Adelaide Crows senior coach Matthew Nicks hasn't shied away from growing concerns regarding his side's subpar performances away from home this season, conceding he "can't deny" the criticisms his team is copping after Adelaide's latest road loss.
The Crows fell to Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon, signalling the Crows' sixth loss away from Adelaide Oval in 2023.
On the flipside, Nicks' Crows have won just one game played outside of South Australia; a nailbiting Round 6 victory over Hawthorn at UTAS Stadium.
That 1-6 away record represents a considerable concern as they look to remain in finals contention.
Speaking to the media after his side's 18-point defeat to the Bombers, Nicks admitted there's 'an issue', however, remained confident in his Crows' ability to swing their interstate fortunes as September approaches.
"I can't deny that there's an issue there when we play away," Nicks said post-game on Sunday.
"We played Collingwood at the MCG and we brought an outstanding performance but there is a trend there that we've already looked into and we'll continue to try and improve.
"These things turn quickly. I'm confident that will click. [Our] away form will click. We thought our last effort was a really strong one against Collingwood. This week unfortunately just drops us back. The commentary is valid."
Nicks claimed Adelaide's brains trust has 'turned it upside down' searching for answers, adding that experience plays a role in players' mindsets when playing away from their home deck.
"There's a number of different things we've looked at," he said. "We've turned it upside down trying to find out what it is.
"I've worked with enough teams and we've got experienced people around the footy club that have seen it before. It can click really fast. It comes with youth. When you're performing at home in front of a big crowd it's an environment that you're used to and you train on that deck, the support is there, you get used to that.
"Whereas when you're playing away, we've got guys who've not played at Marvel, last week we had a couple who hadn't played at the MCG. Those are some of the challenges but we're not here to make excuses.
"Today wasn't about the fact we hadn't played a lot of footy at Marvel, it was clear we came with a certain plan and didn't execute it."
Nicks' Crows conceded a whopping 12 first-half majors in what was an offensive clinic held by the Bombers, with Adelaide ultimately surrendering 17 goals en route to the three-goal defeat.
Interstate journeys to face Melbourne and Brisbane are still to confront Adelaide before the season's end, with each fixture between now and the finals truly season-defining.
Sunday's fault saw the Crows slip outside the top-eight to ninth position, as they prepare for a critical Round 18 bout with the GWSGiants back at home this weekend.
