Adelaide Senior Coach Matthew Nicks says the Crows’ fairytale finish to the season epitomises the direction the Club is heading. 

The Crows stormed home to a 44-point win over the Roos at Adelaide Oval on Sunday evening in a fitting farewell for three experienced players. 

The deal was sealed with a string of goals in the final term from outgoing veterans David Mackay and Tom Lynch, plus an exciting major from debutant Lachie Gollant.

It was an emotional finish to a challenging season for the Club but, speaking to media after the game, Nicks said he was proud of his side. 

“It was a really pleasing way to finish the season off, especially that last 15 minutes,” Nicks said. 

“I thought they played well the entire game but in that last quarter they got back to what we’ve been doing really well this year.

“Off the back of that we had some really feel-good moments for a couple of legends of the Club who are finishing up and one debutant, all in the one quarter.

“I think the GPS will be up in the last quarter because we had players running over from every corner of the ground to celebrate.”

The Crows’ DNA

Nicks said the Crows’ end to the season, particularly the final four games, showed the side’s DNA and the foundations being laid for its long-term future. 

“We love to compete, we love to fight… that’s one thing we finished really strongly against really good opposition,” he said. 

“This week, we played North Melbourne who have been playing great footy in the second half of the year, so we were really pleased to get the result we did.

“We (also) pushed those top four sides. We didn’t get the result in the end and that’s probably been our trend throughout the year.”

Nicks said there was frustration at a few close losses, but that came from knowing the side’s potential. 

“We’ve played enough good footy to feel like the foundations are being laid for a really positive future, but at the same time we’re frustrated because we haven’t been able to do that for four quarters and get the ultimate result, which is winning those games of footy,” he said. 

“The DNA was there tonight, the foundation of hard at the footy, embracing the contest, playing at your front half - really pleasing for us to do that.”

List management decisions

As the Club farewelled veterans Mackay, Lynch and Daniel Talia, Nicks conceded that 2021 brought tough list management decisions. 

“It’s about growth and it’s about opportunity. We make changes - as every club does - and we have a number of players who are coming into a period in their careers at the same time,” Nicks said. 

“D-Mac (made) the decision this year that it was the right time for him to call it. We would’ve loved to have seen D-Mac possibly for another year, but 100 per cent accept the call he’s made.

“He saw the group that was coming through and made the decision around what he thought would be better for the football club, along with a number of other factors in his life.

“There’s always a balance of going too young - we definitely don’t want to go down that path and at the moment that’s what we’re working through.

“We’ll continue to look at that balance of experience, some of that comes up in acquisition and trade, some of that comes up in the draft.”

Young players’ improvement and finals berth

Nicks said the past 12 months should remind Crows fans what time can do for young footballers, with vast amounts of improvement across the squad’s junior players. 

“These are players that we’ve picked up over the last three-four years and we’re starting to see that fruit now, we’re starting to see these guys with more time under their belt playing at the highest level,” Nicks said. 

“Chayce Jones at half back (for example). Twelve months of finding his position, finding his niche, feeling out the speed of the game (and) learning from making errors.

“Harry Schoenberg in the midfield (has) taken his game to another level. He’s got a lot more to go and he knows that but with 12 months of time under his belt, it’s games and it’s time.

“Jordon Butts at full back, (who) stepped up when we didn’t have our experienced full back to go to in Tals. For (him) to step up and play like he did all year and rarely get beaten is a great sign for us.

“Riley Thilthorpe with one season now under his belt, he’ll continue to get better. Another 12 months for Riley and we’re gonna see the same growth that we’ve seen from Schoenberg and Jones.

“I could keep going because our entire group of 20 to 21-year-olds, that’s the most pleasing part of where we’re heading. That’s the foundation of what we’re building.”

Nicks said it was impossible to put a timeline on a finals berth, but the Club’s focus was on creating a side that would be competitive long-term. 

“Like every side, we would love to play and compete in finals. That’s what we’re trying to get to, that’s why we’re laying the foundation now that’s strong enough to hold up,” he said. 

“Not just for one year where we dribble our way into the finals series and then get knocked out straight away, we’re looking at sustained success and a group that can perform week-in, week-out and fight out for finals year after year.

“We love to think we’ve fast-tracked that development and seen that growth during pre-season, but that’s just a matter of time.

“We can’t give you an exact timeline, but where we are at the moment we’re building a really strong group of people and I’m confident we will challenge sooner rather than later.”

Facing the AFL Draft

After the North Melbourne win, the Crows will likely approach the looming AFL Draft with pick No. 4 in hand. 

“We came out today, as we have all year, to win a game of football,” Nicks said. 

“We’re here to build a long-term culture and long-term sustained success. This is not about playing for a draft pick to get two picks higher.

“You go back over the history of the draft, it’s not necessarily that you get the best player at pick No. 2 or a better player than you do at pick No. 4.

“There’s so much talent in the draft, we will find a good player no matter where it is.”

Nicks said there was more to draft selections than just raw talent, pointing to some of Adelaide’s newer success stories.

“Some take longer than others - we saw Riley Thilthorpe come out in game one and perform straight off the bat, but that’s often what you get from a top five pick,” Nicks said. 

“But if you talk about list management, sometimes it’s not as clear-cut as you think in the first 12-24 months of a player arriving at a football club.

“There are things you’re working through that aren’t only about the individual, but are about setting the culture of a football club - what is expected from you as a role in the football side?”

Team-first, always

As Adelaide’s season came to an end, Nicks said he was proud of the culture building at the Club. 

“When you talk about character, we talk a lot about team first and a lot about prioritising others. It’s really our mantra, it’s what we’re about,” Nicks said. 

Nicks said he would look to Adelaide’s leaders to continue to drive that culture when new recruits line-up - including one of the Club’s newest cult favourites, Paul Seedsman. 

“Paul’s played a lot more football than most of our group, but it took Paul 12 months to get an understanding of what I would like our culture and our DNA to look like,” Nicks said. 

“To his credit, he was outstanding this season. He’s had such a strong year, he’s bought into that and he’s now become one of the best leaders of the Club.”

When it came to Adelaide’s growth, Nicks said there was one key pillar for the side to lean on: team-first, always. 

“You saw that in the last 15 minutes of the game today, you saw the reward for the team off the back of them playing for each other,” Nicks said. 

“We had moments where the footy Gods shined on the team and three of our players were able to get in front of goal and knock one through.

“That’s a team playing for each other, that is thinking about someone before yourself - and that’s the sort of character we’re looking to bring in.”