Channel 7 AFL commentator Kane Cornes has declared Adelaide a potential top-four bolter in 2025, but has a question mark over whether Matthew Nicks can be an elite coach.
The Crows finished a disappointing 15th this year after being widely tipped to be among the finals contenders at the start of the season.
However, they had a bumper off-season that included the acquisitions of Melbourne premiership forward Alex Neal-Bullen and former Giant pair Isaac Cumming and James Peatling.
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They also landed highly rated local prospect Sid Draper with pick No.4 in the draft.
Those four players are expected to slot straight into the senior team, which has the Crows primed to challenge for the finals next year.
“Huge improvement for Adelaide, I think they can finish top four,” Cornes told 7NEWS.
“They have a squad now that should be competing, I think their draw is set up nicely, they’ve addressed some depth and some role players in the off-season.
“They have an explosive young midfielder in Sid Draper who will instantly come in and make an impact. And they’ve got enough senior players to carry this group.”
But despite tipping the huge improvement, Cornes still has question marks over Nicks.
Nicks is entering his sixth season as senior coach with a dismal win-loss percentage of just 35.38.
“I have a question mark over the strategy, and I have a question mark over whether Matthew Nicks can be the elite coach. Great assistant coach, really nice relationship builder, terrific person to be around, is he at the cutting edge of tactics?” Cornes said.
“It has to be win a final or anything other than that is disappointing.”
Nicks is about to head to the United States on a professional development trip that will include time at Harvard Business School.
Meanwhile, Cornes is forecasting a step back for his former club Port Adelaide.
The Power made the preliminary final last year despite constant speculation surrounding coach Ken Hinkley.
Port also had a busy off-season, landing versatile tall Jack Lukosius from Gold Coast and small forward Joe Richards from Collingwood, but they lost dual All-Australian Dan Houston to the Pies.
Hinkley enters next year in the final year of his latest contract and Cornes believes the Power should follow Sydney’s lead and put highly rated assistant Josh Carr in charge.
The Swans this week appointed Dean Cox as coach after John Longmire stepped down.
“Ideally, Ken does what John does and takes a year off and gets a six-month payout,” Cornes said.
“Hand it over to Josh Carr like Sydney are doing with Dean Cox and then that alleviates all the pressure on the footy club for at least two to three years and gives Josh some clean air.
“Now Ken is going to have that fierce pressure once again like he has had for the past six or seven years.
“For Port Adelaide and Ken Hinkley, I think what Sydney and John Longmire have done is the ideal situation.
“I think they will run its course right through to the end of the year.
“If that’s the case, is it going to be a wasted year? I don’t think their list has got any better, in fact I think their list is going to take a step backwards with the loss of Houston and the changes they have made in the off-season.”