Adelaide’s revival as an AFL finals prospect faces a litmus check on a number of fronts of their high-stakes sport towards Essendon, coach Matthew Nicks says.
Entering the spherical, the Crows held seventh spot by proportion from the eighth-placed Bombers.
Nicks charges Essendon the equal of any workforce within the competitors in quick ball motion, which he says is Adelaide’s preliminary problem.
“It’s one thing to know they do it, but another thing to be able to stop it,” Nicks mentioned.
“And it’s something that we have struggled with in the past.
“We respect the best way they transfer the footy, they’re nearly as good as any.
“They have got some great ball users on the wings and halfback, right through that midfield.”
Compounding that problem is the venue – Marvel Stadium, possible below a closed roof.
“The venue lends itself to benefit those teams that can really move the ball,” Nicks mentioned.
Adelaide’s report on the highway is one other side confronting Nicks’ workforce.
The Crows are 1-5 away from Adelaide Oval this season – the one win was a three-point victory over lowly Hawthorn in Tasmania on April 22.
“We have had our chances away from home, games we could have won and we probably look back and say we should have won – we didn’t,” Nicks mentioned.
“So that’s our work on, the ability to remain composed when we have those opportunities.
“We actually wanting ahead to this problem as a result of there’s not many larger.
“Essendon are playing great footy, they’re one of the best teams at moving the football and Marvel sets up for that, it’s that sort of deck.”
Yet one other side is the ramifications of the consequence: the loser will drop out of the highest eight ought to reigning premiers Geelong down seventeenth positioned North Melbourne on Sunday.
“We know what’s coming and we know how big this game of footy is,” Nicks mentioned.
“I’m sure our opposition are feeling the same way.”
Essendon coach Brad Scott is, however he isn’t dwelling on it.
“They all feel important,” Scott mentioned.
“But we probably look at it differently … you look at your upcoming opponent, you want to perform and get that job done and then regardless of the result, you move on to the next week.
“So that is actually the place our focus is. And the end result would be the sum of all of the wins and losses on the finish of the season.
“But we’re just really focused, as I’m sure Adelaide will be, on this week.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
