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Matthew Nicks responds after Adelaide coach's scathing comment to Ken Hinkley revealed

Nicks and Hinkley were seen in a heated discussion following full time on Saturday.

ben talintyre
Sports Reporter
·4-min read

Adelaide Crows coach Matthew Nicks has addressed what he said to his Port Adelaide counterpart in the aftermath of Saturday night's fiery clash. Clearly furious at Dan Houston's brutal bump on forward Izak Rankine that knocked the Crows star out of the game, Nicks was involved in a heated exchange with Power coach Ken Hinkley after full-time where he was captured by TV cameras telling him that his defender's actions were "a f***ing dog act".

Houston received a five-match ban for his ugly hit that knocked out Rankine at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night, but Port will now take the case to the appeals board. The act made an already bitter encounter between the city rivals even more fiery, with players from both sides continuing to target each other in the fourth term, following the all-in scuffle that erupted after Houston's hit on Rankine.

Pictured Matthew Nicks left and right with Ken Hinkley
Matthew Nicks and Ken Hinkley were seen in a heated discussion following full time on Saturday. Image: Getty/Fox Footy

At full time Nicks was involved in an animated chat with Hinkley but the Crows coach was quick to play down the interaction in the post-match press conference. "Kenny came over and asked about Izak and wished him a speedy recovery and we spoke a bit about finals,” he told reporters.

But veteran AFL reporter Caroline Wilson revealed after the match that cameras caught Hinkley telling Nicks - who worked under him as an assistant at Port from 2013 to 2018 - what he thought of Houston's behaviour. “The retort from Nicks was along the lines of: ‘That was a f***ing dog act’,” Wilson revealed on Channel 9’s Footy Classified.

Izak Rankine was concussed and picked up a shoulder injury from an ugly bump by Dan Houston. Image: Getty
Izak Rankine was concussed from an ugly bump by Dan Houston. Image: Getty

On Wednesday, Nicks was again pressed on what was said between the pair after fresh footage emerged. But Nicks refused to divulge any further details and wouldn't confirm or deny that he labelled Houston's hit on Rankine a “dog act”, stating that he is just happy Rankine is recovering well.

“Apparently someone was lip-reading … but I don’t need to share everything that we spoke about,” Nicks said on Wednesday. “Izak … we’re pleased with how he’s recovered, initially it was a bit of a concern on Saturday night. But he’s in pretty good spirits and that’s really the only concern I’ve had out of it all.”

In a statement after the hearing on Tueday night, Port Adelaide said it would consider its position overnight before deciding on whether to appeal the decision. And on Wednesday, Port announced they had decided to take the case to the appeals board.

The appeals board can overturn a tribunal decision if they find there was an error of law, the decision was unreasonable, the classification of the offence was excessive or the sanction was excessive. And former Carlton and Brisbane player Brendan Fevola believes there is a good chance he will get off entirely as he says the bump was completely legal and within the rules of the game.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - AUG 17: Matthew Nicks, Senior Coach of the Crows talks to Ken Hinkley, Senior Coach of the Power during the 2024 AFL Round 23 match between the port Adelaide Power and the Adelaide Crows at Adelaide Oval on August 17, 2024 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Matthew Nicks played down what he said to Hinkley after full time. Image: Getty

"There’s been an outcry of all these experts saying, ‘Throw the book at him!’ Everyone’s saying 4-6 weeks. Port Adelaide are second on the ladder and they’ve only got a maximum of three games left if they win all their games to a Grand Final. So, if he gets suspended for this, he may miss a Grand Final," Fevola said on Fox FM's Fifi, Fev & Nick Show on Monday.

“I don’t think he should get anything. Now the reason I say this: we're big on concussions and head (injuries) but, you know what, AFL footballers know that you may get concussed in a contact sport that has been played for over 150 years. You go out there and you know you’re going to get hit, somewhere, sometime, in one of the games you’re going to play.

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"He hit him fair and square. In all our rules of the game, if you elect to bump and you hit someone’s head - you’re done, you’re suspended, fair enough. But in the rule book, it doesn't say you can't hip and shoulder. If you hip and shoulder a player, hit him fair and square, don't touch his head, and his head hits the ground… well, that's just s***, that’s unlucky. He (Rankine) got knocked out when he hit the ground."