How Low Can They Crow: Matthew Nicks, Adelaide’s coaching panel and the loss of James Rahilly

Adelaide has sounded out several big names to bolster Matthew Nicks’ coaching panel in recent years — but faced a major roadblock each time. Go inside the Crows’ coaches box and the issues that need fixing.

In Matthew Nicks’ first season at West Lakes, he was described as the least resourced senior coach in the AFL.

Adelaide quickly addressed this after its annus horribilis that was 2020 by beefing up the coaches surrounding him.

But just under four-years on, the microscope is again on whether Nicks has the people he needs in his coaching box with the Crows’ free-flowing style of play that impressed the competition in 2023 largely nowhere to be seen in 2024.

The departure of forwards coach James Rahilly, who returned to Geelong for family reasons, was always going to be felt by the Crows.

After being part of the big push to improve Nicks’ coaching box at the end of 2020, coming from the Cats, Rahilly had the Crows as an attacking juggernaut especially in 2023.

The Crows were the most potent side in the competition, Taylor Walker became an All-Australian at 33-years-old as he kicked 76 goals, after returns of 48 and 47 in Rahilly’s first two seasons at West Lakes that coincided with the Adelaide talisman’s late-career renaissance.

Rahilly was named as the AFL Coaches Association’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

James Rahilly during his time as an assistant coach at the Crows. Picture: Mike Burton

Former Crows forward Josh Jenkins, who worked with Rahilly at Geelong, said he was an excellent attacking coach.

“He’s got a really good balance. He is really relatable because he has the surfer looks and is still incredibly keyed in to players but he is also very firm about what you need to do to succeed, the work you need to put in,” he said.

“But again he has got the ability to convey that message without sounding like a dictator and I think that’s a really good balance.

“He’s a good connector. I think the key thing from my point of view, he has a great balance on not laying down the law but telling players how it is. Not allowing them to skip the steps but from a relatable point of view, his personality, he has a great balance.”

It was always going to be a blow losing Rahilly.

Publicly at the time Crows football boss Adam Kelly said under Rahilly “a number of our forwards have significantly improved under his guidance and he has been instrumental in building connection across the group with respect to our ball movement, which puts us in a strong position moving forward”.

Internally, it is understood that Rahilly was seen as a key piece, or even the key, in the Crows’ identity as a team.

So far the fears some at West Lakes had about Rahilly’s departure have come true.

Adelaide’s connection, especially ball movement, has been a constant criticism of the Crows this year as they have gone from an offensive powerhouse to a team in the middle of the pack when it comes to points scored.

Rahilly with Darcy Fogarty in 2021. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Jenkins said it was never just one factor, but Rahilly would be missed by the Crows.

“When he was in Adelaide the guys over there spoke glowingly about him and I guess the results for Adelaide and Geelong where they have flipped (since he returned to Geelong) are pretty stark,” he said.

“I think you saw it with the Cats, Matty Scarlett and Matty Knights were there and were defensively minded and you see a bit of a different make up.

“When the coaches sit there and talk about how you want the game to look each week, it is important to have three voices who are sitting there and are really strong about the way they are playing. Maybe they are missing James’ voice on, hey if you want to move the ball this way you should do this and this.

“Maybe they are missing that voice, I don’t know.

“It’s never one thing but I know the guys that were over there spoke so glowingly about him.”

With the Crows backing in Nicks, who signed a two-year contract extension after Round 1, the questions are again popping up around the coaching set-up at West Lakes.

Does Nicks have the resources he needs in the Crows coaching box? Who have Adelaide tried to surround him with? What does the future hold for the Crows coaches?

THE CURRENT SET-UP

With Rahilly returning to Geelong there were minor changes to the Crows coaching line-up for the 2024 campaign.

Former GWS, Port Adelaide and Gold Coast player Jack Hombsch was promoted to the Crows backline coach.

He joined former club captain Nathan van Berlo (midfield) and Scott Burns (forward) as the Crows line coaches.

In addition, former Norwood ruckman Sam Baulderstone took on a part-time role as the Crows ruck coach – allowing Matthew Clarke to focus entirely on the highly successful AFLW side.

Van Berlo and Burns both came after the end of the 2020 season, when the Crows made the decision to surround Nicks with more resources.

