Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks says he has no hard feelings towards departing midfielder Rory Atkins, declaring the club simply wasn’t in a position to offer him a long-term deal.

Atkins informed the Crows late last week that he would explore his free-agency options at the end of the AFL season.

The 26-year-old has played just four games this season – and only one match since round three.

Gold Coast have emerged as a potential suitor for Atkins, who has played 101 games for the Crows since making his debut in 2015.

“He was after a long-term deal, and at this point in time we weren’t able to offer that,” Nicks said.

“For him to come to me in the end and let me know – I was really pleased that he was open about that.

“It does make it tough from this point on for him trying to be around the group, but we wish him all the best for whatever the future holds for him.

“Rory and I have had a very open dialogue right throughout the season around a number of areas – just where we’re heading, the values we have, the way we play footy.

“So no I wasn’t shocked (he decided to leave).”

The Crows are in the midst of a club-worst 16-match losing run, with three of those defeats coming at the tail end of last year.

Adelaide will be aiming to snap that horror run when they play Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday night.