AFL Gather Round Adelaide Crows v Carlton: Matthew Nicks on handling the bright lights of prime time
Matthew Nicks lost his composure when a famous face appeared in the rooms. But it was a different story for his players. Here’s how the Crows proved worthy of the bright lights.
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Adelaide’s senior coach Matthew Nicks likes to talk to his players about “the bright lights being on”.
After arguably the biggest non-Showdown match Nicks’ side have had since he has been at the helm, even the Crows senior coach himself was dazzled by the bright lights.
“The occasion, it’s Gather Round, we’ve never seen it before,” he said.
“We had Guy Sebastian in the rooms – even I lost my composure for five or 10 minutes. Photos and autographs – I do love him.
“But our players just remained focused and smiled their way through.”
Thursday night’s Gather Round opener against Carlton was the first time since Round 17 in 2021 that the Crows featured in a stand-alone prime time fixture.
On that occasion, they only kicked two goals as they were thrashed by Essendon at Marvel Stadium.
But on Thursday night, they put in a performance worthy of the bright lights.
Their first quarter, in which they blew the Blues away by kicking eight goals to two, might have been the best footy they have played since the 2017 preliminary final.
And then when the Blues came, they were able to see off the comeback and finish up with a seriously impressive 56-point win.
In a packed Crows room post-game, Adelaide leadership member Brodie Smith was feeling like it was 2017 again.
“Probably back in 2017 I reckon,” he said when asked when was the last time he experienced something like this.
“Thursday night footy, a full house and the way we played our footy in the first quarter.
“It is just really special at the moment the way we are playing our footy, we are just focusing on our defence and getting that right and now we have the weapons to attack that other way.
“Especially in the first quarter, we really put on a show of what we can do and then for the rest of the match we just got in the fight and shut them down.”
The Crows have had some famous victories in Nicks’ time – Geelong and Melbourne in 2021, and the two Showdown wins over Port Adelaide.
But this one was different. There was a buzz and anticipation that was like a finals match.
It also threw up some challenges they usually don’t encounter.
“We had a stage on the oval,” Nicks said.
“A lot of our guys have never played a game where there’s a stage on the oval. Some have, but it’s pretty rare. Even when we were walking around in the pre-game and the question you have as a coaching group is you just don’t know what sort of energy you can burn in a lead-in to a game like this.
“But that adds to the win, the fact that our guys were able to come out like they did. They hadn’t burned any energy, they were ready.
“This is a great step for us, playing on a big stage and getting it done. We haven’t done that since I got at the footy club, outside of Showdowns.”
Smith said it would give the Crows’ younger players invaluable experience.
“Nicksy likes to talk about the bright lights being on and they were definitely on tonight,” he said.
“Thursday night footy, a full house, a lot of people watching at home.
“A lot of our young guys haven’t experienced something like this, we also had a lot going on before the game with Gather Round.
“It was really new for our guys so to come out and play the way we did and then grind out the rest of the game the way we did is huge for our young guys.
“It is something new for them and really important for them because where we want to go there are games like that so it was really important for them to experience that and show a really mature performance.”
If the Crows continue to play the way they did against the Blues, especially in that barnstorming first quarter, then they definitely loom as a team that could challenge for finals this year and for more beyond.
Their pressure was intense, they were clean with the ball and when they went forward they were potent.
Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall said their first quarter was “a complete and utter domination”.
“That was a scary quarter of football, they were that good,” Dunstall said on Fox Footy.
“All the 50/50 balls went their way, the way they moved the football, they ran it quickly … I’m a little bit scared from what I saw.”
Under Nicks the Crows have always been hard workers.
They now have the class to genuinely scare teams.
Jordan Dawson absolutely dominated reigning Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps in the midfield, Josh Rachele is showing all the signs of being able to become a gun forward/midfielder and Izak Rankine might have gotten Eddie Betts to give up the Adelaide Oval pockets.
For all the talk about Carlton’s star tall forward pairing of Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, Darcy Fogarty’s five goals was more than the two combined for the match.
So long an example used for the lack of development by Crows youngsters, Fogarty now looks like he is set to challenge the league’s best.
Chayce Jones, another player whose lack of performances compared to his draft peers was used to criticise the Crows recruitment and development, had 28 disposals, 11 contested, nine score involvements, 446m gained and a goal.
This followed on from 21 disposals and six marks against Fremantle the previous week, and Nicks said the former top 10 pick was playing the best he had under him.
“Yeah definitely, I actually said to him at the end of the game “are you aware of how many times you touched the footy tonight?” Nicks said.
“And it has been something that Chayce has had to work on, how to impact the game on multiple occasions when it is his turn.
“He has been an unbelievable role player for us, no one works harder – maybe Lachie Sholl.
