Matthew Nicks has spoken frankly about the struggles facing his beloved skipper Jordan Dawson, and the Crows organisation more broadly, on Monday night.
The Crows were dealt a footballing lesson of sorts by a rampaging Brisbane Lions outfit on the weekend, and upon their return to West Lakes, Nicks' charges have been licking their wounds.
Nicks, speaking to Fox Footy's AFL360, triaged his side's shortcomings succinctly.
"It's a tough road trip," Nicks said.
"We were nowhere near our best, and (we) played against the best. We got a pretty rude lesson in what you can't do.
"We were poor with the ball, our skills were off, and we played against a team that punishes you."
Much of the talk surrounding his club lately has centred around the tragic circumstances befalling skipper Jordan Dawson, as he and his family grapple with the loss of Jordan's brother Jaryd - a fixture of the footballing community in the town of Robe.
Nicks reiterated his club's support for the grief-stricken midfielder.
"If you talk about a place to be for there to be some of the best support you can possibly have, for what Jordan and his family are going through at the moment - which is incredibly tough - a footy club is a good place to be," Nicks said.
"They're a beautiful family and we're doing everything we possibly can to be there for them.
"To do what he did on the weekend, and come out and perform the way he did. He played a really strong game of footy, led from the front like he does every week for his team."
The outpouring of support from fellow members of the industry, post-match, moved the popular Dawson to tears, and the Brisbane Lions have rightfully been lauded for that show of humanity and sportsmanship.
"He was able to focus on footy, but as soon as that (full time) siren went, he realised it was back to some pretty tough times."
Proceedings do not get any easier for the Crows, with a short break before clashing with their biggest rival following the long road trip to Brisbane. The funeral for their skipper's brother is also to be held in his hometown, some 330 kilometres south-southeast of Adelaide, midweek.
Despite seemingly difficult circumstances, Nicks refuses to lose faith in his side, who sit 13th on the ladder after seven matches.
"The weekend was one (performance the likes of which) that we haven't seen for a number of years now. We haven't had a loss where a team put us away really convincingly - most of our losses have been reasonably close. We're still optimistic, we're still trying to find our best, but we're confident it's there."
The Crows face cross-town rivals Port Adelaide on Friday night.
