Club chairman John Olsen has pushed back on reports suggesting Adelaide will axe the seventh-year coach unless the Crows beat the Western Bulldogs at home on Saturday night.
“We are in a highly-scrutinised industry and unfortunately rumour and innuendo are common, especially at this time of year,” Olsen told this masthead.
“Matthew is a great coach who has created a really high-performing environment, which is full of positivity and self-belief, and we now have a big opportunity in front of us.
“He has a year to run on his contract and we expect him to be coaching our team next year.”
The Crows re-signed Nicks in mid-December, adding 12 months to a contract that was set to expire at the end of 2026.
Adelaide started this season with just one win from its first four games, but recovered to finish sixth on the ladder with a 15-8 record.
Last year, Nicks oversaw the biggest rise in VFL/AFL history as the Crows went from 15th in 2024 to minor premiers.
But they fell to Collingwood and Hawthorn in consecutive finals in September, leaving Adelaide without a major-round win since 2017.
Nicks joined the club ahead of the 2020 campaign to oversee its rebuild, replacing Don Pyke.
The Crows finished bottom, 15th, 14th, 10th and 16th over Nicks’s first five seasons, before their semi-final exit last year.
Nicks, who has a 70-83-1 win-loss record (45.78 per cent), sits 12 games behind Neil Craig for the longest-serving Adelaide coach.
Craig was in charge from 2004 to 2011, making five consecutive major rounds, including two preliminary finals in 2005 and 2006.
If the Crows lose on Saturday night, he will tie with early 20th century coach Alex Hall for the most games at the helm without a finals win.
Nicks conceded a fortnight ago that he was coaching for his future ahead of a potential wildcard playoff.
Adelaide ultimately avoided the extra finals match by beating GWS at home in the last minor round.
“I’ve had the best seven years cracking in with this group and we’ve made some huge gains,” Nicks said two weeks ago.
“For a coach that’s been here as long as I have, there’s pressure on us performing in that finals series.
“When you take on a head coaching role, you embrace the fact there’s going to be some pressure.”
‘COACHING FOR HIS FUTURE’: CROWS GREAT’S CALL ON NICKS SPECULATION
— Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Inaugural Adelaide coach Graham Cornes says Matthew Nicks is acutely aware that he is coaching for his future in the Crows’ elimination final against the Western Bulldogs.
The Crows will host the Dogs at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night in a sudden death final.
Nicks himself conceded last month, when it looked like the Crows could be in one of the wildcard spots, that an early exit from finals could spell the end of his time in charge at West Lakes.
“Of course, I’ve had the seven best years cracking in with this group,” Nicks said.
“But I came in saying I wanted to leave this footy club in a better position than when I arrived and at the moment we are in a pretty strong position and I’m pretty proud of that.
The Crows avoided the wildcard weekend and Cornes, who wrote in the Sunday Mail that there was an “element of fatalism” in Nicks comments about his future, said the pressure on him was still sky-high ahead of the Dogs clash.
“As difficult or as unfair as it might seem he is coaching for his future,” Cornes said.
“But he knows that.”
Nicks’ future if the Crows do go down to the Bulldogs was a big talking point on the Monday night footy shows.
Responding to the prospect of Nicks losing his job, St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt said he “can’t believe we’re having this conversation” given the Crows win/loss record over the past two seasons.
It was echoed by Crows great Taylor Walker on his weekly radio spot on Triple M on Tuesday.
“What I will say is our footy club is right behind ‘Nicksy’ and we are absolutely pumped for the finals series and we are looking forward to what we can do,” he said.
“Out of the blue for mine.
“Yes we haven’t won a final but we have sat up there with Freo for win/loss.
“I find it baffling.”
The last time a coach was sacked after making finals was 20-years ago when the Saints parted ways with Grant Thomas after their elimination final loss to Melbourne.
Thomas, who had coached the Saints to consecutive preliminary finals in the two years prior, said the pressure on him would not be a revelation to Nicks.
“I had no understanding or expectation of being sacked,” he said.
“I was blindsided by mine after the game, so leading into that game I had no understanding or awareness of it.
“It was only well after the game I realised that even if we won the premiership that year, because of relationship circumstances I would have been terminated that year anyway.
“So it is a little bit different in that regard, but in relation to Matthew Nicks he has done a reasonably good job.
“He has been there for seven years, I think seven or eight years is about it at a club anyway to be honest if you haven’t had success or you are really strongly knocking down the door.
“So I don’t think there’s any great revelations here, I don’t think there is any great concern here.
“I don’t think he would be silly enough to use it as any added storyline or motivation to the players before the game or anything like that.
“I think this is purely a fact of life, you have a set amount of time to perform and deliver success.”
While the Crows did make finals last year, the first time since 2017, they were bundled out in straight sets, failing to win even a single quarter against both Collingwood and Hawthorn.
Brisbane great Jonathan Brown said Nicks was “absolutely” in trouble if the Crows did not win a final this year.
“The natives will be restless (in Adelaide) unfortunately for Nicksy,” Brown said on Fox Footy.
“They went out in straight sets last year.
“I think he is a really good coach but it is your record they go by.”
Cornes said not winning a quarter in their two finals games last year did hurt Nicks’ status.
“There has to be fight (on Saturday), people have to see a future for the club,” he said.
“The masses are restless, you can see it by the social media feedback.
“The only way to silence this is to win.
“Not that the club should take note of the masses, but it is a consideration.”
Originally published as Adelaide Crows back coach Matthew Nicks regardless of crunch finals result