Matthew Nicks

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title: "Matthew Nicks" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["australian-rules-footballers-from-south-australia", "sydney-swans-players", "west-adelaide-football-club-players", "1975-births", "living-people", "australia-international-rules-football-team-players", "adelaide-football-club-coaches", "21st-century-australian-sportsmen", "20th-century-australian-sportsmen"] description: "Australian rules footballer" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Nicks" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Australian rules footballer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox AFL biography"]

Field	Value
name	Matthew Nicks
image	Matthew Nicks, Ade vs. GWS 2022 (52396645580) (cropped).jpg
caption	Nicks addressing Adelaide players, 2022
alt	A fair-skinned bald man in a navy polo speaking to football players
birth_date
birth_place	Adelaide, South Australia
originalteam	West Adelaide (SANFL)
draftpick	No. 21, 1994 draft
debutdate	Round 3, 1996
debutteam
debutopponent
debutstadium	SCG
height	187 cm
weight	88 kg
position	Forward
statsend	2005
years1	1996–2005
club1	Sydney Swans
games_goals1	175 (125)
coachyears1	2020–
coachclub1
coachgames_wins1	122 (55–73–1)
coachstatsend	round 23, 2025
fullname	Matthew Nicks
::

| name = Matthew Nicks | image = Matthew Nicks, Ade vs. GWS 2022 (52396645580) (cropped).jpg | image_size = | caption = Nicks addressing Adelaide players, 2022 | alt = A fair-skinned bald man in a navy polo speaking to football players | birth_date = | birth_place = Adelaide, South Australia | death_date = | death_place = | originalteam = West Adelaide (SANFL) | draftpick = No. 21, 1994 draft | debutdate = Round 3, 1996 | debutteam = | debutopponent = | debutstadium = SCG | height = 187 cm | weight = 88 kg | position = Forward | statsend = 2005 | years1 = 1996–2005 | club1 = Sydney Swans | games_goals1 = 175 (125) | coachyears1 = 2020– | coachclub1 = | coachgames_wins1 = 122 (55–73–1) | coachstatsend = round 23, 2025 | careerhighlights = | fullname = Matthew Nicks

Matthew Nicks (born 13 May 1975) is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current senior coach of the Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football League (AFL). Recruited from West Adelaide in the 1994 national draft, Nicks spent his entire playing career with the Sydney Swans between 1996 and 2005.

Following his retirement, Nicks has had an extensive coaching career. From 2011 to 2018, he was an assistant coach at Port Adelaide and the Greater Western Sydney Giants in 2019. He was appointed the senior coach of Adelaide in October 2019. Under Nicks, the Crows completed the most significant turnaround in AFL history, rising from a 15th-placed finish in 2024 to claiming the minor premiership in the 2025 season.

Playing career

Sydney Swans

Nicks made his Australian Football League debut in 1996 for the Sydney Swans and played a total of 175 games over the next 10 seasons. He retired from AFL football in 2005 after prolonged struggles with injury and illness, including a broken leg in 1995, pneumonia in 2000, a broken finger in 2001 and a stress fracture in his leg in 2005. His second last game was the round 10, 2005 match against at Marvel Stadium in which the Swans came under severe scrutiny from the AFL, in particular from then-CEO Andrew Demetriou and Network 10 commentators Stephen Quartermain, Tim Lane and Robert Walls, over their performance.

Coaching career

Port Adelaide Football Club assistant coach (2011–2018)

Nicks joined the Port Adelaide Football Club in 2011 as a club development coach in an assistant coaching position under senior coach Matthew Primus until the end of 2012 season, during which time the Power struggled towards the bottom part of the ladder, finishing 16th and 14th in 2011 and 2012 respectively. From 2013 to 2015, he served as the club's backline coach under senior coach Ken Hinkley and in 2016, he served as the forwards coach under senior coach Hinkley. In 2017, Nicks was named as Port Adelaide's senior assistant coach under senior coach Hinkley. Nicks left the Port Adelaide Football Club at the end of the 2018 season.

Greater Western Sydney Giants assistant coach (2019)

Nicks joined the GWS Giants as a senior assistant coach under senior coach Leon Cameron for the 2019 season.

Adelaide Football Club senior coach (2020–present)

In October 2019, Nicks was appointed senior coach of the Adelaide Football Club, shortly after previous senior coach Don Pyke announced his departure. Due to a variety of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the club entering a rebuild at his arrival, and the lack of experienced assistant coaches at Adelaide, the Crows under Nicks slumped to a 0–13 start to the 2020 season, leading to Nicks being called “the least supported coach” in Adelaide’s history. He won his first game as Adelaide Football Club senior coach when the Crows defeated by 35 points in round 15, 2020.

In season 2025, he guided not only the club to its first minor premiership since 2017 and also its first finals appearance since that very same season.

