Adelaide chairman John Olsen has backed senior coach Matthew Nicks to lead the club in 2027 despite reports indicating his future hinges on Saturday's elimination final result.
The Crows will host the Western Bulldogs, and are tipped to win after enjoying a week off, while the visitors claimed a gutsy win over Collingwood by three points.
Nicks has yet to win a game in September, even after claiming the minor premiership last year.
“We are in a highly-scrutinised industry, and unfortunately rumour and innuendo are common, especially at this time of year,” Olsen told the Herald Sun.
“Matthew is a great coach who has created a really high-performing environment, which is full of positivity and self-belief, and we now have a big opportunity in front of us.
“He has a year to run on his contract, and we expect him to be coaching our team next year.”
Nicks took over as Adelaide senior coach ahead of 2020, and has been on a steady incline with the group, but only made the finals for the first time last year.
The Crows went out in straight sets, losing to Collingwood and Hawthorn in front of a home crowd, extending their winless September for another year, dating back to the 2017 preliminary final.
However, over the past two years, Nicks has led the West Lakes club to one of the best records in the competition, helping square the ledger for his overall 70-83-1 win-loss record (45.78 per cent). He sits 12 games behind Neil Craig for the longest-serving Adelaide coach.
“I know as a coach being here as long as I have that there's pressure to perform in that finals series but I came in saying ‘I want to lead this footy club and have it in a stronger position than when I arrived' and at the moment we're in a strong position and I'm proud of that but I'll back the boys in,” Nicks said a fortnight ago.
“We'll perform, and we're ready to go.
“When you take a head coaching role on, you embrace the fact there's going to be some pressure.”
