Mickan the man to make West Adelaide knuckle down after horror start: Neil Kerley

WEST Adelaide legend Neil “Knuckles” Kerley has backed coach Mark Mickan to turn the club’s season around after a horror start to its SANFL premiership defence.

Difficult task ... Mark Mickan addresses his underperforming West Adelaide team. Picture: Mark Brake

WEST Adelaide legend Neil “Knuckles” Kerley has backed coach Mark Mickan to turn the club’s season around after a horror start to its SANFL premiership defence.

The Bloods have hit rock bottom after the worst start to an SANFL title defence — nine months after breaking a 32-year premiership drought by defeating Woodville-West Torrens by 30 points in the 2015 grand final.

The team’s 0-9 record eclipses that of five reigning premiers which lost their first five matches the season after winning the flag.

Kerley — a four-time SANFL premiership coach — has experienced the pressures facing Mickan and his players.

He coached the Bloods to a flag in 1983 but led the club to just three wins from its first 10 games the following season.

West Adelaide finished sixth that year and missed the finals.

Kerley said he felt for Mickan, who as a player missed the 1983 grand final through injury.

“The club’s down, the supporters are down, everyone is down and the club is struggling and he is the man to right the ship,” Kerley said.

“It’s not easy and you don’t sleep that well. There is no magic wand, it’s just getting the players to work as hard as they can and all pull in the same direction.”

Kerley left the Bloods at the end of the 1984 season but returned to coach the side in the early 1990s.

He said there were similarities between the faltering title defences.

“We had lots of injuries (in ‘84) and lost a couple of players and I don’t think their (the players’) minds were quite right at the start of the season,” said Kerley.

“I think a lot of the players just thought it would happen easy and of course that is never the case.

“Once you win a premiership, the opposition clubs are after you and they prepare better. I feel that was the problem then, and today it seems even worse.

“They’ve lost a lot of players, had injuries and retirements, and it’s not easy to fill five or six or seven holes that are left behind.”

Ahead of this season the Bloods lost premiership heroes Jono Beech, Tom Keough, Will Snelling and Riley Milne.

Another three promising youngsters — Riley Bonner, Aaron Francis and Matthew Hayball — were drafted to the AFL.

Other key players had injury-interrupted pre-seasons or have missed minor round games due to knocks.

West has won just nine of 36 quarters this season and lost its nine games by an average margin of 52 points.

Sitting three victories adrift of its nearest rival, ninth-placed Norwood, West is at risk of matching Glenelg’s 1935 side, which went from first to last in the space of a year.

Mickan said his players remained upbeat.

“We felt a bit underdone coming into the season, but we certainly didn’t see ourselves being in the position we are in,” Mickan said.

“We want to be playing a lot better than we are, and are certainly doing everything we can to improve.”

Mickan said West had been more competitive in recent weeks but had lapses which allowed opposition sides to score heavily.

“We’ve clearly identified where we’re struggling,” Mickan said.

“We’re doing what we can to create confidence and some of our training has been really strong.”

West Adelaide’s faces North Adelaide, which won one game on its way to last season’s wooden-spoon, at Prospect Oval this Sunday.

BLOODS’ HORROR STORY

Worst defeats 2016

■ Glenelg by 75 points

■ Adelaide by 74 points

■ Eagles by 73 points

■ South Adelaide by 71 points

Worst starts to SANFL title defences

■ 0-9 — West Adelaide, 2016

■ 0-5 — Eagles, 2012

■ 0-5 — North Adelaide, 1992

■ 0-5 — Glenelg, 1935

■ 0-5 — West Adelaide, 1910

Games missed through injury

■ Aaron Anderson (nine)

■ Nick Homburg (nine)

■ Brad Helbig (seven)

■ Adam Hartlett (six)

■ Jason Porplyzia (four)

■ Daniel Caire (two)

■ Travis Tuck (two)

Off-season player movements

OUTS: James Ezard (retired), Richard Newell (South Adelaide), Riley Milne (study), Aaron Francis (Essendon), Riley Bonner (Port Adelaide), Matt Hayball (Geelong), Tom Keough (Gold Coast), Jonathon Beech (Adelaide), Will Snelling (Port Adelaide), Andrew Hayes (retired), Ryan Dijksman (Blackwood).