{"id":83837,"date":"2026-08-31T04:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T04:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/83837\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T04:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T04:52:12","slug":"graham-cornes-talks-matthew-nicks-pressure-for-adelaide-crows-afl-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/83837\/","title":{"rendered":"Graham Cornes talks Matthew Nicks pressure for Adelaide Crows AFL finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

In round seven of this football season, the Crows lost to Brisbane \u2013 by 52 points. Admittedly the game was played in Brisbane and Brisbane after all, was the reigning premiers. <\/p>\n

Very few \u201cexperts\u201d tipped the Crows. So it was no surprise. But it meant the Crows had slipped to 13th on the premiership ladder. <\/p>\n

The same week Port Adelaide was 11th. The Power had just beaten Geelong \u2013 yes Geelong. And they didn\u2019t just beat them. They smashed them. The inside-50 tally was 58 to 35. <\/p>\n

Only inaccuracy prevented the margin from being much larger.<\/p>\n

Pre-season expectations were hastily revised. Yet, the following week in the first Showdown, the Crows beat Port \u2013 by one point. <\/p>\n

Apart from the close finish and the heroics of a young Brayden Cook who kicked the winning goal with seconds to spare, it was an average game of football. There was nothing to suggest that either team could be a factor in September.<\/p>\n

There were always going to be doubts about the Crows in 2026. The dismal dismissal from the 2025 finals series after they had finished as minor premiers cast doubts over how mentally tough they could be in big games. <\/p>\n

Two home finals in which they did not win one quarter of football was damning. And the draw? It was generally accepted that the Crows had an easier draw in 2025. <\/p>\n

It was tougher this year. There were no expectations they would be minor premiers in 2026. So to finish in sixth position with 15 wins this season has been a pretty good effort. <\/p>\n

\"AFL<\/p>\n

To put it into context, in each of the 1997 and 1998 premiership years, Adelaide won only 13 games in the minor round.<\/p>\n

Since that game in round seven the Crows have been on a steady trajectory of improvement. <\/p>\n

They are not a complete team. They rely so heavily on their star players \u2013 the big four: Jordan Dawson, Izak Rankine, Wayne Milera and Riley Thilthorpe. <\/p>\n

Unfortunately they do not have the elite depth that other finals contenders enjoy but they are, after the dust has settled on the minor round, in sixth position. It\u2019s a pretty good effort. <\/p>\n

They avoided the pressure of the Wildcard Round and an early exit. The pressure will come in the first week of the finals proper. <\/p>\n

Now the pressure is fully on Matthew Nicks. He knows his future at Adelaide depends on leading his team at least past the elimination final. Even that might not be good enough. <\/p>\n

There was an element of fatalism about his comments last week when discussing the consequences of what losing the first final might mean. <\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I\u2019ve had the best seven years cracking in with this group,\u201d he said. \u201cBut 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\u2019m pretty proud of that.\u201d <\/p>\n

Yes, he has done that but starting from the bottom meant there was only one way and that was up.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true Nicks has had the toughest task of any of the Crows coaches. The team was in free fall when he took over. The club transitioning from West Lakes to Adelaide Oval, against its will made life even tougher. And as the once exclusive football precinct of West Lakes increasingly became a demolition\/construction site, any enveloping mist of a football culture slowly evaporated. <\/p>\n

\"'Incredibly<\/p>\n

You can display the premiership cups in the foyer of the club offices but stepping on to a football ground that has lost its soul does not engender the team spirit that all great teams must have. <\/p>\n

The Port Adelaide players are brainwashed with the heritage of Alberton, but at least there is substance and history there. <\/p>\n

The Thebarton precinct will be completed in due course, generating excitement and state-of-the-art modernity, but will Nicksy enjoy any of its benefits? <\/p>\n

I doubt that there is another South Australian who has to work under more pressure than Nicks. Of course, no disrespect is meant to our first responders whose jobs and reactions can mean life or death but they don\u2019t work in the full glare of the public eye. Rightly or wrongly they are mainly anonymous. <\/p>\n

In Adelaide, Nicksy is as far from anonymous as you can be. He is constantly scrutinised and second-guessed. Social media platforms \u2013 even the comments sections of our Sunday Mail \u2013 give opportunity to criticise. And everyone is a critic. <\/p>\n

