Kuwarna notched up its seventh win of season 2025 when it beat Waalitj Marawar (West Coast) at Adelaide Oval on Sunday afternoon. 

A tough contest for the first half, Kuwarna broke the game open in the third term, booting seven goals to set up a commanding 66-point victory.

Senior Coach Matthew Nicks addressed the media post-game, and delivered five key takeaways. 

Waalitj Marawar brings the pressure early 

Waalitj Marawar took it right up to Matthew Nicks’ side in the first half, bringing a strong brand of pressure football to trail by just over two goals at the main break. 

Coming off a drought-breaking victory last week, the Eagles carried that momentum to the Adelaide Oval, and proved hard for Kuwarna to shake. 

But after it re-grouped at the main change, Kuwarna came out and took control of the contest, booting seven third quarter goals to help set up the eventual 66-point victory. 

“We weren’t surprised by that (how the Eagles performed early), because we’d seen their form coming in, obviously coming off a win last week,” Nicks said. 

“But even looking at their first halves over the course of the season, they had really brought the pressure, and today we saw exactly that. 

“We probably did invite that pressure a little bit in the first half, and we needed that at half time just to regroup and get back to what is predictable footy for us. 

“So it was a good result for us to get ourselves back, after what was a really disappointing first half.” 

Dawson the catalyst for second-half turnaround

Kuwarna Skipper Jordan Dawson continued his outstanding 2025 campaign with another strong showing on Sunday.

Splitting his time between the midfield and forward line, Dawson impacted throughout the contest, and finished with an equal game-high 27 disposals, 10 score involvements, nine tackles, eight clearances and two goals. 

Nicks explained the influence of his Captain in turning the game around, and reflected on just how valuable his play had been so far this season. 

“He was instrumental, in the first half when it wasn’t quite right he led the half time conversation, and when we did start to get it right he was one of the guys that led from the front,” Nicks said. 

“He went a little bit more forward this week than he had previously and I thought he really impacted, he’s just super important for us. 

“I know he’s rated highly by the industry, that shows up in the coaches’ votes, we watch the game in a lot of detail, and you can see he’s a very well-rounded footballer. 

“I think he’s a respected player among the League and the rest of the players, and he deserves to be spoken about with some of the best.”

Berry stars with career-high day

Midfielder Sam Berry made the most of his first full match of the season, as he recorded a career-high 26 disposals in what was a complete performance. 

Berry featured in the Kuwarna on-ball mix and up forward, the utility made his presence felt throughout the match, and finished with nine tackles, seven score involvements and six marks to go with his career-best possession count. 

Nicks lauded the 23-year-old’s performance and the extra dimension he had added to his game. 

“I thought he was great today, Sam’s done a fantastic job at being that impact player for us over the past couple of weeks and then today I thought he was great across four quarters of footy,” Nicks said. 

“It’s good signs for both him and the development in his game and us, as what he’s doing right now adds another dynamic around the footy. 

“Like any other player, having a second position you can play really rounds out your game, it takes you to another level and there’s no doubt Sam has improved in his ability to play forward. 

“Today there were a couple of moments where he looked like he was really going into impact as a forward, so we’ll continue to work on that and won’t lock him in as just a midfielder.”  

Nicks reveals reasons behind Walker being managed

Kuwarna pulled a late change, with the coaching cohort deciding to manage veteran forward Taylor Walker. 

The 35-year-old was initially named in the squad to take on Waalitj Marawar, but having featured in every game so far this season, and with an eye on the back half of the season, both parties agreed it would be best he sat out of the match.

Nicks revealed how the decision making process went down, with the rest set to benefit both Walker and the team in the long run.

“We made that decision this week, we were actually looking at doing it either this week or next week, and I’m glad we chose this one, because our guys were able to get the job done,” Nicks said.

“He (Tex) is getting towards the latter end of his career, so we looked at it as a chance to really freshen him up and hopefully take him over to Sydney where he will help us have a crack at what is one of the toughest road trips.

“We’d love to play him every week, but we also know that’s not going to work, because we want him at his best and he’ll need a few rests here and there to help him maintain that form for the pointy end of the season.” 

Consistency the key as Kuwarna continues to build

Matthew Nicks’ side finds itself in a strong position after the first 11 weeks of the season, with seven wins under its belt and sitting in fourth spot on the ladder. 

The key to success has been consistency, and reflecting on the start to the season, Nicks said it was pleasing to see the players execute the game plan.

But Nicks and the players know there is still a lot of room for growth. 

“I’m pleased with the consistency of our game, there hasn’t been a game yet where we’ve really dropped off,” Nicks said.

“In saying that though, every game we come out of we know we need to be better in a couple of areas. 

“Moments are big ones, and today especially the big one was being predictable to each other, sticking to our game plan, understanding that it works and trusting each other to get it done.”