this game, it'll tell us he's learned something.
Lose it, then Nicks does not have the answers. Not after 5 years and 2 games; not after everything that has changed around him from 2024 going into 2025.

This will tell us a bit regardless of the strength of the bombers side,

Yep, clutch game for the team and Nicks.

looking forward to it.

Me, too .
I'll take any win, but anything over 20+ points will give me hope.

 

[CrowBloke]

He's also had the weakest team in AFC history to work with, as he basically rebuilt it from the ground up.

With respect for your posting input, we finished 11th in 2019.
To state the obvious, that means there were 7 teams below us. AFC teams have finished lower than that, previously, so it was hardly "the weakest team in AFC history".
6 times, 11th. 5 times worse than that.

Some history:
"Veteran forward Eddie Betts was the biggest name to move, returning to Carlton after kicking 310 goals in 132 AFL games for Adelaide, while Sam Jacobs (GWS), Josh Jenkins, (Geelong), Alex Keath (Western Bulldogs), Hugh Greenwood (Gold Coast) and Cam Ellis-Yolmen (Brisbane) also switched clubs. Andy Otten and Richard Douglas retired at the end of the 2019 season", but we still had about half a team who had played in a GF.
Under Nicks, we could have stayed around the mark in 2020, say 10th to 14th.
Under Nicks, we wooden spooned in his first year and it's been NO Finals since then.
Under Nicks, 11th ... to 18th. and it's been our losing-est period, ever, since then.

Are you familiar with "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (Coleridge)? The ancient Mariner has the corpse of the Albatross he killed hung around his neck, as punishment. One might say Karma.
I'm hoping this week will show us that Nicks is not the Crows' albatross.

 

[skam85]

Are you familiar with "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (Coleridge)? The ancient Mariner has the corpse of the Albatross he killed hung around his neck, as punishment. One might say Karma.

what on earth

 

[spenze]

Are you familiar with "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (Coleridge)? The ancient Mariner has the corpse of the Albatross he killed hung around his neck, as punishment. One might say Karma.

I have used that expression for 30 odd years without knowing it's origin, just thought it was a funny line from DAAS. I have often said working with so and so was like having an albatross around my neck.

Gives it more clarity now and people must have thought I was well read.

Thanks

 

[skam85]

I have used that expression for 30 odd years without knowing it's origin, just thought it was a funny line from DAAS. I have often said working with so and so was like having an albatross around my neck.

Gives it more clarity now and people must have thought I was well read.

Thanks

thanks Browny