When the Crows first started in 1991 the only platforms for criticism were talkback radio and letters to the editor of The Advertiser. <\/p>\n

There were no online polls for the punters to express their opinions about whether the coach could stay or go. Although, in 1994 during a tough period, there was that banner that suggested the coach should move to Colombia. <\/p>\n

But not so with Nicksy. The latest online poll about whether the Crows needed to win a finals match for Nicks to keep his job had 55 per cent of respondents saying \u201cyes\u201d. And the media outlets, more of them than ever, speculate on his future constantly. <\/p>\n

I wonder if he reads that or hears it. Does it impact on his wellbeing, his confidence or his self-esteem?<\/p>\n

However, as of now, the slate has been wiped clean. It\u2019s been a great effort to finish sixth and avoid the Wildcard finals. Now the real test. <\/p>\n

\"'Take<\/p>\n

When the Crows have been beaten by the better teams in the competition, it has been because they failed in one or more of three areas. <\/p>\n

The midfield! It generally is in the midfield but there are always other reasons. When they were beaten by Brisbane in round 7 it was in the midfield and around the stoppages. In the more recent round 20 loss to Collingwood it was their lack of mental strength to sustain an effort for four quarters. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s true Adelaide\u2019s midfield does not have enough elite depth. But Rankine, who missed last year\u2019s finals campaign, may very well be the AFL\u2019s highest ranked midfielder at the moment and Dawson is also truly elite. <\/p>\n

The others, Sam Berry, James Peatling and Jake Soligo have to find something extra to complement their leaders. <\/p>\n

Then, if the Crows are to progress the forward line must fire. It\u2019s been the greatest area of concern for Nicks. When the Crows go tall in the forward area with Taylor Walker, Thilthorpe and Darcy Fogarty, success depends of forward-line delivery. <\/p>\n

Going into the finals, it still not clear what Nicks\u2019 vision of his forward line is. The team\u2019s best win of the season was against Sydney in Sydney in round 19 with only Thilthorpe and Fogarty as the tall forwards.<\/p>\n

In the final game of the season, it was a rollicking win against GWS with all three, Thilthorpe, Fogarty and a rampant Walker starring. <\/p>\n

It was an endorsement of the three tall forwards but will they fire in September against the best teams and best defences? You can see the pressure that he is under. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Nicksy gets paid the big bucks. That\u2019s why he is under the most constant scrutiny. That\u2019s why he is under more pressure than any other South Australian public figure. <\/p>\n

I first heard the expression \u201cpressure build diamonds\u201d from Mark Bickley, well before he was a premiership captain. <\/p>\n

He would have had no idea how relevant the saying would be to a Crows coach 34 years later. <\/p>\n

