AFL 2023: Izak Rankine stuns with five goals in intra-club but midfield questions remain unanswered
Matthew Nicks has built a strong contested game during his time — but his midfield lacks hurt factor and polish. But several youngster are set to help change that.
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Who can help Adelaide’s midfield?
Matthew Nicks’ new-look forward-line will create some problems for opposition teams this year, but that’s a question even the Crows don’t have a definitive answer for yet.
“We’re not dead set on what the 22 looks like in Round 1,” senior assistant coach Scott Burns admitted after the club’s internal trial on Friday.
“We flicked it around in the midfield a fair bit today. Probably the main mids started off early but we flicked it up very quickly.”
Rory Laid, Sam Berry and Josh Rachele started at the first centre bounce for the strong side at Richmond Oval, with Izak Rankine quick to swap with his new forward sidekick Rachele, in a glimpse of how the Crows might bring some much-needed x-factor to the onball group this year.
Harry Schoenberg, Jake Soligo and Ben Keays were other key midfield cogs for the ‘blue’ team in the four-quarter hitout.
Matt Crouch, Tyler Brown and Jackson Hately did most of the early work for the yellow side, with impressive second-year midfielder Zac Taylor also highlighting his footy smarts around the ball.
In Nicks’ time in charge, Adelaide’s midfield has built a solid contested game, and it’s a group that hunts the ball and body.
But the grunt work is often let down by ball use and a lack of ability to really hurt the opposition going forward.
The addition of Rachele, Rankine and Soligo to the centre-bounce mix on a more regular basis in 2023 should help address some of those deficiencies.
“There’s some talent there, some very good ball use, and all three of those players are exceptionally clean at ground level too,” Burns said, as he confirmed the Rachele-Rankine one-two punch was part of their 2023 plans.
After a blistering debut season as a forward, Rachele – the club’s prized draft pick from 2021 – declared the midfield is his goal.
“Most of the pre-season this year was about getting thrown into the centre bounces and having a few spurts onball,” he said on SEN.
“Obviously having Rankine in there as well has made it easier to have those transitions and the dynamics between us two which can kind of throw out the defenders a bit better this year.
“Going on from yesterday (the internal), it looks like that I’ll play a lot of CB (centre bounce) work and then yeah, long term that’s the aim, to play in the midfield.”
A few highlights from the first half 🎥#weflyasonepic.twitter.com/vj38DwsgxM
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) February 17, 2023
The continued development of Berry and Schoenberg will also help take the group where it needs to go.
Burns has watched them grow on the track over summer but he was pleased to see the pair take that first proper step on the field this year.
‘We’ve seen it at pre-season training but to come out here today, when they went into the yellow jumpers, they certainly turned the game a few times,” he said.
But significant questions still remain.
Does their rise officially relegate Crouch to another year in the SANFL?
“Not necessarily,” Burns answered when quizzed after the game.
“Crouchy I thought was very good in there today, he’s had a great pre-season, he’s super fit.
“We really need to use the next two weeks of proper match games to really identify who can really help us out in the first one to two rounds.”
Crouch is out-of-contract at the end of the season and, after missing all of 2021 with groin issues, played just 11 senior games last year and was dropped to the state league three times.
He was busy on Friday afternoon, and hit the scoreboard early in the second half after switching to the stronger team.
Earlier this month, Nicks told News Corp Crouch had worked hard on fixing the issues that saw him demoted in 2022, and was training “extremely well”.
“He’s got areas of his game that we were working on last year that were tough for Matt,” Nicks said.
“We are still working on them and he has demonstrated some real growth in those areas, mostly that was around the ability to really get going on offence.
“So it is a credit to Matt that he has been able to really put his head down and get the work in.
“But there is quite a battle in that midfield and it is exciting to watch. There are a lot of guys who are keen to get their hands in there and get them dirty and do the work around stoppage.
“Matty is one of them for us.”