“Chayce he just works up and down the ground, plays an important part in what we do and tonight when it was his turn to impact he impacted.
“He had 28, it would have been nice if he had 30 but just nice reward for someone you know is going to do it all day.
“And the best teams in the competition they have players like Chayce Jones who value their role.”
Dawson dominates as Crows crush Blues
– Jason Phelan
The biggest footy party ever thrown kicked off with a bang on Thursday night, electric Adelaide celebrating a stunning 56-point win against Carlton to raise the curtain on Gather Round in fine style.
The surging Crows made it three wins in a row with a barnstorming eight-goal first quarter setting up the commanding 18.10 (118) to 9.8 (62) win in front of 47,395 fans at Adelaide Oval.
Jordan Dawson continued his rich vein of form, the skipper combining brilliantly with midfield prime mover Rory Laird who had the most possessions on the ground with 37.
Adelaide’s finals ambitions continue to gain legitimacy with the impressive win that comes on the back of victories against the Power and Fremantle.
The Blues fought back after the withering opening burst, but it was a tough night for the visitors, as Matthew Nicks’ charges showed great poise to soak up the pressure and accelerate away late.
The loss emphatically ended Carlton’s unbeaten start to the season, with the club yet to record a win at Adelaide Oval in seven attempts.
The high-octane Adelaide attack passed the 100-point mark for the third game running, Darcy Fogarty returning from a knee injury to equal his career-best mark with five goals.
OPEN FIRE!
Izak Rankine made his latest claim on Eddie Betts’ pocket inside the first minute with a superb snap that was the opening shot in a devastating opening salvo that left the Blues shellshocked.
“It was an easy snap from the pocket,” Betts said with a wry smile on Fox Footy at half-time.
“But if he wants (my pocket) he can have it!”
Ben Keays converted from close range a minute later and the home side was off to a flyer.
The Crows had eight goal kickers in their highest opening term since 2017.
The stats at quarter-time read like a horror story for Michael Voss, Adelaide on top in total possessions (128-61), clearances (16-8), marks (29-11) and inside 50s (20-12).
Laird and Dawson dominated with 16 and 13 disposals respectively, while Oliver Hollands and Nic Newman led the Blues with just five each.
First goal of #GatherRound, Izak Rankine ✅#YokayiFooty#AFLCrowsBluespic.twitter.com/7xU42kPX9T
— AFL (@AFL) April 13, 2023
BLUE COLLAR
Former Crow Mitch McGovern was a late withdrawal with a calf injury in the warm-up, then Carlton lost ruckman Marc Pittonet to injury early in the second quarter.
But the visitors did well to regroup, roll up their sleeves and get busy at the stoppages to completely change the complexion of the game, the Blues content to make it an arm wrestle while they worked back into it.
Playing his first AFL game in eight months after off-season back surgery, Sam Walsh was instrumental with 10 touches and a classy goal in traffic.
The vaunted twin towers of Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay imposed themselves on the contest as Carlton roared back into the contest with four goals in a row slashing the margin to 18 points before Darcy Fogarty broke that run with his second helping restore a 31-point advantage at the main break.
Welcome back, Sam Walsh ðŸ‘#AFLCrowsBlues#GatherRoundpic.twitter.com/X2VnP2rMok
— AFL (@AFL) April 13, 2023
KEAYS IN THREES
Keays booted a career-high three goals when Adelaide upset Carlton at the same ground in Round 20 last season and he equalled that mark with a pair of majors in the third term.
They came at an important time as the Blues kept coming, with his third a special.
When Rankine’s shot was thumped back in from the goal line, Keays was front and centre to snap a reflex goal.
The Blues slashed a 36-point three-quarter time margin to 24 with two goals inside two minutes to start the final term.
But Fogarty threaded the eye of the needle to calm nerves and start the home side’s finishing flourish.
SCOREBOARD
CROWS 8.3 10.5 13.7 18.10 (118)
BLUES 2.1 5.4 7.7 9.8 (62)
PHELAN’S BEST
CROWS: Dawson, Laird, Fogarty, Keays, Jones, Rachele, Murray, Doedee.
BLUES: Walsh, Acres, E Curnow, Cerra, Saad, Newman.
GOALS
CROWS: Fogarty 5, Keays 3, Walker 3, Rankine, Rachele, Smith, Pedlar, Laird, McHenry, Jones.
BLUES: McKay 2, Curnow 2, Durdin 2, Walsh, Motlop, Acres.
INJURIES
CROWS: Nil. BLUES: Pittonet (eye), McGovern (calf – late withdrawal).
UMPIRES Fleer, Whetton, Haussen, Foot
47,395 at ADELAIDE OVAL
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JASON PHELAN’S VOTES
3 Dawson (Adel)
2 Laird (Adel)
1 Walsh (Carl)
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