Former Adelaide captain Mark Bickley believes patience might start to wear thin if the Crows don’t improve markedly in 2023.
In three seasons under Matthew Nicks, the Crows have experienced incremental growth from winning three games in 2020, to seven in 2021 and eight last year.
The 2023 season presents as a fairly significant one for the Crows who have not been back to the finals since the 2017 Grand Final.
Bickley acknowledges the club has been rebuilding but wonders if time is running out for Nicks and the current list.
“Adelaide are at the other end of the spectrum where they’ve been out of the finals now for five years,” Bickley said on SEN SA.
“That’s the longest streak in the Crows’ history where they haven’t played finals.
“In actual fact, any coach that hasn’t made the finals two years in a row has left the club for varying reasons.
“Matthew Nicks, whilst he still has another year on his contract, I think the patience is starting to run out for the fans.”
The 272-game, two-time premiership skipper says now is the time for those emerging players who have 40-plus games of experience to take the Crows forward.
“Because there has been this ‘let’s get 40 or 50 games into these young players, let’s invest time, let’s be patient’,” he continued.
“I think that patience is now ready to be returned in terms of results.
“Chayce Jones, Ned McHenry, all those players who have played 40 to 50 games, they now have to start repaying that patience.
“I think Adelaide will improve, but what they have to do is improve at a greater rate than a lot of the other teams in the competition.”
Bickley added: “The big question for Adelaide fans is - Yes, they will improve, but at what rate?
“Can their rate of improvement out-pace the teams that finished above them on the ladder?”
The Crows, who finished 14th last year, acquired Izak Rankine from the Gold Coast Suns in the off-season while drafting youngsters Max Michalanney, Billy Dowling and Hugh Bond.
They kick off the 2023 season against GWS at Giants Stadium on March 19.