Malcolm Blight: Time for Adelaide coach Don Pyke to let the Laird out as Crows and Power face testing times

THE AFL premiership table does not make for comforting viewing for SA’s two AFL teams. But Malcolm Blight says there is no need for fans to panic just yet, and has some particular advice on how the Crows and Power can overcome their woes.

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STAY calm. Don’t panic ...

Right now, the AFL premiership table does not make for comforting viewing for SA’s two AFL teams. Port Adelaide is in the top eight with a 6-4 record (and a game in hand); the Crows are ninth at 6-5.

It certainly is not the platform for a rise to the much-treasured top four, as many expected of both clubs this season. But they are still on track to an appearance in September’s top-eight finals.

The Power and the Crows have differing reasons to explain being caught in the scrap to September. And they each have the same challenge — stay at (or better) than 50-50 and find a solid month of wins.

For Port Adelaide, the “super month” is July — five should-win games against Carlton (MCG), St Kilda (Adelaide Oval), Fremantle (Perth Stadium), the GWS Giants (Adelaide Oval) and the Western Bulldogs (Ballarat) from rounds 15-19.

Ken Hinkley’s crew could step up to the second Showdown with a 12-7 record and have a foot in September for the second consecutive season.

Injured Crows Rory Sloane, Taylor Walker, Brodie Smith and Riley Knight at training last week. Picture: AAP Image/David Mariuz

For Adelaide, the walk on the tightrope — while carrying a significant injury list — does not become a golden opportunity to create telling momentum to September until the last six weeks of the home-and-away season.

From late July, the Crows face Brisbane (Gabba), Melbourne without Jake Lever (Adelaide Oval), Port Adelaide, the Giants (Canberra), North Melbourne (Adelaide Oval) and a chance for a big confidence booster against Carlton (Etihad Stadium) in round 23.

That second Showdown on August 4 at Adelaide Oval could be the moment that decides each of the SA clubs’ destiny this season. So as that moment is still two months away, don’t panic.

At the same time, neither the Crows nor Power can just sit back and expect time to take care of their problems. This is a significant moment for coaches Don Pyke (Crows) and Ken Hinkley (Power) — and their players.

All of them face questions — and the coaches learn why their job is known to put them in the “hot seat”.

At West Lakes, Pyke — now a 60-game senior coach — is to face his greatest test. He not only needs to “manage” his football program during the week; he needs to “coach” on match day.

As a coach, the most irresponsible thing you can do is just watch a game. You must be involved. You must be thinking of things that will help your team and your players achieve a result.

No coach can just “watch the game”.

Blight suggests Don Pyke should try Rory Laird in the midfield. Picture Sarah Reed

... or star forward Eddie Betts. Picture: AAP Image/David Mariuz

Pyke will face questions on how he reacts to match-day situations. The burning question from Sunday’s 16-point loss to Greater Western Sydney at Adelaide Oval was Pyke’s steadfast belief in his midfield unit with Bryce Gibbs, Matt Crouch, Hugh Greenwood and Cam Ellis-Yolmen who appeared to look all the same and move to the same pace against a far more dynamic Giants midfield.

Why not throw half-back Rory Laird into the midfield to spark a change in momentum? Or Eddie Betts? Coaching demands — as new Hall of Fame Legend Kevin Sheedy noted in his induction speech last week — creative and adventurous thinking.

Pyke’s midfield is clearly lacking a general. And all those who want to live to the theory that “one soldier goes out, a new soldier comes in” need to accept reality tells a different story when the Adelaide midfield does not have vice-captain Rory Sloane.

Adelaide has a better midfield with Sloane — and his way of putting his head over the ball; his voice as a leader; and his spirit as a player who refuses to give up. He is not as easily replaced as “one soldier out, one soldier in” would have it.

And this is why Pyke and his midfield coach Scott Camporeale need to be understanding of when and how to change up their mix in the Adelaide engine room. They cannot just “watch”, holding belief in one midfield battery and a pre-defined set of rotations decided on Thursday.

Hinkley has his own midfield issues — and a riot act to read to his players who think umpires will change their decisions if they get a mouthful of meaningless advice.

How many coaches — if they were not hand-tied by limited rotations — would love to call to the bench a player who gives away a 50-metre penalty, in particular for back-chatting an umpire. The message down the phone line would be: “This is not about your ego, it is about the team.” That is what coaching is all about — keeping players focused on the team’s needs. And if the players are not good listeners, drop them.

Charlie Dixon, middle, was guilty of contributing to Port Adelaide’s ill-discipline with a double-50m penalty — for infringing on the exclusion zone and then mouthing off — which resulted in a goal to the Hawks at an important time in the game.

Port Adelaide’s midfield is not down on personnel. But the skill level of some of the Power midfielders — particularly in kicking — is far from good enough at times. Hinkley’s midfielders are the drivers of his team. They have first crack at everything — and they are the ones who have to set the standard for a team that is far too inconsistent.

These are testing times for the Crows and Power. But these tests are what separate the contenders from the pretenders. The challenge is there — hold to at least 50-50 and deliver a solid month to set up momentum for September.

Don’t panic.

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