AFL Round 18: Adelaide Crows news and reaction from loss to Collingwood
Adelaide has used 37 players this season but experts are asking why some talented youngsters are still yet to see senior action. Mark Ricciuto has responded.
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How is the rebuild actually going at West Lakes?
It’s a question Adelaide fans would have asked themselves constantly after the Crows’ woeful performance against Hawthorn.
The Crows rallied and ran Collingwood close on Saturday, to regain some pride.
After the club’s first ever wooden spoon in 2020, the Crows showed some signs in 2021, defeating Geelong and Melbourne on their way to seven wins.
They have had some memorable wins in 2022 – the Showdown against Port Adelaide, Richmond at Adelaide Oval and the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat.
But the Crows are now at five wins for the year with a run home that includes Sydney at the SCG, Carlton at home, West Coast in Perth, North Melbourne and then Port Adelaide.
There’s a real possibility that Matthew Nicks’ side wins seven games at best this season.
Adelaide fans have been patient with their side, which has fallen off a cliff since they challenged for a flag 2017. But supporters are starting to get restless and wondering when they will be back pushing for the top eight.
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Ahead of the clash against the Pies, Nicks said “we are mindful of mentioning the words finals” when asked when the Crows were planning to return to the top echelon.
“We knocked off Richmond, we knocked off the Western Bulldogs, so we know we can beat the best sides in the competition,” Nicks said.
“We also know we can unfortunately lose to the sides who aren’t fighting for finals.
“So that’s our challenge and it can change quickly.
“If you look at the rebuilds over the past couple of years there is a really quick turnaround.
“Look at Brissie (Brisbane) and some of the games they played prior to them bouncing back and getting into top four, and that’s where we strongly believe we are on that path.”
But are supporters sharing the faith?
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
The Crows have decided to bottom out and rebuild with fresh, young talent.
It’s a model that has been successfully used by Melbourne and Carlton.
Since the 2019 season ended for the Crows the departures at West Lakes include Daniel Talia, Brad Crouch, Eddie Betts, Hugh Greenwood, Tom Lynch, Alex Keath, Sam Jacobs, David McKay, Richard Douglas and Josh Jenkins.
All of those, maybe Alex Keath aside, played a role in the Crows becoming a contending side under Don Pyke and one that made the grand final in 2017.
From one of the oldest lists in the competition, the Crows’ average age of 24 is now the youngest in the competition for 2022.
Most of the young talent has come in through the draft, aside from Ben Keays, Jackson Hately and Mitch Hinge who have arrived from other clubs, some who were discarded by their previous side.
Jordan Dawson was the big recruit by the Crows over the off-season and his age, 25, fits the club’s preferred age demographic.
Not only have the Crows brought in a lot of young players, they have also played a lot of them. Thirty-seven, in fact.
The Crows have used the fifth-most players in the AFL this year, and just three players have played every match so far this season – the second fewest.
Of the Crows’ list, just five – including mid-season draftee Brett Turner – haven’t played an AFL game.
WHAT SHOULD THEY BE DOING?
Inaugural Crows coach Graham Cornes isn’t a fan of rebuilds.
“I’ve always been a believer that the word rebuild is a cop-out. You have to regenerate, you don’t rebuild,” he told The Advertiser.
But now that Adelaide is three years into one, Cornes says there is a big problem.
“I know from personal experience just how easy it is to be critical from outside the club, and everyone is an expert and everyone has an opinion,” he said.
“So I don’t want to be too critical, but I have been concerned about the inconsistency at selection. It has been a revolving door at selection this year.
“But I think that has been brought about by the fact that there’s just not enough elite talent in the squad.
“They are giving young players opportunities, and some of them haven’t been quite up to the task
“Their big challenge is to recruit, draft, or build elite midfielders who can use the ball effectively, and really at this stage we see Jordan Dawson, who has come to the club and he is an elite user of the ball, as is Brodie Smith, as are Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty, but they don’t get enough off the ball.
“So I don’t see in the current squad where that improvement is going to come from, that improvement from a good midfielder to a truly elite midfielder is going to come from.”
The successful rebuilds, major or minor, over the past decade have been characterised by nailing top draft picks.
The Demons 2021 premiership side had a core of top-10 picks such as Christian Petracca (pick 2), Luke Jackson (pick 3), Clayton Oliver (pick 4), Angus Brayshaw (pick 3) and Christian Salem (pick 9).
Carlton was stuck in a rebuilding phase far longer than the 66 games originally earmarked in 2015, but is now a top-four contender with Sam Walsh (pick 1), Jacob Weitering (pick 1), Harry McKay (pick 10), Charlie Curnow (pick 12), and Patrick Cripps (pick 12).