Van Berlo came from West Coast, and has stayed as the midfield coach throughout his time at the Crows.

Burns left Hawthorn to join the Crows, becoming Nicks’ senior assistant.

Prior to this year he was the Crows’ backline coach, in addition to being Nicks’ senior assistant.

Interestingly Burns – who has also been an assistant at Collingwood and West Coast – twice was in the mix to become the Crows’ senior coach.

He applied for the role in 2011, the Crows went with Brenton Sanderson and before Matthew Nicks won the race in 2019 Burns was at one stage considered the favourite for the role.

Highly rated in the industry, Nicks has said that Burns has the capacity to be a senior coach in the AFL.

However, it has been questioned if Burns, who also captained Collingwood as a player, has the people skills required and would be able to handle the media and messaging side of things as a senior coach.

Matthew Nicks with his coaching group, Nathan van Berlo, Scott Burns, head of footy Adam Kelly and Jack Hombsch. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

Outside of those three there are some other key figures in the Crows coaching panel.

Michael Godden took on the added responsibility of coaching development this year after some impressive seasons guiding the Crows’ SANFL team.

That came after the former SANFL premiership winning coach with Woodville West-Torrens was not initially offered a contract at the end of 2020 - after he was the club’s midfield coach.

Since that he has been named the AFL Coaches Association’s development coach of the year twice.

Marco Bello is the Crows head of development, another who came after the 2020 season following seven years at Hawthorn.

The Crows’ development has been under intense scrutiny amid Adelaide’s winless run, with a number of young players yet to live up to their potential.

Player managers have questioned how the Crows are developing their clients in recent years.

The Crows development coaches are former player Andrew McPherson, the league’s youngest coach at 25, Matthew Wright and AFLW star Chelsea Randall - who is in the coaching panel as part of an AFL initiative.

After his premature retirement because of eye issues, former Crows captain Rory Sloane has still been training at West Lakes and has been around the coaches on game day.

Nicks has said Sloane could be suited to coaching.

Amid concerns that assistant coaching roles are unattractive and remain severely underpaid after a 30 per cent reduction to the soft cap in 2020, the number of coaches that Crows have under Nicks is around the AFL average after they were undermanned when he first took charge.

THE TARGETS

If Adelaide had its way there would be significantly more experience around Nicks.

After Rahilly returned to Geelong the Crows made some bold moves to fill his spot.

Former senior coaches Stuart Dew and Ben Rutten, a former player, were sounded out by the Crows to join Nicks’ coaching panel.

But both said no to the offer, because they would want to be a senior assistant coach - the role held by Burns.

Others sounded out were Sydney great Jude Bolton, and Cats assistant Nigel Lappin.

After that the Crows decided to go with Hombsch being promoted and Burns taking charge of the forward line.

That hasn’t been the only time the Crows were not able to land a target to provide more support to Nicks — as well as head of footy Adam Kelly.

For two years they tried to lure the highly credentialed Neil Balme from Richmond.

They nearly got him in 2021, having informal talks about him coming to West Lakes.

But Balme decided to stay at the Tigers.

WHAT NOW?

Before the loss to Richmond, which has ramped up the pressure on the Crows, chairman John Olsen said “I, the board and CEO have confidence in the coach and assistant coaches going forward”.

That keeps in line with the messaging that has come out of West Lakes.

Nicks himself has said he was feeling the support from Olsen and chief executive Tim Silvers after the loss to Sydney on Saturday.

On Monday, North Melbourne premiership player David King said he still believed Nicks was the right coach for the Crows.

“I still back him, I still see enough in Matty Nicks,” he said on SEN.

“I still think he is a very, very good AFL coach. They are just in an awful position.

“They need a whole host of changes, a couple of people probably need to put their hand up and say “me before him (Nicks).”

Silvers has said the Crows will not “throw people under the bus” as they look to understand what has gone just so wrong in 2024.

When Nicks first came to West Lakes he was offered the chance to have a senior coach or figure on his panel.

He said no but the club conceded that he needed more support around him.

With Nicks still the man at West Lakes among Adelaide powerbrokers, does the club again look to make a move or two to back him in as they look to rebound in 2025?

Originally published as How Low Can They Crow: Matthew Nicks, Adelaide’s coaching panel and the loss of James Rahilly