AFL 2024: Adelaide Crows extend coach Matthew Nicks’ contract until 2026

The pressure has been taken off another AFL coach after Adelaide re-signed Matthew Nicks for a further two years.

Despite Adelaide losing its first game of the season to the Gold Coast, Nicks, who was out of contract at the end of this season, has been backed in by the club’s board to be in charge until at least the end of 2026.

The move from the Crows comes after Fremantle gave Justin Longmuir a one-year extension on the eve of the season that propelled the Dockers to a round 1 win over Brisbane.

The Crows will play Geelong at Adelaide Oval on Friday night, hoping for a similar result.

Nicks is yet to make the finals in four years at the Crows, cruelled by a controversial scoring error against the Swans last season but is confident of better this season.

“While we have made progress, I feel like we are just getting started,” Nicks said in a statement on Thursday.

“And with the right people in the right seats in every area of the organisation we are well placed.

“From a playing perspective, I am so excited about our playing group.

“We have some extremely talented individuals and across the board we have people with great character, which is crucial to what we are building.

“As a team we’ve done an incredible amount of work to this point and I really want to see this through and deliver the success that all Crows fans deserve.”

The Crows finished last, the first time in the club’s history, in Nicks’ first season as coach in 2020.

But steady rises since included finishing 10th last year and Adelaide chief executive Tim Silvers said Nicks was considered a long-term coach.

“The way in which Nicksy has led our club through some challenging times early in his tenure and our subsequent climb up the ladder, albeit acknowledging we have much more to do and achieve, should not be underestimated,” Silvers said in a statement.

“We have seen the on-field improvement and he has developed a game plan we firmly believe will stand up to the pressures of finals footy.

“He ticks all the boxes of fostering a positive, healthy environment for our players, coaches and staff and he has an engaging and authentic approach to communicating with all club stakeholders.

“History says successful clubs need stability and alignment.

“And while there will always be challenges from week-to-week, we want to be a club that consistently plays finals.”