It is a different beast finals footy.
And ahead of it, Crows coach Matthew Nicks has gone a different way ahead of their elimination final against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday.
Prior to the main session at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, Crows players and staff took part in a pre-training bonding exercises.
Split into two large groups, the players and staff linked hands and had a competition who could make a specific shape the quickest.
Among the shapes they had to make while still holding hands as a group included triangles and love-hearts.
Nicks will be hoping it helps their bond remain strong ahead of their massive clash on Saturday night.
Former Port Adelaide captain Dom Cassisi commented on an Instagram post of the vision that he “loved it” and it was the “best thing since the power stance” of 2017.
While another fan labelled it as the “Crow-ky Pokey”
Nicks admits he’s received no guarantees about his Crows future
– Matt Turner
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks says he feels incredibly supported by the club but has not been given guarantees that he will keep his job if the Crows lose their elimination final.
Nicks’s future has been the subject of intense speculation amid a report that Adelaide needs to beat the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night for the seventh-year mentor to avoid the axe.
Asked if he had received any assurances that the Crows would stick with him, even if they lost, Nicks said: “I’ve had a lot of positive conversations about what we’re seeing. It’s a tough one to give assurances and 100 per cent guarantees.
“You don’t know what happens over a week.
“That seems to be the industry we’re in and there’s a lot of pressure with the jobs we have.
“I feel incredibly supported by John (Olsen), our president, as well as our CEO Tim Silvers.
“My relationship with our board and our exec is a really strong one and it has to be.
“We have to be aligned and connected.”
Nicks, who is in his seventh year as senior coach and is preparing for a second consecutive finals series, is contracted until the end of 2027 after re-signing for one year in December.
He would not comment on the accuracy of the report, saying he was focused squarely on the Bulldogs.
“There’s a lot of things … I don’t have the detail on,” he said.
Nicks believed the week would galvanise the team rather than destabilise it.
“I’ve got absolute backing (by the club) at the moment – and there’s always that part ‘at the moment’,” he said.
“Things change really quickly.
“The projection we’re on and momentum we’ve got as a football club is something we should be incredibly proud of.”
Nicks, appointed to oversee its rebuild from 2020, would move to equal-first on the VFL/AFL all-time list for most games coached without a finals win if the club lost on Saturday night.
The 51-year-old said when he signed his 12-month extension that he knew he needed to perform this September, though that was not solely measured by win-loss record.
Asked how he was feeling, he said: “I feel great”.
“It’s not about me and where I’m at, it’s about how can our boys perform at our best this weekend to get the job done for us,” he said, pointing to his and the team’s motto of prioritising others.
Nicks believed “100 per cent” the Crows could win the premiership from sixth spot.
Asked if he liked having his back to the wall, he said: “I must enjoy it to be in this seat. I love coaching. The pros far outweigh the cons.”