Brisbane, the team Nicks referenced, went from 15th to second after the trade of Lachie Neale added to a group featuring Hugh McCluggage (pick 3), Eric Hipwood (pick 14), Cam Rayner (pick 1) and Zac Bailey (pick 15).
In 2019, when the Crows finished 11th, their second year out of finals in a row which prompted their desire to rebuild, Fremantle was 13th.
Three years later the Dockers are fighting it out for the top four.
A key for Fremantle is the selections of Andrew Brayshaw (pick 2) and 2019 draft trio of Hayden Young (pick 7), rising star winner Caleb Serong (pick 8) and Next Generation Academy prospect Liam Henry (Pick 9) to go with established players such as Nate Fyfe, David Mundy, Michael Walters, Luke Ryan and Matt Taberner.
On Wednesday, Taylor Walker said the Dockers were an example of how quickly it could change for the Crows.
But while Brayshaw is one of the best midfielders of the competition, Serong a Rising Star winner and Young a gun half-back in the making, Adelaide’s top draftees in recent years haven’t had the same impact.
Since Brayshaw was picked at No.2, Adelaide has selected Fogarty (pick 11), Chayce Jones (pick 9), Fischer McAsey (pick 6), Riley Thilthorpe (pick 2), Luke Pedlar (pick 11) and Josh Rachele (pick 6) in the top 11.
Fogarty is starting to emerge as a good AFL player while Thilthorpe has shown glimpses in his first two years and Rachele started this season on fire.
But Jones was dropped earlier this season, Pedlar has played five games (two have been as an unused sub) while McAsey hasn’t played an AFL game since 2020.
“It is a fair observation to make that Adelaide’s early draft picks haven’t come on as well as they would hope,” Cornes said.
“They just haven’t had the effect that they were hoping for.”
Crows fans will be asking if it is the recruiting or the development at West Lakes.
They are also wondering why players such as Josh Worrell and Tariek Newchurch haven’t played a game this year when the Crows have gone so deep into their list.
Brayden Cook has raw talent, and Pedlar can be a contested beast, but they haven’t played at AFL level for months when fit.
Former Adelaide senior assistant coach Scott Camporeale said it was interesting that those players weren’t getting a chance to show how they could fare at AFL level.
“If they haven’t found their best 22 then why aren’t we seeing Newchurch, why aren’t we seeing Pedlar,” he said on Grandstand SA.
“And I know some of those guys have had injuries or haven’t had continuity.”
Crows board member Mark Ricciuto said it was a balancing act between blooding young players and being competitive.
“I think there is always a balance, not talking about the Crows, but when you are a rebuilding side there is always a balance between having blokes who are physically strong enough and can compete so you don’t get flogged,” he said on the Bump SA.
“If you play too many kids at once you can expose the side and get flogged and not learn anything because you can’t compete and aren’t strong enough.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR NICKS?
In December Nicks was given a contract extension to the end of 2024, with the Crows describing him as a “generational coach”.
On Saturday prior to the game against Collingwood, Crows chief executive Tim Silvers reiterated that Nicks was the man at West Lakes.
“I‘m confident he has the right brand to take us back to finals. It’s not all about wins and losses,” he said on Grandstand SA.
“I can feel the frustration from members and fans.”
Cornes said the Crows supporters were having their patience tested after the loss to Hawthorn.
“Crows fans have been remarkably patient,” he said.
“They have understood that a new coach was coming into the club, that it was at a low ebb, the playing list was fractured.
“But the last month or so there’s discontent out there, there’s no doubt that supporters are restless.”
Adelaide’s rebuild now has an overall record of 15-40, a win rate just over 25 per cent.
North Melbourne premiership player David King said he doesn’t like how it is looking for Nicks if things don’t change quickly.
“There’s no way Matthew Nicks can survive this rebuild phase at the Adelaide Crows,” King told SEN Breakfast.
“I’m looking through it and right now he has got a win-loss strike rate of about 27 per cent. They’ve finished 18th, 15th and tracking 15th this year.
“He’s got a list that’s far from the envy of the rest of the coaching fraternity. The list is more than poor. I think they’ll be asking for priority selections within three years.”
King said not nailing draft picks could hurt Nicks.
“So who pays for that in the end,” he said.
“I reckon Matthew Nicks is a seriously good AFL coach, but he’s not getting the ability to show his wares.
