Don Pyke concedes there is no ‘magic fix’ for Adelaide worrying 1-3 start to the season

Don Pyke concedes there will be ‘late nights’ at West Lakes this week as heat turns up on coaches and club management following Adelaide’s listless start to the season.

The Crows leave the field after the loss to North Melbourne. Picture: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

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Don Pyke concedes there will be ‘late nights’ at West Lakes this week as heat turns up on coaches and club management following Adelaide’s listless start to the season.

A loss to Gold Coast at home on Sunday would effectively cruel Adelaide’s top four ambition and signal the closing of its premiership window.

Pyke accepts Adelaide’s 1-3 win-loss record does not reflect talent at the disposal of his coaching panel.

“We are all disappointed by it, sitting here in a situation we don’t want to be in. We think we are capable of a lot better than we are playing,” said Pyke with Adelaide in 14th spot after the first month.

Adelaide coach Don Pyke addresses his players during three quarter time during the losing effort against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium. Picture: Michael Klein.

“There is only one answer to it, from a coaching view point we assess exactly what we are coaching, training and focusing on,” Pyke said.

Contracted until the end of 2021, Pyke has been a winner as business genius and premiership on-baller but faces his greatest coaching test.

Adelaide is continuing a downward spiral since its 2017 grand final loss to Richmond.

The soul searching started with a prolonged inquest between coaches and players after Saturday night’s disheartening 12-point loss to North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.

“We are losing contests which gives away field position, clearly not efficient with the ball and making skill errors so we had a discussion around what is causing that,” said Pyke, lamenting a -17 contested ball and -21 inside 50 count against the Kangaroos.

The onus is on Adelaide’s hierarchy to devise a strategy dealing with opponents clogging its ball movement and attacking avenues.

“We have some things to think about, fix, no question,” said Pyke, hamstrung by the absence of experienced back-up for ruckman Sam Jacobs.

“There is one thing talking about and doing it under the pressure of the game.”

Crows co-captain Taylor Walker leads his disappointed teammates off Marvel Stadium on Saturday night. Picture: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

Rory Laird under pressure from Mason Wood. Opposition teams have found a way to curtail his run and carry. Picture: AAP Image/Hamish Blair

Pyke won’t “make wholesale changes” but Hugh Greenwood could stem Adelaide’s contested ball malaise. Bryce Gibbs will push for a recall but it is line-breaking midfield drive that Adelaide is missing.

Brodie Smith, Rory Laird and Wayne Milera’s run and carry is being stonewalled down field, meaning Adelaide is averaging 69 points per game this season. Adelaide can’t find gaps entering 50 against heightened defensive patterns of rivals.

“We need to look at our structure, trying to move the ball and what is going to be the defensive mechanism we are coming up against,” he said.

Rob Chapman must feel further from ending the club’s 21-year premiership drought than he did on becoming Crows chairman a decade ago.

Pyke must conjure 12 more wins to make finals without intercept king Tom Doedee. Paul Seedsman is sidelined for up to two months.

“We have to roll up our sleeves and go to work, there is no easy way out of this, we can’t turn around and think it is going to magically change next week,” Pyke said.