Opinion Matthew Nicks: Adelaide's Coach (Part 2) - Full Support of the Board

[Twist_of_Lemon]

Worrell is a another leadership group candidate. Usually has a lot to say on the field and absolutely hates losing.

Stole my post from me. I've seen him bark instructions and give the odd spray for poor structuring. He definitely has the natural look and desire of a leader down back.

 

[MRB37]

We're also bereft of genuine leaders on the field. Just look at our leadership group: it's trash.

There's a few emerging leaders like Soligo and Michalanney but they're aren't quite at that point of taking charge of a game when it's needed

Tex and Dawson are obvious leaders (Tex isn't even in the leadership group) but there's no one else above 50 games you could rely on, despite who we put in the leadership group.

Smith is constantly talked about as a leader and maybe that's true off the field. On it? Haven't seen him take charge in a close game and influence the outcome in a long time. Plays bland football and makes a lot of mistakes. Shits the bed when it gets tough

Keays sets a great example from a working hard perspective but is selfish and lacks insight into his limitations. O'Brien has no presence on the field and can't execute basic skills let alone lead a team. No idea how Hinge, Milera or Murphy are even considered for a leadership role. Then there's Fogarty who is an emerging leader who probably needs to focus more on his own form.

And outside the official group you've got guys like Laird, Crouch and Jones with experience but hardly the qualities to be a leader.

Who are the players in the squad that stand up when it's tough, know exactly what to do, don't s**t the bed, bring others into the game and command on the field? There aren't many.

A lot of the leadership group guys feel like we've picked based on overrating the Monday to Thursday part of football, which we do have a history of doing.

 

[jackster83]

A lot of the leadership group guys feel like we've picked based on overrating the Monday to Thursday part of football, which we do have a history of doing.

Bolstering the leadership group is another reason we should be chasing one or more of McCluggage, Berry or Perryman. All are currently in their respective club's LG.

 

[BigBoSS_Riot]

A lot of the leadership group guys feel like we've picked based on overrating the Monday to Thursday part of football, which we do have a history of doing.

That checks out with O'Brien. There's been plenty of talk over the years about him being a "machine", and one of the hardest trainers around. Murphy's on field industriousness probably also translates onto the training track. It definitely isn't actual on field leadership with those two.

All of that probably applies to Fogarty and Milera too.

 

[relapse]

We're also bereft of genuine leaders on the field. Just look at our leadership group: it's trash.

There's a few emerging leaders like Soligo and Michalanney but they're aren't quite at that point of taking charge of a game when it's needed

Tex and Dawson are obvious leaders (Tex isn't even in the leadership group) but there's no one else above 50 games you could rely on, despite who we put in the leadership group.

Smith is constantly talked about as a leader and maybe that's true off the field. On it? Haven't seen him take charge in a close game and influence the outcome in a long time. Plays bland football and makes a lot of mistakes. Shits the bed when it gets tough

Keays sets a great example from a working hard perspective but is selfish and lacks insight into his limitations. O'Brien has no presence on the field and can't execute basic skills let alone lead a team. No idea how Hinge, Milera or Murphy are even considered for a leadership role. Then there's Fogarty who is an emerging leader who probably needs to focus more on his own form.

And outside the official group you've got guys like Laird, Crouch and Jones with experience but hardly the qualities to be a leader.

Who are the players in the squad that stand up when it's tough, know exactly what to do, don't s**t the bed, bring others into the game and command on the field? There aren't many.

I agree about the lack of leadership on the field being an issue.

I am a big believer that your best players should be in the leadership group. Ultimately need your captain to lead on the field and your leaders to be able to stand up in important moments. The fact that we have players like Brodie Smith and Lachlan Murphy in our leadership group highlight just how bereft we are with on field leaders.

However, we shouldn't be expecting our players to make up for the shortfall with Nicks' lack of gameday ability.

One thing that has been clear since 2020 is that Nicks isn't a coaching mastermind on gameday and I don't think any amount of elite on field leadership will be able counteract that.

 

[1970crow]

This is the problem that I have seen time and time again with Nicks.

There's absolutely zero gameday nous at all, it's all based around him after a loss going back and analysing stats and watching replays to get some insight into why we lost.

What's the value in trying to correct things once you've already lost.

He’s building a what to do matrix. Takes time given the number of possible event combinations. Surely you don’t expect coaches to make changes on the fly?

 

[walterhobbs]

Picking a team with both Murphy and McHenry should be an immediate void of contract. Bald prick

 

[mort0089]

Nicks can tell his story walking. Selects Ned and finds space for Murphy.

He has no idea, absolutely clueless. When will the penny drop with these fools.

 

[1970crow]

Nicks can tell his story walking. Selects Ned and finds space for Murphy.

He has no idea, absolutely clueless. When will the penny drop with these fools.

It won’t, this philosophy is what got him the gig and until the decision makers change, why would he? They love what he’s doing.

 

[adelaidecrows]

Nicks is like fruit of the month gift box for Christmas. He is the gift that keeps on giving, the whole year round. But only negative, like a box of dog shit.

 

[adelaidecrows]

As of the game going into Collingwood

16 off those players selected played in the Nicks playerthon last year that lastest 14 games with 50/50 results.

Out of the side from that playerthon that concluded with that fateful Essendon result in round 17

Murray (injured)
Milera (Injured)
Thilthorpe (Injured)
Worrell (Injured)
Schoenberg (coming back from a long term injury)
Pedlar (Injured)

Nicks Ins:

Cook
Nankervis
Keane
Himmelberg
Hamill
Crouch

Aside from Crouch, had no injuries occurred, we would have likely had the identical team on the park.

