![\"Zac](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/50e4d731-48de-49a7-8862-b44a2bf9d90f.jpg\")
\n Zac Bailey turned down an Adelaide offer to remain in Brisbane. (Morgan Hancock\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n
Cashed-up Adelaide are preparing to take more swings at elite talent after striking out on Brisbane ace Zac Bailey, coach Matthew Nicks says.<\/p>\n
Nicks’ Crows meet Bailey’s Lions in a semi-final on Saturday night at the Gabba after the Brisbane playmaker rejected Adelaide’s advances.<\/p>\n
Bailey signed a whopping eight-year deal to remain in the Queensland capital, but Nicks was pragmatic about his club’s failed bid.<\/p>\n
\n Zac Bailey turned down an Adelaide offer to remain in Brisbane. (Morgan Hancock\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n
“You win some, you lose some … you hit some and you miss others,” Nicks told reporters on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“We’ll continue to be really busy in this space, the acquisition space.<\/p>\n
“And it’s one that we look at across the journey, we say: ‘Geez, we have brought in some some great talent, some super high characters’.”<\/p>\n
Nicks pointed to recruiting captain Jordan Dawson and star midfielder Izak Rankine from Sydney and Gold Coast respectively as prime examples.<\/p>\n
![\"Wayne](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/f8e48420-ad12-44b9-b9cd-f601f13deed5.jpg\")
\n Adelaide’s star defender Wayne Milera celebrates the elimination final victory over the Dogs. (Matt Turner\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n
“We just remain really confident with who we are,” he said.<\/p>\n
“When we go for an acquisition, we sell what it is we’re building, we give information to these players and to their managers about what it is that we’ve developed, where our club’s heading, the support that we get from an incredible football state.<\/p>\n
“And that’s where we’ve been able to attract a lot of players … it’s \u00a0attractive, you know, we’re becoming a destination.”<\/p>\n
Nicks and his Crows travel to Brisbane for the semi-final after banking the club’s first playoff win – an elimination final triumph against the Western Bulldogs – since 2017.<\/p>\n
The victory came amid reports Nicks was facing the sack if the Crows lost to the Dogs.<\/p>\n
Matthew Nicks addresses the media in Adelaide with one finals win under his belt in 2026. (Steve Larkin\/AAP VIDEO)<\/p>\n
Nicks joked he had thought about “trying to manufacture” another off-field distraction this week.<\/p>\n
“Noise is noise,” he said.<\/p>\n
“If anything, you probably trust your group and you trust your people, that we know where it is we sit, we know where we’re at in our story or in our journey.<\/p>\n
“So we have just got to be confident in that and back it in and keep believing. And sometimes that’s tough … but in the long run, we back in the trend and what it is we’re building.”<\/p>\n
Nicks, in his seventh season, has unashamedly modelled Adelaide’s rebuild on that of Brisbane under dual premiership coach Chris Fagan.<\/p>\n
And he agreed Saturday night’s semi-final could be dubbed a battle between the master and an apprentice.<\/p>\n
![\"(L-R)](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/e1bad858-ce81-4e25-a03f-f0c8a6675da7.jpg\")
\n Crows coach Matthew Nicks (right) has a close relationship with Lions boss Chris Fagan (left). (Jason O’BRIEN\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n
“That would be fair, because that’s the sort of respect I have for Fages, he is the master,” Nicks said.<\/p>\n
“When I first took the job, just through different connections, I was able to chat to Fages about how he went about it and he shared some of his experiences without giving too much away – he is a professional; he knows how to win.<\/p>\n
“But we talked about a lot of things when it comes to coaching and opposition, we shared different thoughts and ideas.<\/p>\n
“We don’t do it as much anymore, unfortunately. But I have a huge amount of respect for him and what he’s been able to do.<\/p>\n
“He has been a big part of it as a leader up there on how they’ve shaped their footy club. And it’s why they’re in the position they’re in at the moment.”<\/p>\n