Former Adelaide coach Malcolm Blight has given a tough assessment of the Crows’ 2021 season, putting the heat on nine players to take a “really big step”.
Blight won two premierships as coach of the club in 1997 and 1998, but his love for the Crows hasn’t shown in his 2021 review, giving Matthew Nicks’ side a grade of “E”.
Adelaide won three of their first four matches this year, bad faded badly to win just four more games and finish 15th.
Blight says “double figure” wins is the target for next year.
“Matthew Nicks’ second year, he had three wins in a 17 game season and now he’s had a seven winning game season with 15 losses,” he told Sportsday SA.
“I would suggest, and this is me just projecting forward, you’d like to see them get to double figures.
“I just think that would be a nice aim, that might get you in the eight, (but) probably not.”
The 71-year-old also believes youth is the key to Adelaide’s future success.
“I reckon there are nine players that will dictate where the Adelaide football club end up in the next two or three years, let alone next year,” he said.
“These players have to take a really big step over summer, and you know what that extra summer does to you.”
The nine players he challenged are: Harry Schoenberg, Lachie Murphy, Sam Berry, Will Hamill, Wayne Milera, Jackson Hately, Fischer McAsey, Lachlan Sholl and Riley Thilthorpe.
“If those nine don’t improve and take a step, even 10 wins is going to be hard to get,” Blight said.
Beside those players, another aspect that’s been speculated to dramatically help the Crows in 2022 is the appointment of Darren Burgess as high-performance manager.
Burgess was behind Melbourne’s breakthrough premiership this season and has been lauded for making them the fittest team in the competition, however Blight isn’t buying the hype.
“Everyone says the Darren Burgess appointment, coming back as a fitness coach (is fantastic),” he said.
“Seriously, I would suggest there’s about two per cent difference in all fitness programs in all clubs.”
However, the football great is tipping good things for the Crows in the near future.
But he hasn’t let them get away easy with their poor finish in 2021.
“I think there’s a horizon for the Adelaide football club but it needs those kids taking a step or two to get up to the next level,” Blight said.
“It doesn’t have to be best on ground stuff, it just means contributing a bit more often in games.
“Maybe not next year, but the year after might be the charge for them.
“There’s only one way to say, bottom four is (an) E.”