‘We’re getting the lessons’: Nicks says Crows are on the right track

The Adelaide Crows’ season got off to an impressive start but a five-game losing streak has dampened spirits in the City of Churches.

The Crows have a tough fortnight ahead. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

If you’re an Adelaide Crows fan, you would be taking some comfort in knowing that the players you are barracking for are being hit just as hard by the side’s current string of losses.

The high expectations brought about by three wins from the first four rounds of the season are shared by your players.

And, according to coach Matthew Nicks, the Crows are desperate to return to the winners’ list.

While some teams are being criticised by fans for being too upbeat after losses – not caring – Nicks said his side was left dejected in the Optus Stadium change rooms on Sunday after a 30-point loss to West Coast.

It was the Crows’ fifth loss on the trot, but they were in the game right up to their eyeballs.

They clearly lacked the experience and the polish to make the most of their chances.

The past three losses have been against teams either in the top eight (Eagles and Port Adelaide), or knocking on its door (Greater Western Sydney), but the players are taking the results personally.

Nicks said the lessons are being learned.

“We’re getting lessons now, it’s been a month of lessons,” he said.

“That’s going to make our group better. We’re a very young group; we debuted another one today (Ronin O’Connor).

“But we sit here with a reasonably dejected change rooms, where young players are learning the hard way.

“It was a disappointing game in the end, but a real positive game in terms of when we had the game in the fight, at times, we looked super competitive.”

Nicks took over as Adelaide’s coach in 2020. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The Crows led by seven points midway through the second term before Jack Darling went on a romp and kicked five quick goals to end the quarter.

What hurt every Crows player more was they had shots on goals, before Darling emerged a match winner, that would have taken them even further ahead.

Scoreboard pressure is key in AFL football and the Crows failed to land it.

They won more contested possessions than the Eagles and had the ball in their forward line more than West Coast did.

Even though the Eagles led by 29 points at the main break, the Crows fought back and had a chance late to get the margin back to within three goals.

Missing a snapped shot from 10m out didn’t help morale.

That five-goal loss comes after defeats to Port (29 points), the Giants (35), Hawthorn (28) and Fremantle (2).

They still have to face top side Melbourne next week, Richmond (Round 11), Collingwood (Round 12) and St Kilda (Round 13) before their bye.

The Crows should welcome back Taylor Walker and Ned McHenry to bolster their forward line against the Demons.

Walker was rested for the trip west and McHenry will need to pass concession tests during the week before being cleared to play.

“At the moment we have a really tough run of opponents. and every time you drop away for five or 10 minutes you are going to get punished,” Nicks said.

“And that happened today (against the Eagles).

“The expectations are high. They get to where they are at because of who they have been as junior footballers. We don’t come here to finish second, we come to win and today we had chances to do that.

“The group is invested in what we’re doing.

“They want to get themselves back to the winners’ board.”

INJURED SOLDIERS RETURN

West Coast’s easier chunk of the draw has landed for them at the right time this season.

As the Eagles have been forced to work through injuries to some of their stars, they have played teams that are either struggling with personnel themselves, or who aren’t expected to feature late in the season.

Three straight wins against Fremantle, Hawthorn and Adelaide, has them in seventh spot win six wins after Round 9; one win ahead of Richmond and equal on points with third-placed Geelong.

Again though, percentage looms as being a big issue for the Eagles later in the year.

But the soldiers are returning for Simpson.

Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass played in the 30-point win against Adelaide on Sunday after stints on the sidelines with injuries.

While livewire forward Liam Ryan and Shannon Hurn, another key to their defence, are expected to be available for the trip to Sydney next weekend to play Greater Western Sydney, in one of the more important games of Round 10.

The Giants could fall two wins and percentage outside of the top eight if they were to lose that game.

The Eagles will be even closer to returning to full strength when classy midfielder Elliot Yeo returns around the bye, which for West Coast is Round 13.

The Eagles still have to play the Giants, Essendon and Carlton before having a week off, allowing them time to prepare for a massive fortnight when they return to play - hosting Richmond (Round 14) and Western Bulldogs (Round 15) at home in consecutive weeks at Optus Stadium.

Simpson obviously can’t wait to get his best side back on the park.

“We’ve got a shorter list with Willie (Rioli, who is suspended) and Dan Venables (injured); we only had 40 available players at the start of the year,” he said.

“Liam’s been swimming, which is new. I think he’s pretty ready to get back into it. He trained fully. He’s got to get through the week, but I think he’ll be available.

“And Shannon signed off yesterday, so he should be in the mix for this week as well.

“It’s been great to get some exposure into some of our younger players, but it will be good to get those guys back.”

Luke Shuey and Liam Duggan are not expected back before the bye.

The result of having an inconsistent team on the ground each week is an inconsistent performance.

But besides the thumping they copped at the hands of Geelong in Round 6, they have found a way to be competitive – and generally win.

Simpson warned that he felt his side was still building and has enjoyed the consistency they have shown in the three weeks since the mauling at the hands of the Cats.

“We’re still building with what we’re trying to achieve,” he said.

“After Geelong - it was a really disappointing four quarters there - since then we have been pretty consistent.

“Today, we were really happy to get the win (against the Crows), don’t get me wrong, but I think we had too many basic skill errors, a couple of fumbles here and there, fundamentals.

“Our best was great today, but our worst looked quite vulnerable. The last couple of weeks before that has been more even.”