“I’m concerned that the win-loss strike rate, which gets all coaches in the end, will come under serious scrutiny in the next 12 to 24 months.
“There were a couple of people challenging whether he should have had his contract extended. That’s the first point. That’s the start of the discussion. It’s a shocking set-up. I think the AFL needs to look at all the tools that can help get lists back in order.
“I know it’s mid-season trading and I know it’s trading contracted players, it’s all of these things, otherwise you are just going to continue to set fire to young coaches with vulnerable lists and footy clubs that get jumpy because boards panic.”
Crows star trio finally clicking together
– Matt Turner
Much has been made about the types of players Adelaide needs to climb the ladder.
Key forwards should be relatively low on the Crows’ recruiting team’s list of priorities.
Saturday’s gutsy home loss to Collingwood is arguably the best game Taylor Walker, Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe have played together as a collective.
Between them, they registered eight of the team’s 13 goals, along with 39 disposals and 15 marks on a wet day at Adelaide Oval.
Statistics told part of the story.
Walker threatened every time he had the ball.
The veteran, who re-signed on a one-year deal this past week, finished with a game-high five majors in another ageless performance.
In an era full of one-sided players, Walker’s skill with his left foot – shown with a goal on the run as well as an assist to Shane McAdam – is a delight to watch.
Fogarty finished with only nine touches but he hit contests ferociously, had several repeated defensive efforts and his two goals were pure class.
One was a neat set-shot finish after a strong mark, the other a left-foot snap on the run on a tight angle.
Thilthorpe played arguably his best game since his five-goal debut against Hawthorn in Launceston last season.
The 20-year-old spent plenty of time in the ruck, used his mobility to great effect, was very tidy below his knees and pulled down a game-high seven marks.
He was let down by his inaccuracy (1.3).
Overall, Adelaide kicked a goal from every 3.76 inside 50 entries – its fourth-most efficient return this season.
Unlike the top three games, against bottom-10 clubs Essendon, Richmond and North Melbourne, Saturday’s was in slippery conditions that should have made scoring difficult and versus a top-four contending opponent.
“We looked like scoring most times we got it inside forward 50,” Crows forwards coach James Rahilly told News Corp.
It was not just Walker, Fogarty and Thilthorpe that looked dangerous, but Lachlan Murphy (3.1) and Shane McAdam (1.1) too.
But the performance of the talls in unison, against a quality side, felt like a key moment in the team’s development.
“I thought all three of them had a huge influence on the game today,” coach Matthew Nicks said.
The trio had only played 13 times together before Saturday.
Eight goals was their equal-most as a combination.
After missing the first three games of the campaign due to his racism suspension, Walker has picked up where he left off from last year, playing some of the best football of his career.
The former captain’s 2.76 goals per match is his third-best average in a season since debuting in 2009.
“Tex has been in pretty good nick the last couple of years and looks very dangerous,” Rahilly said.
Fogarty has been in impressive form since kicking three goals in the loss to Geelong at GMHBA Stadium in round 11.
That match looked like a turning point for a player who had teased but had left the football world unsure if he would ever string it together consistently.
In the first three games this year, Fogarty kicked just two goals – both in the season opener.
Then he was dropped and did not return until round 9.
He was goalless in his two initial games back, but had since kicked 17 majors in seven weeks.
Nicks said Fogarty had worked hard on both the physical and mental sides of the game.
“I can talk about him up here now and say ‘he’s a pro’,” the coach said.
“He’s got to stick to that now.
“He has been so he deserves the credit he’s getting.”
Rahilly said a key focus for Fogarty last year was his fitness.
This season, it had been reducing his jostling to instead attack the ball.
“When I got here last year, he liked to wrestle a lot and go back to his opponent,” Rahilly said.
“He’s got a lot more confidence to just go at the footy now.
“Now the confidence and belief and what he’s been working on with his craft have come to fruition.”
Teammate Mitch Hinge had faith Fogarty would turn things around, saying he knew how special he could become.
They are close mates and former junior opponents from Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara league rivals Mundulla and Lucindale.
“He’s had a fair bit of scrutiny the last couple of years,” Hinge told News Corp.
“With everyone, when their form’s down, it affects people a little bit.
“You’ve got to remember he’s playing a key position against some pretty handy players and as a 22, 23-year-old, it’s pretty tough to perform week in, week out.
“But his workrate, the way he’s been hitting the ground and covering contests has allowed him to get a bit more of the ball and let his natural instincts take over.
“We see behind-the-goal vision and some of his workrate from the other side of the ground and how he works over has been second-to-one.