Then there’s the height issue, with Adelaide out muscled and manoeuvred by bigger bodies on numerous occasions last year – think Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps (195cm), Giant Tom Green (191cm) and Demon Clayton Oliver (189cm).
Hately is the only player mentioned above listed at more than 185cm – Crouch, Berry, Rachele, Schoenberg, Laird, Soligo and Rankine all measure in at 181cm or less.
It’s why former Magpie Tyler Brown (192cm), who won the first two clearances of the game for the yellow side, might get his chance this season.
“Tyler has been exceptional,” Burns said.
“Some of the inside work he’s done, he’s been very clean, you know there’s x-factor there too, in a sense he’s 6’2-6’3 and can certainly take a mark. There’s a few things to like.”
The Crows will be hoping to find more answers when they travel to WA next week ahead of practice matches against Fremantle on Friday and West Coast on March 3.
Burns says they haven’t gone through exactly what they will do when picking the teams for both games, but knows there isn’t a lot of time to get it right.
“At this stage, I’d say we probably need the eight quarters to make sure we are cherry ripe for Round 1, so we will be doing all we can to prioritise players who we think need game time,” he said.
Intra-club: Rankine shines, Soligo ready to rise
- Jordan Pinto
Adelaide’s headline act for 2023 was a hit on opening day, with Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele giving fans a taste of what to expect from a new-look attack in the club’s internal trial on Friday afternoon.
Rankine, who booted 29 majors for the Suns last year, kicked five in three quarters, before having his workload managed in the final term.
Lining up in a full-strength blue side, Rachele started at the opening centre bounce and wasted little time getting his hands on the ball through the middle of the ground.
His partner in crime Rankine started forward, and had an early goal after proving far too quick on the lead, but the dynamic duo were quick to swap, with the prized recruit also making his mark in the midfield.
The pair were dangerous all afternoon, all over the ground.
They found space at will in the forward half and proved too hard to get a hand on in traffic, as their clean and quick hands came to the fore.
“He’s obviously a class player, he’s fit in really well…he got some nice clearances and he’s obviously a handful when he goes forward,” Crows senior assistant coach Scott Burns said of Rankine post-match.
“It’s a nice little forward-line we’ve got down there with some senior experience with Tex, Fog’s really taken the next step…(Josh) Rachele, (Jake) Soligo.
“(Luke) Pedlar was very good at times. He’s certainly a very good kick on goal and he competes as hard as anyone
“There’s a bit of talent up there, not just Izak, there’s players in supporting roles who can be a handful as well.”
LEADING THE WAY
Jordan Dawson will lead a five-man Adelaide leadership group in 2023, with coach Matthew Nicks confirming the news on Friday night.
Rory Sloane is the only change as he steps down from the official role altogether.
Dawson, confirmed as the club’s ninth captain last week, heads a group that also features Tom Doedee, Ben Keays, Reilly O’Brien and Brodie Smith.
And during the four-quarter affair at Richmond Oval, he was the general, setting up the blue side behind the ball, and mopping up everything that came his way.
As it was during his first year at the club, the 25-year-old’s ball-use was precise and deliberate as the go-to player from defence.
He may have not been as vocal as a few others, but it’s hard to measure the impact his decision making and self-assurance has on his teammates.
ANOTHER LEVEL
In the opening minute of the first quarter, Jake Soligo pushed up from half-forward, got his hands on the ball and hit a leading Taylor Walker on the chest with a spearing pass.
Something happened every time he went near the ball and he looks ready to build on an impressive 16-game debut season.
Sam Berry was another young Crow to make his mark last year, leading the competition for tackles, and building his endurance base to make a midfield role his own.
He would’ve been one of the leading tacklers out there on Friday and, more importantly for his development, won plenty of his own ball after starting at the opening centre bounce.
His floating kick out of bounds, as the Crows were trying to attack in an orchestrated come-from-behind scenario, highlighted where he needs to improve, though.
The pressure was up, and it may have been the first competitive hitout of the summer, but he wasn’t the Crow to make a simple skill error.