Player statistics

: Statistics are correct to end of career |- | 1996 | | 36 || 6 || 2 || 1 || 25 || 11 || 36 || 12 || 8 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 4.2 || 1.8 || 6.0 || 2.0 || 1.3 || 0 |- | 1997 | | 23 || 20 || 6 || 3 || 150 || 99 || 249 || 59 || 26 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 7.5 || 5.0 || 12.5 || 3.0 || 1.3 || 0 |- | 1998 | | 23 || 24 || 10 || 5 || 291 || 138 || 429 || 104 || 42 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 12.1 || 5.8 || 17.9 || 4.3 || 1.8 || 9 |- | 1999 | | 23 || 23 || 9 || 5 || 263 || 123 || 386 || 106 || 26 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 11.4 || 5.3 || 16.8 || 4.6 || 1.1 || 4 |- | 2000 | | 23 || 19 || 13 || 13 || 229 || 86 || 315 || 107 || 29 || 0.7 || 0.7 || 12.0 || 4.5 || 16.6 || 5.6 || 1.5 || 6 |- | 2001 | | 23 || 18 || 16 || 21 || 186 || 70 || 256 || 89 || 32 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 10.3 || 3.9 || 14.2 || 4.9 || 1.8 || 9

- player for the buglers 2018–
2002

| | 23 || 21 || 28 || 18 || 186 || 72 || 258 || 86 || 51 || 1.3 || 0.9 || 8.9 || 3.4 || 12.3 || 4.1 || 2.4 || 3 |- | 2003 | | 23 || 18 || 16 || 11 || 125 || 57 || 182 || 62 || 34 || 0.9 || 0.6 || 6.9 || 3.2 || 10.1 || 3.4 || 1.9 || 0

-
2004

| | 23 || 17 || 14 || 5 || 128 || 56 || 184 || 65 || 36 || 0.8 || 0.3 || 7.5 || 3.3 || 10.8 || 3.8 || 2.1 || 0 |- | 2005 | | 23 || 9 || 1 || 2 || 58 || 27 || 85 || 26 || 22 || 0.1 || 0.2 || 6.4 || 3.0 || 9.4 || 2.9 || 2.4 || 0 |- class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3| Career ! 175 ! 125 ! 84 ! 1641 ! 2380 ! 2023 ! 716 ! 306 ! 0.7 ! 0.5 ! 9.4 ! 4.2 ! 13.6 ! 4.1 ! 1.7 ! 31 |}

Coaching statistics

: Statistics are correct to the end of the 2025 season. ::data[format=table title=""]

Team	Year	Home and Away Season	Finals	Won	Lost	Drew	Win %	Position	Won	Lost	Win %	Result	ADE	2020	ADE	2021	ADE	2022	ADE	2023	ADE	2024	ADE	2025	Total	55	75	1	.420	12th	0	2	–
3	14	0	.176	18th out of 18	-	-	-	-
7	15	0	.318	15th out of 18	-	-	-	-
8	13	0	.381	14th out of 18	-	-	-	-
11	12	0	.478	10th out of 18	-	-	-	-
8	14	1	.348	15th out of 18	-	-	-	-
18	5	0	.783	1st out of 18	0	2	–	Lost to in the Semi Final
::

Notes

:1.Matthew Nicks missed the round 8 game against Carlton due to contracting COVID-19, senior assistant coach Scott Burns was appointed interim senior coach in his absence.

References

References

1. (15 October 2019). "Nicks appointed Senior Coach". [[Adelaide Football Club]].
2. (2005). "AFL Record 2005: Guide to Season".
3. "Official AFL Website of the Adelaide Crows Football Club".
4. (2025-09-08). "'Haven't even thought about that': Crows won't contemplate straight-sets exit".
5. "MATTHEW NICKS".
6. (10 August 2005). "Loyal Nicks forced to call it quits".
7. {{Ref AFL Encyc. 4th. 483
8. (3 June 2005). "A new face after Roos loses faith". [[Sydney Morning Herald]].
9. (30 May 2005). "Ugly Swans' flag hopes at half-mast". [[Sydney Morning Herald]].
10. (29 March 2018). "Nicks’ homecoming behind enemy lines".
11. (21 June 2020). "From Port to Adelaide, Gold Coast Suns complete the grand slam". The Roar.
12. "Matthew Nicks". Port Adelaide Football Club.
13. (6 August 2018). "Two AFL assistant coaches to depart Port".
14. (27 August 2018). "Matthew Nicks Joins GIANTS".
15. (October 15, 2019). "Nicks says Crows will go on the attack".
16. (15 October 2019). "Adelaide Crows announce Matthew Nicks as new coach".
17. (15 October 2019). "Nicks appointed Senior Coach".
18. (14 October 2019). "Adelaide Crows new coach revealed to be Matthew Nicks".
19. SEN. (August 3, 2020). "Is Nicks Adelaide's Most "Least Supported Coach" Ever?".
20. Fox Sports Staff. (August 1, 2020). "Crows coach declares club took 'big step backwards' in horror loss to Roos".
21. McGowan, Marc. (1 September 2020). "Disaster averted as Crows break drought against Hawks". Australian Football League.
22. "AFL Tables – Matthew Nicks statistics".
23. "AFL Tables – Matthew Nicks – Coaching Record". afltables.com.
24. (2022-05-05). "'A thousand anti-vaxxers coming at me': AFL star targeted online after health scare". ABC News.

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