Club chief executive Tim Silvers endorsed Nicks. “We have seen the on-field improvement and he has developed a game plan we firmly believe will stand up to the pressures of finals footy.”

There is no evidence to support how well-prepared the Crows are for September. Today, Adelaide have eight wins, three fewer than last season. The Crows are in the bottom four, again forced to be spectators in September.

Rarely has a club damaged itself in the aftermath of a grand final loss as Adelaide did from 2017. That controversial pre-season camp left a trail of shattered careers, broken relationships, a coaching change and distraught players.

“I was put into a situation that was psychologically and culturally unsafe. I’ll live with this shame for the rest of my life,” wrote former Crow Eddie Betts in his autobiography.

Coach Don Pyke stepped down in 2019, paving the way for Nicks to start his senior coaching career with a full-scale rebuild of the playing squad.

Controversy persisted in 2021 when former captain and Adelaide’s most-influential player, Taylor Walker, was suspended for six games after making a racist comment about North Adelaide player Robbie Young during a SANFL match where Walker was a spectator.

Despite the best intentions with the rebuild, their five-year plan has faltered, derailed by questionable drafting and list management decisions.

In the 2018 national draft, the Crows chose wingman/half-back Chayce Jones with pick No.9, overlooking Zak Butters, who was taken at pick 12. Butters is now an All-Australian with Port Adelaide. In the same draft, the Crows used pick 16 on fringe player Ned McHenry.

The 2019 draft is worse in hindsight for Adelaide. They selected now-retired key defender Fischer McAsey at pick No.6, bypassing Fremantle stars Hayden Young (No.8) Caleb Serong (No.9). Meanwhile, Melbourne chose small forward Kysaiah Pickett – now a premiership player – from the SANFL at pick 12 and Hawthorn snagged South Australian standout Will Day at 13.

Adelaide did not miss with Riley Thilthope at pick two in 2020. Despite some injury concerns, the key forward is emerging as a genuine star. However, in the same year the Crows took Glenelg’s Luke Pedler with pick 11. He has struggled to find a regular place in Adelaide’s best 22 and this season has been derailed by injury.

In 2021, Adelaide opted for small forward Josh Rachele with their first pick at No.6.

While Silvers insists Nicks has implemented a game style capable of withstanding the pressures of September, the coach must shoulder some of the blame for the club’s continued failings.

Nicks has been out-coached too often this season. In round three, he had no answers for Geelong’s Tom Stewart, who took 10 intercept marks. The problem repeated at the other end of the ground in round 20 when Nicks misread the match-up against Jeremy Cameron, who dominated with six goals.

Too often Nicks ignores the opposition’s best midfielder. In Saturday’s Showdown, Butters collected a record 42 possessions and 10 clearances.

He was too slow to thrust Izak Rankine into the midfield and often played inside midfielders such as Sam Berry as small forwards.

His decision to play four tall forwards in the round 21 loss against Hawthorn was equally perplexing.

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The goal umpiring error against Sydney last year not only cost Adelaide a finals spot, it also created a distraction from the Crows’ own failures. They trailed by 32 points at three-quarter-time in a must-win home game.

The key issues from Adelaide’s loss to Port Adelaide on Saturday similarly have been overshadowed by the sickening bump from Dan Houston on Rankine. It’s another distraction for a Crows team that, despite being nearly at full health, was dominated at the clearances by 14 and out-tackled by 17.

With a winning rate of less than 35 per cent it is doubtful Nicks would have survived if the club had not extended his contract in March.

Nicks vowed not to be a spectator again this September. He will be doing just that after the weekend. After seven seasons of mediocrity, distractions, controversy and mishaps, patience at West Lakes must be wearing thin.