\"Graham<\/a>Graham Cornes<\/a>Sports columnist <\/p>\n

Graham Cornes OAM, is a former Australian Rules footballer, inaugural Adelaide Crows coach and media personality. He has spent a lifetime in AFL football as a successful player and coach, culminating in his admission to the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2012.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In round seven of this football season, the Crows lost to Brisbane \u2013 by 52 points. Admittedly the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[76984,85957,38982,5609,6257,136346,136327,128467,136369,136305,40954,136372,71170,136308,136312,136333,136323,136380,136347,136344,395,43272,12191,77,136378,100206,136370,136310,136359,136319,117916,136314,136313,136300,99,136326,74829,43269,136343,39119,3009,63949,63386,83031,136375,71636,136341,3014,75341,50179,136316,59684,43243,44395,40206,43203,39957,59226,136355,56773,54061,525,136318,37392,3430,136348,136360,539,150,136315,3162,32868,92189,136321,136367,43198,43213,99513,136302,136325,43480,40452,136328,136332,136356,87380,89323,136379,122094,136309,29688,524,21787,33861,136324,136334,52303,136307,136306,19024,136301,136330,136335,136362,136373,136357,38255,136377,130296,41495,136339,39770,136376,136374,43790,6904,136358,136337,93857,73875,96091,136351,136311,136354,136371,136353,64488,118059,89737,136299,40472,136303,136329,136322,61677,136349,136336,37772,136317,136363,136340,42025,136345,136338,43075,62387,136304,77019,136361,68351,38140,136364,136320,36556,136366,108080,127964,136352,136350,136331,57461,38175,39096,36894,118550,136368,136342,6808,3715,136365],"class_list":["post-83837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-adelaide","tag-13th","tag-15-wins","tag-38982","tag-5609","tag-6257","tag-52-points","tag-58-to-35","tag-a-better-position","tag-a-candid-and-exclusive-chat","tag-a-complete-team","tag-a-critic","tag-a-demolition-construction-site","tag-a-factor","tag-a-football-culture","tag-a-football-ground","tag-a-make-or-break-afl-finals-test-graham-cornes","tag-a-pretty-good-effort","tag-a-pretty-strong-position","tag-a-steady-trajectory","tag-a-young-brayden-cook","tag-adelaide","tag-adelaide-crows-coach-matthew-nicks","tag-adelaide-oval","tag-afl","tag-afl-awards-night-you","tag-alberton","tag-all-great-teams","tag-an-average-game","tag-an-early-exit","tag-an-easier-draw","tag-an-element","tag-another-south-australian","tag-any-enveloping-mist","tag-big-games","tag-brisbane","tag-brisbane-and-brisbane","tag-context","tag-cornes","tag-criticise","tag-criticism","tag-crows","tag-diamonds","tag-doubts","tag-due-course","tag-either-team","tag-excitement","tag-fatalism","tag-football","tag-free-fall","tag-game","tag-geelong-yes-geelong","tag-glowing-praise","tag-graham-cornes","tag-his-comments","tag-his-future","tag-his-team","tag-his-time","tag-improvement","tag-its-benefits","tag-its-soul","tag-izak-rankine","tag-jordan-dawson","tag-larger-pre","tag-last-week","tag-life","tag-life-or-death","tag-mark-bickley","tag-matthew-nicks","tag-media","tag-media-personality-graham-cornes","tag-mental-health","tag-minor-premiers","tag-more-pressure","tag-more-to","tag-nick-dawson","tag-nicks","tag-nicksy","tag-no-disrespect","tag-no-expectations","tag-no-online-polls","tag-no-surprise","tag-one-point","tag-one-quarter","tag-only-13-games","tag-only-inaccuracy","tag-only-one-way","tag-opportunity","tag-other-finals-contenders","tag-our-first-responders","tag-our-sunday-mail","tag-port","tag-port-adelaide","tag-pressure","tag-riley-thilthorpe","tag-round-seven","tag-season-expectations","tag-seconds","tag-september-there","tag-sixth-position","tag-social-media-platforms","tag-son-kane-cornes","tag-state-of-the-art-modernity","tag-substance-and-history","tag-talkback-radio-and-letters","tag-the-1997-and-1998-premiership-years","tag-the-2025-finals-series","tag-the-advertiser","tag-the-best-seven-years","tag-the-big-four","tag-the-bottom","tag-the-close-finish","tag-the-club","tag-the-club-offices","tag-the-comments-sections","tag-the-consequences","tag-the-crows","tag-the-crows-coaches","tag-the-dismal-dismissal","tag-the-draw","tag-the-dust","tag-the-editor","tag-the-elimination-final","tag-the-elite-depth","tag-the-finals-proper","tag-the-first-final","tag-the-first-showdown","tag-the-first-week","tag-the-following-week","tag-the-foyer","tag-the-full-glare","tag-the-game","tag-the-heritage","tag-the-heroics","tag-the-inside-50-tally","tag-the-margin","tag-the-minor-round","tag-the-minor-round-since","tag-the-moment","tag-the-once-exclusive-football-precinct","tag-the-only-platforms","tag-the-port-adelaide-players","tag-the-power","tag-the-premiership-cups","tag-the-premiership-ladder","tag-the-pressure","tag-the-public-eye","tag-the-punters","tag-the-reigning-premiers","tag-the-robert-rose-award","tag-the-same-week","tag-the-team","tag-the-team-spirit","tag-the-thebarton-precinct","tag-the-time","tag-the-toughest-task","tag-the-wildcard-round","tag-the-winning-goal","tag-their-star-players","tag-this-football-season","tag-this-footy-club","tag-this-group","tag-this-season","tag-this-year","tag-time","tag-two-home-finals","tag-up-it","tag-very-few-experts","tag-wayne-milera","tag-west-lakes","tag-whose-jobs-and-reactions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.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