Crows great ‘annoyed’ as coaching rumours spark tense on-air moment
Adelaide great Rory Sloane has called out the reporting surrounding his old coach Matthew Nicks, after claims he could be sacked.
Channel Seven reporter Tom Morris revealed during the week that Nicks would likely be fired with a year to run on his contract, if the Crows lost to the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night.
Rory Sloane expresses his frustration. Nine
Adelaide however got the job done thanks to a five-goal blitz in the final quarter, booking their semi-final ticket.
Nicks received a standing ovation from the crowd during that final term and gave them a thumbs up when he appeared on the big screen.
He would have had his heart in his mouth in the fourth quarter as his side blew a three-goal lead and fell behind as the Dogs came with all their might.
Demons from last year would have been circling in the minds of fans, given Adelaide were the 2025 minor premiers, but failed to win a quarter in finals, going out in straight sets.
But the Crows responded in the best way possible, kicking five of the last six goals of the game to ultimately win 14.6. (90) to 9.14. (68).
Speaking on Sunday, Sloane admits he was “annoyed” by the timing of the conversation surrounding Nicks’ future, saying he doesn’t believe the club would have been discussing it leading up to the final.
“What annoyed me is it was spoken about as if it was leaked in the week building up to the final and that just categorically wouldn’t happen,” Sloane told Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.
"No one would leak that building into one of the most important games of the season.
“I do give credit … Tom (Morris) is a great reporter, we know him well. I’m sure a discussion like that would have been had six-odd weeks ago. At board level, they would certainly have a discussion around ‘what if we lose in the first round, what would we do’.
"Those opinions get filtered down the line to journalists."
Morris was on the boundary line for Seven after the game, and things got a little tense as he interviewed retiring key forward and Adelaide champion Taylor Walker.
“We’ve got three more games to go. Much to your disgust,” Walker said to Morris during the interview.
“No, I’m happy for you,” Morris replied with a smile. Walker added: “Nah Nicksy will be here mate, don’t worry about that”.
Morris asked: “So talk to us about the week then. A lot of outside noise…”
“You started it,” Walker interjected.
A thumbs up from Nicksy Fox Footy
“You bet I started it, but I do the news and you won the game and congratulations for it,” the journalist responded.
“We answered the critics didn’t we,” Walker said with a smile as the interview continued cordially.
It was an emotional final quarter for Walker, who received a guard of honour from teammates as the club’s all-time leading goal kicker left Adelaide Oval for the last time.
His career will continue for at least one more week, but that was his final AFL game in front of home fans in Adelaide.
For Nicks, he handed the occasion with a smile and responded critics by giving the club its first finals win since 2017.
“To see our supporters do that (give me some applause), it means a lot,” Nicks told Channel Seven post match.
“I know we’ve got the best supporters in the game and it’s nice to see they’re behind what we’re doing. I don’t blame them. We feel really good about what we’ve built.
“We learned so much from last year. I thought our guys stood up tonight.”
Matthew Nicks laughs off job speculation pre-game. Fox Footy
Nicks even had a laugh about the situation before the game in a light moment alongside the Fox Footy crew.
“Most players came and addressed (the speculation) with me and had a bit of a chat. There’s a lot of things that are said. This is what happens at this time of year,” he said.
“It’s understandable. Everyone wants to get better, ‘how do we do that, let’s get rid of the coach’ … And that’s not always the case … in this case, it’s definitely not the coach,” Nicks laughed. “This coach is a gun, don’t get rid of this one … are we live?”
Adelaide will now have to eliminate reigning premiers Brisbane on their home deck at the Gabba to keep their finals hopes alive.
