Crows great expects pressure to mount on Matthew Nicks in year six at the helm

Will pressure mount on Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks in 2025?

Two-time Adelaide premiership coach Malcolm Blight believes it will be something to watch with the Crows’ 2024 season stuttering.

They sit 10 points out of the eight, have ruled out Matt Crouch for the season and suffered a tough loss to Hawthorn on the weekend.

With Nicks set to enter his sixth season at the helm and the club going backwards in 2024, Blight believes it could be the deciding year for the head coach.

“This is going to be interesting. Matthew Nicks finished 18th in his first year, 15th, 14th and 10th,” he told SEN SA’s Sportsday.

“The football world and Crows supporters probably thought they were a bit stiff to miss out last year and this would be the rise sneaking into the eight.

“I’ve looked back over many years and the rise is rarely linear. Occasionally you have a setback.

“Right now they’re 14th and probably going to finish around about there unless a miracle happens.

“What you do now is find something for next year. Hit the trade table, bring in some more kids, and then go again.

“But then it becomes Matthew Nicks in year six.”

The Crows extended Nicks’ contract until the end of 2026 in March, prior to the early-season struggles.