BATTLE FOR THE WING
Chayce Jones was probably the most surprising omission from the stronger side, after playing 20 games last season.
With Wayne Milera and Will Hamill taking their spot at half-back, and Rory Sloane and Mitch Hinge starting on the wing, Jones was the unlucky one to miss out.
And he played like someone set on proving he doesn’t belong there.
Jones cannoned in to Hinge with eyes only for the ball early in the second term and he brought down Shane McAdam with a lunging tackle, after the forward got out the back and was running into goal.
He swapped sides in the second-half, with Matt Crouch also joining him in the stronger blue team – switching with Harry Schoenberg – after half-time.
Burns praised Jones’ performance after the game and declared the 23-year-old was still “right around the mark” ahead of the trip to Perth for practice games against Fremantle and West Coast.
A week after relinquishing the captaincy, Sloane bobbed in-and-out of the game, bursting out of congestion inside-50 to set up Ben Keays for an easy goal, and streaming out of defence, taking two bounces to launch a counterattack later in the piece.
In a terrific sign, the 32-year-old got through four quarters and his on-field presence is a huge boost for a young Crows side.
But can he have enough influence away from the onball rotation?
ROUND 1 READY?
Luke Pedlar looks set to take his place against the Giants in the opening round, and keep Ned McHenry and Lachie Murphy out of the side, after the explosive 20-year-old started at half-forward alongside Rankine.
Although his impact was limited, there were glimpses of his penetrating left-foot and toughness, and, after a standout summer on track, an injury-free Pedlar has made his case.
Despite Taylor Walker’s glowing comments on radio recently, father-son draftee Max Michalanney might not be ready for a Round 1 debut, however,
Even with Josh Worrell sitting out the first-half, the teenager started in the yellow side as Dawson, Jordan Butts, Nick Murray, Tom Doedee, Hamill and Milera formed the back-six for the stronger side.
NEW COLOURS
Playing on the yellow team, SSP signing Tyler Brown won the first two clearances of the day and showed the strength of his hands in tight numerous times.
Another former Magpie, Mark Keane also showed why the Crows convinced him to restart his AFL career at West Lakes.
He took kick-ins for the yellow team, marked strongly and even showed off his unique Irish skillset, kicking the ball up to himself at pace, before finding a teammate.
Defender Jordan Butts copped a knock and Murray and Keane were also managed late in the hitout, but the Crows reported no new injuries.
Andrew McPherson (knee), Brayden Cook (calf) and Paul Seedsman (inactive list) were the only AFL-listed players who didn’t take part in the match.
NEW ROLE SET TO UNLOCK TOP DRAFTEE’S POTENTIAL
Simeon Thomas-Wilson
It has taken him two years to build the base his body has required and now Luke Pedlar is ready to make his mark in the AFL.
The No. 11 pick of the 2020 Draft has managed just five games for the Crows over the past two years, with two of these as an unused medical sub.
It is the third lowest out of the top 11 from his draft year.
Out of the 22 players who were taken after Pedlar that year, 14 have either played more games or matched his total.
“I think it has taken me two years to get a bit of a base with some of the injuries that I’ve carried over the last two years,” Pedlar told News Corp.
“But now I’m in a great place and hopefully it can set up my year and (I) play some consistent footy at AFL level.”
A power athlete and a tackling machine when he gets going, Pedlar has had to deal with ankle, adductor and shoulder injuries since he was drafted by the Crows from Glenelg and Prince Alfred College – having grown up in Kingston in South Australia’s southeast.
“Yeah a little bit different to a few of my peers, I was probably in a bit of a different boat with my body,” he said.
“A lot more strength work and core with the way I play, I needed a bit more of a baseline before I could go out and play the way I want to.
“So there is a lot behind the scenes with recovery and prep to train, I do a bit of a different prep to everyone else before training.”
Now that he has that base his body desperately needed Pedlar has been one of the standouts of Adelaide’s pre-season so far.
Drafted as a midfielder, he is getting closer and closer to locking in a spot in the Crows 22 as a smaller forward.