We as a club, are going places. It won't be to a Grand Final but we are going places.

 

[Sanders]

I don’t think Nicks’ story is complicated, or that he’s a bad guy

He’s a long time assistant who harboured ambitions to be a senior coach, he’s just turned out not to be very well suited to it

In the end, we were so desperate for him to succeed (and not wanting to start a new rebuild) we spent a lot of emotion and time in denial

It’s not a big mystery

 

[crowholder]

Picking a team with both Murphy and McHenry should be an immediate void of contract. Bald prick

Perhaps that is the issue. Kelly and Nicks don't have more hair than Roo, perhaps, which may go in their favour?

 

[adelaidecrows]

Has anyone else become so disillusioned that when ever you hear our club, nicks or a player talk your immediate thought is

'What is the colour and consistency of the shit today?'

 

[Burtonsgottago]

I’m done with this guy… values high effort, low skilled players. 2 more years of missing finals. This club is going nowhere.

 

[MarcusP2]

Picking a team with both Murphy and McHenry should be an immediate void of contract. Bald prick

That's unfair


Him being bald isn't relevant

 

[Soggy2112]

That checks out with O'Brien. There's been plenty of talk over the years about him being a "machine", and one of the hardest trainers around. Murphy's on field industriousness probably also translates onto the training track. It definitely isn't actual on field leadership with those two.

All of that probably applies to Fogarty and Milera too.

Murphy has been quiet as a mouse in the 2s. A guy in the 1s leadership group playing 2s should be pretty much coaching on the ground.

 

[relapse]

He’s building a what to do matrix. Takes time given the number of possible event combinations. Surely you don’t expect coaches to make changes on the fly?

Well to some Nicks is still a developing coach so I guess we shouldn't be expecting anything near that level of coaching until closer to his 10th year.

Hopefully he starts hitting his straps by his 15th year.

 

[Twist_of_Lemon]

He’s building a what to do matrix. Takes time given the number of possible event combinations. Surely you don’t expect coaches to make changes on the fly?

I dare say the fly was the best change that coaching box had seen in some time.

 

[Soggy2112]

He’s building a what to do matrix. Takes time given the number of possible event combinations. Surely you don’t expect coaches to make changes on the fly?

I think to a certain degree that’s what you have to do with modern footy.

Go in with plan A, then you have to have the various levers you can pull if teams get on top in certain areas. Still got to make the judgement call of when, but it’s not like you can invent some new tactic in the moment that wins you the game.

Not saying Nicks has those levers, but it’s not like in the past where moving Shane Ellen to full forward is a game winning move.

 

[adelaidecrows]

I’m done with this guy… values high effort, low skilled players. 2 more years of missing finals. This club is going nowhere.

Its clear he is using Roos as his coaching guidebook from his time at Sydney.

The swans won the premiership on having the 2nd best defence in the competition. Conceding on Av just 77 points a game. But it came at a cost as they had the 3rd worst attack in the competition. The Crows that year also had a similar defensive record, keeping teams on average to 69 points per game but we relied on a heavy counter attack game and even with McLeod, Roo, Edwards, Goodwin, Thompson, we still only managed the 10th best attack. So I can see the template he is trying to build. He doesn't need skilled players for this game plan, he just needs defensive soldiers who can break and move the ball quickly in counter attack.

But here is the problem. That game plan is 20 years old now. That game plan was built on flooding the defence and existed before the concept of rolling zones which was built by Alistair Clarkson to stop the counter attack. So counter attack was relatively easy back then because it was all 1:1 positional play still. But now as we have an over abundance of evidence, this game plan is not working very well. Why? because our counter attack is getting intercepted before it really even begins.

This means 9 times out of 10 Nicks had to abandon his game plan and roll the dice with attacking play just to stay in the game. Curtin, I believe was scapegoated because our opposition scored too much. He has every intention of rolling this back.

 

[NSolis]

As of the game going into Collingwood

16 off those players selected played in the Nicks playerthon last year that lastest 14 games with 50/50 results.

Out of the side from that playerthon that concluded with that fateful Essendon result in round 17

Murray (injured)
Milera (Injured)
Thilthorpe (Injured)
Worrell (Injured)
Schoenberg (coming back from a long term injury)
Pedlar (Injured)

Nicks Ins:

Cook
Nankervis
Keane
Himmelberg
Hamill
Crouch

Aside from Crouch, had no injuries occurred, we would have likely had the identical team on the park.

We as a club, are going places. It won't be to a Grand Final but we are going places.

Swapping 6 for 6 there we'd be better with the original list. However, I think if those 6 were fit we probably would still pick a couple in the bottom group. Crouch, Keane and maybe Nank. So there's some marginal improvement, but quite marginal, and most of the growth has just been individual players like Soligo improving.

 

[Sanders]

Not saying Nicks has those levers, but it’s not like in the past where moving Shane Ellen to full forward is a game winning move.

Why not? What’s different

 

[Doctor B]

Luke Parker

26

Luke Parker

Age

31

Ht

183cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

24.2

5star

K

12.6

5star

HB

11.6

5star

M

3.8

4star

T

5.6

5star

CL

5.8

5star

D

22.1

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

9.9

5star

M

3.9

4star

T

5.0

5star

CL

5.5

5star

D

21.2

5star

K

11.4

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

8.0

5star

CL

5.2

5star

has been back from injury for three games, playing really well in the twos, kicked the game winning goal last week.

Parker not named in the ones this week.

What would Nicks do?

 

[Soggy2112]

Why not? What’s different

Footy in the 90s was largely a series of one on one battles. That’s not really the case anymore.