​Tessa Lee, Sports journalist reporting on global leagues since 2021.​​

​Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks says the Crows must secure “a couple of big wins” against top AFL opposition to build belief after another narrow loss to a finals contender. Adelaide fell to Hawthorn by nine points at UTAS Stadium on Thursday night, marking the club’s fourth defeat by fewer than 10 points against quality opposition this season.

The loss continued a frustrating pattern for the Crows, who have consistently challenged leading teams without managing to secure a breakthrough victory. Adelaide previously lost to the Western Bulldogs by six points in Round 2, Geelong by eight points in Round 3 and Fremantle by two points in Round 4.

Despite showing signs of improvement following a dominant win over North Melbourne last week, the Crows again failed to capitalise on key opportunities against a stronger opponent.

Speaking after the match in Launceston, Nicks admitted Adelaide still had significant improvement ahead if it wanted to become a genuine AFL contender.

“We need a couple of big wins; it’s not one big win,” Nicks said.

“We need to put a performance out there over a full four quarter game against a really good side, and we haven’t done that yet.”

Adelaide still searching for consistency

Nicks acknowledged the frustration surrounding Adelaide’s season but said the club remained optimistic because of its untapped potential.

“We’re not blind to the fact that there’s still some improvement to come,” he said.

“We haven’t hit our straps yet; we’re not at our best. But to be where we are and know we’ve got so much upside still to come, that gives optimism.”

The Crows entered the season with expectations of pushing higher up the ladder after steady improvement under Nicks in recent years. However, their inability to defeat top six calibre teams has raised questions about whether they can take the next step.

Fox Footy analyst Leigh Montagna said Adelaide’s repeated close losses had become “the story of their year”.

“They needed to take a scalp to frank the form that they were going to be a genuine contender,” Montagna said.

“And genuine contender, we’re talking being a top six team. If you’re not winning these close games, it makes it awfully difficult.”

Former AFL star Jason Dunstall added that Adelaide continued to put itself in winning positions without being able to finish games strongly enough.

“They’re right there in all those games against top contenders,” Dunstall said.

“It’s just taking that next step to get over the line.”

Ball movement problems continue

Montagna highlighted Adelaide’s ball movement as a major concern after another inefficient attacking display. The Crows currently rank 15th in the AFL for ball movement this season and struggled to generate effective scoring chains against Hawthorn’s organised defence.

Adelaide managed only 11 points originating from defensive half transitions on Thursday night, one of the club’s poorest returns in the past decade outside the shortened 2020 season.

The Crows also failed to capitalise on turnover opportunities despite recording seven more inside 50 entries than Hawthorn across the match.

“That was the issue tonight for them,” Montagna said.

“They couldn’t score off turnover or out of the back half, coming up against a stiffer defence.”

Montagna also pointed to the absence of Izak Rankine during key moments as a major factor in Adelaide’s lack of attacking potency.

“They just lacked a bit of potency, particularly once Rankine went out of the game,” he said.

Hawthorn surge proves decisive

Adelaide began the match strongly and also finished with late momentum, but a dominant seven goals to two stretch from Hawthorn across the second and third quarters ultimately decided the contest.

Nicks said the club would review why the team became hesitant during critical stages of the game.

“You probably give us two quarters out of the four,” Nicks said.

“We’ll have a look at that and ask: ‘What is it that freezes up to finish so strong?’”

The Adelaide coach chose his words carefully when describing his side’s struggles during the middle stages of the match.

“I’m careful of my use of language here, but it looked like we were a little bit locked up through that second and third quarters, and unable to break the game back open for ourselves.”

Crucial stretch ahead for the Crows

Adelaide now heads into its bye week before facing another major challenge against an in form Geelong side back in South Australia.

The upcoming clash presents another opportunity for the Crows to prove they can compete with the AFL’s strongest teams after repeatedly falling narrowly short throughout the season.

While Adelaide remains within reach of the finals race, its recent results suggest there is still a gap between the Crows and the league’s genuine premiership contenders.

For Nicks and his players, turning competitive performances into significant victories now shapes as one of the defining challenges of their season.