Adelaide Crows emerged victorious against a spirited West Coast Eagles team at Optus Stadium on Sunday evening, clinching their 16th win of the season. Despite trailing by 10 points early in the final quarter, the Crows rallied to score four of the last five goals, securing a 13.9 (87) to 12.8 (76) victory. Senior Coach Matthew Nicks addressed the media post-match, highlighting five key takeaways from the game.
Full Credit to the Eagles
Adelaide’s win did not come easy against the bottom-ranked West Coast, whose relentless pressure and intensity challenged the ladder-leaders throughout the night. The Eagles, buoyed by their home crowd and the emotional farewell of retiring stars Jeremy McGovern and Dom Sheed, nearly pulled off a major upset.
Nicks acknowledged the opposition’s performance, admitting that the Eagles outperformed his team in several crucial areas. “Today unfortunately we didn’t bring our best and our opposition did, I thought they were outstanding tonight,” Nicks said. “Our opposition were better than us with their energy, their intensity, the pressure they brought, they beat us in that area of the game tonight.”
“But we did enough just to scrape through, and we took great learnings from the game to hopefully put in a better performance against Collingwood.”
Thilthorpe Cleared After Third-Quarter Scare
Star forward Riley Thilthorpe gave the Crows a scare when he collided with Eagles Skipper Liam Duggan in the third quarter, necessitating a brief exit for a neck assessment. Fortunately, Thilthorpe was cleared with a jarred neck and returned to play a pivotal role, scoring two critical goals in the final quarter.
“I think he jarred his neck which then shot some nerve pain down his arm, so initially it looked like he’d done something to his shoulder and we were worried,” Nicks explained. “But after a minute or so of recovery he was fine.”
Crows Trio Stand Up with Big Second Halves
At half-time, Adelaide needed leaders to step up, and three players answered the call. Skipper Jordan Dawson led with his commanding presence around the ball, while Izak Rankine provided crucial moments of brilliance. Zac Taylor, often flying under the radar, delivered a standout performance with a career-high 20 disposals, a crucial goal, and key tackles.
Nicks praised their contributions, stating, “I like Jordan (Dawson) a lot, Izak Rankine as well. I thought he bounced back really well after a slower first half. And Zac Taylor was the other one who I thought played one of his best halves of footy in his career in the second half, which was really pleasing for him.”
The Inexact Science of Managing Players
The decision to rest Taylor Walker, Adelaide’s all-time leading goalkicker, was strategic, with an eye towards the upcoming critical match against Collingwood. Nicks explained the challenges of player management during the season’s climax.
“I think it’s always difficult, and there’s not an exact science to when you should rest players,” Nicks said. “Taylor this weekend for example, we know how important he is to our group, not just with the football with hand but what he does for our group with his leadership on the field.”
“Now that we’ve got across the line and got the result it’s a good move, but going into the game we don’t know that.”
Nicks Reflects on Securing Finals Spot
The victory against West Coast officially secured Adelaide’s place in the 2025 Toyota AFL Finals Series, marking their first finals appearance since 2017. With two matches remaining, the Crows sit one game clear at the top of the ladder.
Nicks took a moment to reflect on this achievement, acknowledging the team’s progress and resilience. “I take maybe a second to reflect on how big it (returning to finals) is,” Nicks said. “I’m really proud of what we’ve been able to do, and that we’ve stuck it out through a tough period win/loss wise.”
Looking ahead, Nicks emphasized the importance of maintaining focus. “It’s great for our supporters as well, we saw last week 50,000-plus rocked up, so it feels like they know we’re doing some good stuff and it’s nice to reward them, but for us we are just locked in on what’s next and that’s Collingwood.”
