Adelaide Crows’ season not all doom and gloom despite club’s first wooden spoon
Season 2020 will ultimately be one Crows supporters will largely want to erase from the history books. But the last month — in particular — suggested a swift turnaround is possible under Matthew Nicks.
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On paper going 0-13 was the low point of Adelaide’s 2020 season, but for Matthew Nicks it came three weeks earlier in August.
The usually positive senior coach seemed to be struggling to be upbeat addressing the media in the wake of an embarrassing 69-point loss to the 17th placed North Melbourne — who after scoring a season-high 119 points against the Crows wouldn’t win a game for the rest of the season.
Nicks had already been caught showing a rare moment of frustration was his struggling Crows side, first during the quarter time break against the Kangaroos on the field at Metricon Stadium and then in the change rooms at halftime where he got Gatorade bottles and bananas to demonstrate his point, so basic the instructions his players were not following.
After the game Nicks felt compelled to apologise to the Crows fans for what his players dished up.
“I love our people, I love our staff, our players, our coaching group but we took a big step backwards today as a group,” he said.
“I’m sorry to our supporters, we weren’t at the level, we were nowhere near the level.”
“We are playing AFL football.”
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Only just weeks prior Adelaide list manager Justin Reid told News Corp the Crows were in the middle of a four-year draft-led reboot.
The general view form those outside the club was that Reid, who has been under the microscope after a stack of players not just after last season but in recent years, was down playing just how much of a struggle the Crows had ahead of them.
Reid’s comments followed football director Mark Ricciuto’s now infamous morning radio show discussion in which he attempted to defend the Crows list overhaul since the 2018 grand final.
Detailing the contracts and deals players such as Patrick Dangerfield, Mitch McGovern, Jake Lever, Hugh Greenwood, Alex Keath, Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins, Cam Ellis-Yolmen and Charlie Cameron — the one player Ricciuto said the club wanted to keep — the Crows great put more attention on the decline of the 2017 Grand Finalists.
However, after three wins in a row and competitive performances against two top-four teams in Geelong and Richmond to finish off the season there is a new sense of optimism about the Crows.
Crows head of football Adam Kelly said this shouldn’t lighten the pain of gathering the club’s first wooden spoon, but it did leave the playing and coaching group with some positives to build on.
“I think we go into the off-season with a lot of optimism, there is no mistake that finishing 18th cannot be considered as anything other than a failure,” he said.
“But what we can take some gratification out of is the way our players responded, backs against the wall, attention on the way the group was performing and it is not typical for a group in that situation to perform the way we did.
“We were really competitive in the last five weeks, we take some optimism into the off-season and some of our players really stepped up.”
Pleasingly for those in the list management department at the Crows, many of the players who stepped up have been youngsters who some bold calls were made on.
Shane McAdam, who was able to arrive at Adelaide as part of the McGovern to Carlton deal, now looks like he can tear games apart.
Will Hamill was a by-product of the deal to bring Bryce Gibbs to the Crows, Elliott Himmelberg stepped up as a key forward while Lachlan Sholl at Pick 64 in 2018 after a trade from Carlton on the night already looks like a draft steal.
Sholl, who was given the Rising Star nomination for Round 17 a week after his teammates were stunned he didn’t get the nod, said the departures had sped up his and his fellow Crows’ youngsters developments.
“Yeah definitely, and not just a small group either there have been a lot of young guys who have been lucky to get an opportunity,” he said.
“We are very lucky to have the opportunities that we have had.”
Not all the departures have been successes though, Greenwood has shone at the Gold Coast and Cameron has shown why Ricciuto claimed the Crows were so keen to keep him.
“I don’t think there would be any club who says they got every list management decision right in hindsight,” Kelly said.
“But we are focusing on the future.”
At a time when fans of other sides such as the Kangaroos, Hawthorn and Essendon are questioning where their club is heading the Crows have started their plan to climb back up the ladder.
Scott Burns has come in as Nicks’ senior assistant coach, former captain Nathan van Berlo will join him on the panel as the midfield coach and Richmond’s Neil Balme to add more experience to the football department.
And after rivals Port Adelaide demonstrated the value of really targeting high-end talent in the draft the Crows could enter this year’s with a serious hand.
The decision to get last year’s Grand Finalist’s GWS’ first round draft pick for 2020 has proven to be a masterstroke following the Giants’ struggles this year.
And if Brad Crouch departs in free agency for the right offer the Crows could go into this year’s Draft with Pick’s 1, 2 and 8.
Former recruiter Matt Rendell said this, plus players the Crows have access to through their Next Generation Academy and father-son picks – Tariek Newchurch, Luke Edwards and James Borlase – could seriously set Adelaide up.
