Crows coach lauds Fogarty’s clutch kick

Like the rest of the football world, Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks was shocked when Crow Darcy Fogarty opted for a drop punt from the pocket to try and win the game against Hawthorn at Launceston. But he couldn’t argue with the result.

Darcy Fogarty of the Crows (centre) celebrates with teammates after kicking the winning goal against Hawthorn at UTAS Stadium on Sunday. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“WE thought he should have snapped it.”

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks’ words at the exact moment might have been slightly more colourful, but he lauded Darcy Fogarty’s composed set shot from the pocket to steal a victory from Hawthorn on Sunday as “special”.

Buried in the UTAS Stadium pocket and with his team behind a couple of points with two minutes left, Fogarty enhanced his reputation as one of the best kicks for goal in the league by threading a drop punt through.

Even Nicks thought the physics of the clutch moment might have been impossible for Fogarty, who kicked three goals straight to improve his record this year to 13.4 in the three-point win.

The Hawks looked set for their second win at Launceston this year when Fergus Greene’s third goal of the day extended their lead to more than two goals with seven minutes left.

But a snap from Izak Rankine, then Fogarty’s heroics, sealed Adelaide’s fourth straight win in dramatic fashion.

“I’m not sure there was enough room for a ball to fit between the posts,” Nicks said when quizzed about Fogarty’s decision to kick a drop punt.

“There’s not many you’d like it in their hands more than Darcy Fogarty. Tex (Taylor Walker, who kicked four goals) will get real upset with me saying that, but at the moment he’d probably agree with me.

“Darcy is an outstanding set shot for goal, but I’d be lying if I thought it would go through as a drop punt.

Darcy’s ability to finish was pretty special. It’s an indication of where he’s at and the work he’s done on that space.

“We talk bout the mental part of the game. To get it in his hands, we were probably lucky it was.”

The Crows had blown rivals out of the water with high powered offence in their three previous wins.

Former skippers Rory Sloane (30 disposals) and Walker were crucial in helping drag the team over the line.

Hawthorn tackled their hearts out and turned it into a slogfest, a test the Crows looked destined to fail.

But despite it being far from a complete performance, Nicks was proud of how they held their nerve.

“I’m extremely proud.This is a hard ground to win at, Hawthorn play this ground very well,” he said.

“For a while there we found ourselves in a bit of trouble. But to get it done in the end the last seven minutes when we were able to fight back, I’m really proud of the training the guys have done.

“All pre season we’ve trained those scenarios, they almost mirrored the end of that game. There’s a bit of luck involved but a lot of preparation goes into that.”

Nicks admitted it was a big mental challenge to keep his young group focused coming to Launceston, off a ten day break, after dismantling Carlton in front of a massive home crowd to begin Gather Round.

“It was a huge mental test this week,” he said.

“The test was a ten day break is as big a challenge (as a five day break), if not bigger.

“How much time do you have off, balancing a mental break with a physical break.

“Did we get that right this week? Maybe not. But when we take four points with us, we did enough right to get the job done.”

Originally published as Crows coach lauds Fogarty’s clutch kick