Five key takeaways from Matthew Nicks’ post-game presser: Round 20 vs Port Adelaide

Showdown records tumbled at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, as Adelaide produced a dominant 98-point victory against cross-town rival Port Adelaide.

On a wet and wild winter’s night, the Crows led from start to finish, and put the Power to the sword with a stunning eight-goal final term.

Senior Coach Matthew Nicks spoke to the media after the game, and delivered five key takeaways.

A “dream” performance

Put simply, Saturday night’s 98-point drubbing of Port Adelaide was a dream come true for Crows Senior Coach Matthew Nicks and his staff.

Adelaide dominated its cross-town rival from start-to-finish to come away with a Showdown record 98-point victory.

The Crows led the key indicators throughout the night, winning inside 50s 65-43, contested possession 172-149 and clearances 52-45.

Nicks was full of praise for the attitude his players brought to the contest, and delved into how they produced such a high-level of performance.

“You dream about performances like that, on a wet day which can bring the level of footy down a bit, I thought it was a great game of footy,” Nicks said.

“We ended up with 46,000 in conditions like that, it shows where the state is at, and where our members and supporters are at - so it really gives you that edge.

“But for our guys to perform the way they did, and be so clean and ruthless in the contest, we tackled as well as I’ve ever seen as tackle - there was a point there where I don’t think we missed a tackle.

“It was one of those nights that you dream about.”

Crows adapt to tough conditions

Torrential rain and gale force winds greeted the players for much of the contest in Showdown 58, and it was Adelaide’s ability to adapt to the conditions that helped it set-up a crushing victory.

The Crows were ruthless in the tough conditions, halting the Power’s ability to get their offensive game going, while also having an impact on the scoreboard.

Nicks explained how his team’s mindset heading into the game proved critical in its ability to adapt to the harsh conditions.

“I think it comes back to preparation, we spoke in the pre-game about the noise around wet weather and that will bring the game back to more of a scrap,” Nicks said.

“We came in knowing Showdowns are Showdowns and it was going to be a ruthless contest, and up until half time the game was still on.

“But we had a belief that with the work we’d done, on our bodies and getting ourselves mentally in the space we needed to be in, eventually we would be able to grind over the top.

“Looking back that third quarter was, it may not have looked great on the telly, but the way we went about it in really trying conditions, surging the ball and knocking it forward, we just didn’t give our opposition a chance.”

Thilthorpe claims Showdown Medal amid even performance

Key forward Riley Thilthorpe claimed his first Showdown Medal on Saturday night, in what was a starring performance in the front half.

But when asked about the medal winner, Nicks was quick to highlight the number of strong contenders that put their hand up for the honour, signifying the even spread of performers.

Midfielder Jake Soligo recorded a career-high 35 disposals and two goals, while the likes of Jordan Dawson and James Peatling also played pivotal roles.

“We didn’t really mind who won the medal,” Nicks said.

“I thought both Soli and Riley played really strong games, we moved Soli forward in the last quarter and he did some great things for us, and Riley was very good all night.

“But I think one of our biggest strengths at the moment is how balanced we have been, there aren’t many having 30-plus disposals, the score involvements are spread throughout and we have different contributors every week.

“It’s a good position to be in, that we aren’t reliant on one or two, but I think Riley had a great game tonight along with a number of others.”

Time for fans to get excited

Nicks’ key message to the Adelaide Football Club’s supporters and members following its Showdown 58 victory was simple.

Get excited.

The group has been dialled in on a narrow focus all season long, and will continue to look no further ahead than the next opponent at hand - but when it comes to the fans, Nicks said it was exciting times as the end of the home and away season nears.

“For our members and our supporters, I love it (getting around the buzz), if I was a fan of our footy Club right now I’d be pretty excited,” Nicks said.

“Embrace it, get out there, talk about it with your mates, enjoy talking about footy.

“It’s not that long ago that we were doing it pretty tough, so for the fans to soak up every minute of it I love it, but for us we are locked in on the next task at hand - and that mindset has come from us learning our lessons from previous years.”

Belief building within the group

Adelaide’s thumping Showdown victory was its fifth on the trot, as it moved into the top two on the AFL ladder.

According to Nicks, the confidence within the group is at an all-time high, with his troops playing with a sense of belief that is driving them forward.

The challenge now is to keep that good form going, and maintain the momentum it had built into a potential finals push.

“It (our confidence) is as good as it’s been for a number of years,” Nicks said.

“That confidence comes from belief, we’ve had a belief there for a long period of time that we are going in the right direction, and at the moment things are really coming together for us.

“We’ve got some great momentum at this point, and we know how hard it is to keep that momentum, but the guys are doing a great job at continuing to reset themselves and going onto the next week.

“That was a very complete performance from us though.”

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