Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks has opened up about the off-season effort which put the club in a “really good position” ahead of season 2021. 

During Wednesday’s Crows Live broadcast, Nicks said COVID-19 border closures and a keen playing group meant many stuck around over Christmas to put themselves through their paces. 

“The way we finished the season in 2020 was really positive,” he said. 

“We had a group that was hungry to get better.

“I watched them put their bodies through some really tough training throughout the break.

“We’ve come back in really good condition and put ourselves in a really good position to get our footy right.”

Nicks said consistency would be the side’s main goal in 2021 after upward momentum at the end of last season. 

“The last six games (of 2020) we were quite proud of what we put out on the field,” he said. 

“That’s our goal for this year… to put out a performance on the field that our members and supporters can be proud of.

“But also one where you walk off head held high, confident that you put everything on the park and left nothing to chance.”

Nicks has been buoyed by the appointments of highly-regarded Geelong mentor James Rahilly and experienced assistant Scott Burns from Hawthorn.

The return of former captain Nathan van Berlo to Nicks’ team was also hailed by the Senior Coach. 

“We’ve got immense experience in Scott Burns, and and Rahilly bringing some IP from a really high-quality Club,” he said. 

“To have Nathan - a legend of the club and former captain with outstanding character - working in our midfield is going to be really positive going forward.”