Nicks defends doctors as Murray and Hall-Kahan return

Nicks defends – Adelaide secured a 75-74 win over Geelong on Thursday night despite a sickening head clash involving Toby Murray and debutant Hugo Hall-Kahan. Coach Matthew Nicks backed the medical staff’s call after both players avoided concussion tests and returned to finis

For Adelaide, the win came with a jolt in the final quarter.

Toby Murray and debutant Hugo Hall-Kahan collided in a sickening head clash during the Crows’ tough 11.9 (75) to 10.14 (74) victory over Geelong on Thursday night. temporarily thinning the Adelaide bench down to one fit man. It was the kind of moment that makes even the most controlled football nerves tighten.

But neither player was forced to sit out for a concussion test. Both returned to play out the match.

Matthew Nicks, Adelaide’s coach, was asked about how the club handled the aftermath. He made it clear he trusts the medical process and insisted Adelaide took no shortcuts.

“(We have) complete trust in our medical group about how they do that and we don’t take any risk in that space,” Nicks said. “Player welfare is first and foremost with that.”

He also suggested the injury for Hall-Kahan was not viewed as something requiring a protocol pause. “I’m led to believe it’s more of just a gash across the nose for Hugo, which just adds a little bit more to his game.”

The conversation around player welfare didn’t stop there. Callum Ah Chee and Jordon Butts both failed to finish Thursday night’s contest with hamstring and calf issues respectively, further adding to Adelaide’s injury toll as the match swung on pressure and details.

Adelaide’s night had its other flashpoints too.

Taylor Walker faces scrutiny after shoving an opponent into a marking contest involving Geelong defender Connor O’Sullivan, with the action sending the Crows skipper, Jordan Dawson, into the contest. The AFL has cracked down on that kind of play in recent times.

Nicks conceded he didn’t have enough of a look to go deeper, but he also acknowledged Walker could be in trouble after the incident. “We had a brief look but we didn’t go back and watch it. I’m hoping there wasn’t much in it,” he said.

“I probably can’t comment on it too much. I haven’t had a good enough look.”

On television broadcasts, former AFL stars Nick Riewoldt and David King suggested Walker would be in some trouble. King said on Kayo Sports: “It’s an absolute no-no, pushing players. You’re not allowed to push players into the traffic like that. He’s in some bother.”

Nicks, when pressed on the punishment risk, kept his answer tightly within what he’d seen. “Not a lot in it but you don’t have to do a lot in that instance.”

Walker did play his part on the scoreboard anyway. On his AFL return, he kicked two crucial goals. Dawson shook off a sore hip from the collision and inspired Adelaide with three majors from 22 disposals.

The win mattered in the standings as much as it did emotionally. It was Adelaide’s first victory over Geelong after six consecutive defeats, lifting the Crows into sixth spot with a 7-5 record ahead of a meeting with the Western Bulldogs next week.

It was also the Crows’ third one-point victory this season, and their seventh game decided by a single-figure margin.

After the final siren, Nicks pointed back to the way his players absorbed the late-game tension and kept executing. “The boys executed under immense pressure and I’m incredibly proud of the way they went about it,” he said. “They deserve the result.”

Adelaide Crows Geelong Matthew Nicks Toby Murray Hugo Hall-Kahan Callum Ah Chee Jordon Butts Taylor Walker Jordan Dawson Connor O'Sullivan AFL match report head clash concussion test Western Bulldogs