Why the Crows should be "filthy" with their loss to the Suns

18/03/2024 01:06

Matthew Nicks and his Adelaide Crows should be "filthy" after their Round 1 loss to Gold Coast, according to Nathan Buckley.

After a one-goal first half, the Crows huffed and puffed late but left themselves with too much to do.

They charged late to kick five goals in the final quarter leaving them six points short by the final siren.

In assessing Adelaide's season opening defeat, Buckley feels it was an all too familiar story.

He likes the Crows as a whole but wants to see them turn their woes around and become the team they're threatening to be.

"If I was Matty Nicks and a leader at the Adelaide Football Club, I would be filthy, I would be absolutely filthy with ourselves," Buckley said on SEN Breakfast.

"Because they came home late, they opened the game up late, they got a handle on the conditions late. We've got to give the Suns credit because the contest and defence were really strong and the conditions were challenging.

"The reason I'm filthy is because it's the same all over again. Close losses, things going against us.

"I think this could be the making of Adelaide, because I'm big on them. I really like what they do, I like what they bring, I think their top end is excellent.

"I just reckon if they're going to be anything as a team and as a club, the review on this game should be ruthless on the things that they can control that they didn't control.

"They've lost another close game, another brave effort, but that's going to get you absolutely nowhere as a team, as a club. It could be the very best thing that could ever happen to them or it could just be a continuation of the same.

"It's their choice to where they go from here."

Kane Cornes was critical of the Crows, particularly with the performances of some of the players in their leadership group.

"They were 2-8 on the road last year, they lost five games by under 10 points and they missed the finals by the snick of a goal post," Cornes added.

"I touched on their leadership group, and you mentioned leaders there, of the 15 people in their leadership group here's the performance of some of them:

"Darcy Fogarty was awful, the worst game he's played in a long time in tough conditions.

"Ben Keays plays his role, had nine touches and kicked a couple of important goals, but not a whole lot.

"Didn't see much of Lachie Murphy out there, didn't really see Wayne Milera but he had a bit of the footy.

"Reilly O'Brien was beaten by Jarrod Witts. So if you're going to have a million people in the leadership group and you're a leader, play well, for goodness sake.

"The job is to play well and their leaders let them down."

After missing the finals in controversial circumstances last season, the Crows asked for a stronger prime time schedule to make up for the umpiring error in their Round 23 loss to Sydney.

This weekend they host Geelong at the Adelaide Oval on Friday night and Cornes has called on them to step up.

"The other one on Adelaide, they wanted the prime time exposure because you complained about missing finals for an umpiring decision, and rightly so," Cornes added.

"You're going to get a stack of Thursdays and you are on the prime time stage on Friday against good opposition in Geelong - you'd want to play well when all eyes are on you."

The last time the Crows played the Cats at home, they came away with a 12-point victory in Round 1 of the 2021 season.