"Unfortunate time": Hinkley weighs in on Nicks axe rumours

Yet to win a final in his seven seasons as head coach of Adelaide, Matthew Nicks will address the media today (Wednesday) for the first time since reports emerged his job is on the line this weekend.

Earlier this week, SEN’s Tom Morris reported that Nicks would be facing the sack if his side fall short in their elimination final against the Western Bulldogs this weekend.

The 51-year-old is out of contract at the end of 2027 and, despite the pressure and apparent uncertainty over his future, the club’s chairman has back Nicks to be at the helm beyond this weekend.

"We are in a highly scrutinised industry and unfortunately rumour and innuendo are common, especially at this time of year," Crows Chairman John Olsen said on Tuesday.

"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’ record with the Crows since being handed the head coach role in 2020 is 70-1-83 from 154 games giving him a winning percentage of 46%.

After finishing 2025 as minor premiers they went out in straight sets before finishing 6th this year with a 15-8 record.

Amid the doubts over his future, SEN's Ken Hinkley is not convinced Nicks' job is on the line.

"It’s interesting and challenging to be fair," he told Gerard Whateley on Wednesday morning. "It’s an unfortunate time of year for something like that to appear publicly. Is there a lot of doubt around him?

"I look at it simply; the Crows extended him for 12 months last year.

"He’s coached really well this year. Everything is in place for the Crows to come out and win the game but there’s no hiding from the fact a huge pressure has been exposed this week.

"They have a home final, they look fit and they have the best players set to go out there."

Nicks will address the media at 3pm AEST Wednesday, we will bring you the latest news as it happens.