“He’s presenting in the air, winning the ball at ground level and has got a fair bit of confidence about him, which is great to see.
“To see him come through and perform really well makes me really happy.”
Thilthorpe also had a SANFL spell early in the season – he was dropped after the first match – and did not return to the AFL side until round 10.
There was external criticism for how long he spent in the state league, but getting sick, including Covid, delayed his return.
Hinge said the 200cm giant was one of the hardest workers at the club and had to have his individual program reduced a little “because he’s quite an animal with the way he trains”.
“He’s starting to sort that out now and just learn along the way,” he said.
“As a youngster, it’s pretty hard to come in and play consistent footy, especially when we haven’t been going as well as we would’ve liked as a team.
“You can’t be too hard on a kid that’s only 19 and has got as big a frame as his.”
The way Thilthorpe has played the past fortnight, you wonder – will he eventually become the Crows’ lead ruckman?
Reilly O’Brien is only 26, but it does seem like the game is going in the direction of having Luke Jackson and Tom De Koning types that roam the ground and play ruck or forward.
Rahilly said spending more time around the ball was helping the West Adelaide product.
“He’s so good at floating around the ground and jumping at the footy so I think that balance is really helping him,” he said.
“Then he goes forward and has the confidence to do the same.”
Whether he becomes as a forward that rucks, a ruck who rests in attack or someone who shifts between both roles, Thilthorpe is showing he is a gun in the making.
With the high-leaping Lachlan Gollant also in the wings, the Crows’ tall forward stocks have suddenly become one of the most promising parts of their rebuild.
It means the recruiting team can focus on improving the midfield, goalsneak and key defensive stocks this off-season.
Nicks’ ultimate praise for record-smashing crow
— Jason Phelan
It wasn’t the win that Crows fans craved, but Matthew Nicks believes his side’s gutsy performance in a five-point loss to Collingwood is evidence that Adelaide’s much-discussed list rebuild is on the right track.
On the heels of a disappointing defeat at the hands of Hawthorn last week, Adelaide took it right up to the top-four hopefuls in a pulsating encounter at Adelaide Oval.
The listless loss to the Hawks raised queries about the progress Adelaide has made as it looks to rebuild a squad capable of challenging for a flag.
But Nicks believes the fight shown by his charges against top opposition augurs well for the future.
“I thought it was a really positive day for our footy club as far as the trajectory that we’re on,” Nicks said.
“The rebuild will take time and we’re going to have moments where we don’t quite get it right.
“We walked off the ground quite proud of what our guys had put out there but disappointed because we didn’t get the result.
“We’ve found ourselves in this position a number of times this year.
“I know that it’s only a matter of time before we turn this around.
“Our guys continue to gain experience every time that we don’t get success.
“I’m confident that we’re on the right track.”
Nicks was buoyed by the performances of the likes of Sam Berry, Riley Thilthorpe, Darcy Fogarty, Will Hamill and Jake Soligo, who made valuable contributions, while veterans Taylor Walker and Rory Laird were outstanding.
In a bruising display, Laird claimed the record for the most tackles laid in a VFL-AFL game with his total of 20 surpassing the mark of 19 shared by Tom Liberatore, Jude Bolton and Jack Ziebell.
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“Forget the stat, we know what Lairdy brings and he basically been consistent with that all year,” the coach said.
“There haven’t been games where he’s been off.
“We’re trying to balance that (midfield) around him and get what we can off of his weapon, which is the way he plays his footy … he’s a competitor.
“No one would be more disappointed than him because he just wants to win, but I think he’s also proud of the young group he plays with.
“They’re learning from him … what they bring is fight and he is the ultimate leader in that space.”
Scoreboard
CROWS 3.2 7.6 10.8 13.8 86
MAGPIES 4.1 6.3 10.5 14.7 91
PHELAN’S BEST
CROWS: Walker, Laird, Dawson, Berry, Murphy, O’Brien.
MAGPIES: N Daicos, Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Carmichael, Lipinski, J Daicos.
GOALS
CROWS: Walker 5, Murphy 3, Fogarty 2, Hinge, McAdam, Thilthorpe.
MAGPIES: N Daicos 3, Mihocek 2, Johnson 2, Cameron, McCreery, Carmichael, Ginnivan, Pendlebury, Elliott, Sidebottom.
INJURIES CROWS: Nil. MAGPIES: Nil.
UMPIRES Dore, O’Gorman, Wallace.
ADELAIDE OVAL
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JASON PHELAN’S VOTES
3 N Daicos (Coll)
2 T Walker (Adel)
1 S Pendlebury (Coll)
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