‘Michael Voss vibes’ after Crows issue ‘strong’ statement on Matthew Nicks’ AFL coaching future

Matthew Nicks will remain Adelaide coach next season, with club hierarchy dousing speculation about his future for now even as he enters 2027 in an unprecedented position.

Nicks’ Crows exited the AFL finals with a 53-point away loss to Brisbane on Saturday night, the club’s second straight departure at the semi-final stage.

Channel 7’s Tom Morris reported the coach’s tenure hinged on winning a final, which Nicks did against the Western Bulldogs in their elimination match-up.

And Adelaide chief executive Tim Silvers has guaranteed Nicks will serve out the final year of his contract next season.

“There has been considerable commentary and speculation about our senior coach’s future in recent times but our position has not changed,” Silvers wrote in a letter to Crows members issued on Sunday.

“We believe in Matthew Nicks, we trust the program he leads, and we remain aligned on our vision for the future.

Nicks has been at the Adelaide helm for seven years, with his winning ratio around 46 per cent.

But next year will be the first time during his stint that he coaches without being contracted for the following year.

“There’s additional pressure for that if they don’t re-sign him for 2028,” Morris said on Fireball.

“And as far as I can see they won’t re-sign him for 2028 before the start of next season.”

Kane Cornes, who called Silvers’ statement a “strong” release, put in: “This has got Michael Voss vibes, for me, at Carlton.”

Morris said Adelaide are “a bit better placed” to hold firm compared to the Blues’ 1-8 start this year that led to Voss’s sacking.

But Cornes said it was more about the “doubts” that surrounded Voss and will now linger over Nicks.

“(Carlton) weren’t really confident in Michael Voss. That’s the feeling I get about Adelaide. They’re not really certain Matthew Nicks is their guy,” he said.