“I’m not telling anyone what to do but what I do know is that there is a truckload of good players (in the draft),” he said.
“If Crows get 1, 2 and 8 I’d be keeping them and they get three guns, I wouldn’t trade them and you’d be getting three beauties.
“And then you have your NGA and father-sons, they are going to have a very good draft, they are going to have one of the great drafts this year.”
CHAMP’S ASSESSMENT: A SEASON TO FORGET FOR CROWS
— Mark Bickley
In an AFL season like no other, 2020 for Adelaide Crows fans will be one to remember for all the wrong reasons.
A record losing streak and the club’s first ever wooden spoon will punctuate Mathew Nicks’ first season as Adelaide coach.
In a look back at a 17 round home and away season that spanned 30 weeks this is what I took from it.
WHAT DID WORK
Fortunately I’m writing this at the end of September and not towards the end of August as it would have been quite a short in length.
The last month proved to be the highlight for the Crows with three wins and two solid performances against Geelong and Richmond.
The turnaround coincided with the move of Rory Laird into the midfield, who averaged 27 disposals and five clearances during this period.
This part of the ground was also bolstered by the return of the experienced Rory Sloane and Brad Crouch along with a return to form of Matt Crouch turning what had been an Achilles heel (clearances and contested ball) back to a strength once again.
Reilly O’Brien’s continued development saw him take his game to a new level, with his contested marking late in the year rivalling the best ruckmen in the league.
Elliot Himmelberg started to believe he belonged at the level and become the club’s most dangerous forward taking seven contested marks in the last three games.
It’s an area the club has been screaming out for a player to fill.
The continued improvement of Shane McAdam, Tyson Stengle, Andrew McPherson, Lachlan Sholl and Harry Schoenberg gives reason for optimism for next season.
Finally, I know it was short but what I saw of Tom Doedee as a leader was very impressive. At a difficult time and with only 28 games of experience under his belt he led from the front, in both the way he played and also the way he committed his body to the contest.
Adelaide has found its next captain.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK
The COVID-19 shutdown was a disaster for Adelaide.
Not only did they look physically off the pace upon their return, any resemblance of game style and structure taught by Mathew Nicks over the pre-season seemed to have evaporated over the 13-week break.
The next 12 games, all losses, the Crows at times were disorganised and uncompetitive. Adelaide’s trademark strength of winning contested ball had disappeared.
They struggled to move the ball with any fluency and getting the ball inside the forward 50 was tough, kicking goals even tougher. Adelaide finished 18th for scoring for the year, averaging just 6.8 goals per match.
The form of the Crows’ four first round draft picks from the 2016, 2017, and 2018 drafts, Jordan Gallucci, Darcy Fogarty, Chayce Jones and Ned McHenry, were disappointing. Gallucci’s season-ending achilles injury robbing him of any chance of winning his place back in the team after a disappointing end to 2019.
Fogarty, Jones and McHenry all had plenty of opportunity but failed to really show what Crows fans were hoping for. Fogarty was hampered by a six-week shoulder injury mid-season but still went goalless in four of his last seven games.
He needs to develop an engine that allows him to get to more contests, heading into his fourth pre-season it needs to be a productive one.
Jones and McHenry both looked lost in many of the games they played in. Both were tried in numerous positions to try and find one that worked, but in the end it appeared to hinder not help them.
In only their second seasons they still have plenty of time, but it is imperative they are settled down in one position so there is clarity in they’re role, which builds confidence and belief.
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WHAT’S NEXT?
It has already begun, a restructure of the football department with at least three new coaches now required for next season.
The relieving of duties of all three line coaches on Tuesday opens the door for Nicks to hand pick his team for the coming years.
Scott Burns has signed on to join Nicks’ coaching panel as senior assistant, with more announcements set to come in the coming weeks.
On field there will be significant turnover with at least 10 players likely to be moved on.
With list sizes reducing, the Crows holding a good draft hand and a number of academy picks tied to the club, space has to be freed up to fit them in.
That’s without factoring in the trade period, of which Adelaide are likely to be active in.
The playing list still looks light on in the speed and skill department.
With Rory Atkins gone, Paul Seedsman out of favour and David Mackay at 32, it’s an area that needs bolstering.
Youngsters Lachlan Sholl and Will Hamill are coming on, but more players who can run and confidently kick through opposition defensive structures is what the game is now demanding.
Finally a good dose of patience is going to be needed.
Very few teams have bounced back quickly from the wooden spoon to finals contention. Building a list takes time and is rarely linear.
So while Adelaide will have more ups next year it won’t be without its disappointments.
Originally published as Adelaide Crows’ season not all doom and gloom despite club’s first wooden spoon