"I just don’t think they’ve recruited enough match winners" - AFL legend takes aim at Adelaide Crows following defeat to Richmond Tigers

In the wake of the Adelaide Crows’ list’s drop off this season, AFL legend and former Kangaroo David King has expressed his disappointment in the Adelaide Crows recruitment strategies and talent pool.

Following their eight-point loss to Richmond Tigers on Thursday night, Adelaide are now 4-1-8 this season and the AFL world has questions.

As expected, critics and many who were expecting the Crows to make it into the top eight have a thing or two to say, with Kangaroo legend David King being one of the most vocal.

Off the back of the defeat against Richmond, King expressed his disappointment in the Crows' talent pool, which he says injuries to key players like Taylor Walker and Izak Rankine has highlighted on Fox Footy’s post-match. King said:

“It exposes the poor history they’ve had at the draft, I just don’t think they’ve recruited enough match winners.

It’s evident now when you lose the magic men Izak Rankine and Taylor Walker, all issues come to the fore. Who was going to win that game from them? It was (Jordan) Dawson, who else? (Darcy) Fogarty was good.

In the last say five or six drafts, who else? I think they’ve got a full club issue. It’s not just the way they’re playing or just the performance, I think it’s deeper than that.”

In the loss to Richmond, the Crows conceded six goals in a decisive third quarter after losing clearances (-8) and inside 50s (-10) in the second half. King believes that the Tigers dominating the middle of the grounds showed just how much talent is lacking in the Adelaide Crows midfield especially.

“They’re light on where the game is separated in the end. That first 15 minutes off the third quarter they were hammered out of the middle and couldn’t stand up behind the ball.

It’s back to the draft for some of those acquisitions to get the game breakers and guys who really shift the course of AFL matches. They just don’t have them.”

---

Adelaide Crows coach speaks on Richmond defeat

Adelaide Crows coach Matthew Nicks

On Thursday night, the Adelaide Crows lost to the Richmond Tigers by eight points on their home ground, dropping them down to 14th place on the ladder.

Crows coach Matthew Nicks in his post-match press conference conceded that his team is low on confidence and “not good enough” to face any real challenges in what has been a tough year. He said:

"We're low on confidence. We've got no excuses. We just need to be better, and at the moment, we're not. We're not good enough.”

Coach Nicks said although the Adelaide Crows were "out of form" and their Finals hopes have dwindled, he stays confident in their list. He ensured supporters that the club would find a way back. He said:

"From a finals point of view, it's going to be very, very tough for us mathematically to get in. It's going to be a tough one for us to turn around, I think we play the top side (Sydney) next week.

My way of working through this is to dig in even harder and continue to work as hard as I do… As a club, that's what we need to do, find a way back."