“I think for us right now I think it is a spot that is available and I can play some good footy there and I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“I’ve trained in that position all pre-season and maybe later on in the year I will integrate back into the midfield but where I have got my body right now and my match awareness it is good for me in that position.”
So impressive has Pedlar been in this role that Crows senior coach Matthew Nicks name checked him in a recent interview with News Corp as one of the Adelaide players he was the most excited about seeing in action at AFL level this year.
“It is great to hear,” Pedlar said.
“I have worked pretty hard the last couple of years and it is good to get a bit of recognition now and hopefully I can prove him right and play some good footy for him out on the field.”
While Pedlar has barely featured at AFL level, housemate Sam Berry, taken at pick 28, has been ever-present for the Crows over the past two years with 35 games.
Pedlar said he was excited about the prospect of playing with Berry.
“We love playing with each other and watching him over the last couple of years and especially last year and his breakout season which was great to see. Hopefully we can play alongside each other this year and have some success,” he said.
“He got exposed to AFL quite early on and his body was in a good place. He was training well.
“He has a great routine and how he is around home. I try and copy him a bit, eat well and recover when we need to and try and get away from footy and muck around and take our mind off things when we need.
“But watching him travel last year and play good footy away then come back here and play good footy it was a bit of an eye opener and made me more determined to fast track my development and get my body to that place where I can play AFL footy consistently.”
The two also travelled to Europe together, along with some other Crows players, in the recent off-season.
Pedlar concedes that initially he was wary about leaving the country when he felt he needed to put in work in Australia.
But he now says it was behind his strong pre-season to date.
“At the back-end of last year where I was with my footy career I hadn’t had the season that I wanted and what I would have liked,” he said.
“So going away it wasn’t really what I wanted but then I had a chat to some people at the club and they said it was a great opportunity to get my mind off things.
“It was about three and a bit weeks, we trained as much as we could over there and came back in a great position to train with the group.”
TRACK WATCH: BIG BOOST FOR SLOANE’S ROUND 1 HOPES
Former Adelaide captain Rory Sloane will take part in the Crows’ internal trial and is also intending to feature in upcoming practice matches in Perth in a boost for his round 1 prospects.
Sloane relinquished the Crows captaincy to Jordan Dawson on Saturday, after leading the club as a solo skipper since 2020.
Sloane has been recovering from a torn ACL, suffered against Richmond in round 5 of the 2022 season.
Sloane was training on Wednesday without a non-contact hat and was heavily involved in match simulation at West Lakes on Wednesday.
Crows midfield coach Nathan van Berlo said Sloane would take part in the internal trial at Richmond Oval.
“It is really exciting for Rory, he has done a mountain of work throughout his rehab,” he said.
“And to his credit, knowing the person that Sloaney is, he has done everything to the letter and he is ready to go.
“It might be surprising to some but to us here, seeing how he has gone about it, it isn’t.“Seeing him with a smile on his face at training, he is one of the most vocal at training, always has been and always will be and to see him out there playing again I know it is going to reinvigorate him and the boys as well.”
He is one of the most vocal at training, always has been and always will be, and to see him out there playing again I know it is going to reinvigorate him and the boys as well.”
Van Berlo said coaches were yet to confirm just how many minutes Sloane will play, but the intention is for the club’s former skipper to feature when the Crows head to Perth to take on West Coast and Fremantle in trial and practice matches.
“The next body of work now with the internal trial and with a couple of practice games will be important for the whole group, and hopefully Sloaney can get a body of work in there and it will look after itself,” he said.
“I think that is the intention at the moment (that he plays in the trial games). We will have to see how he goes after the internal trial and what we plan for the boys over the next couple of weeks.”
In other observations from the Crows’ Wednesday training session:
• The Crows gave a big indication of who they have in mind for their midfield when they split into lines for a drill. After being deployed at halfback and half-forward at times this pre-season, Sloane was in the midfield group on Wednesday.
“He has been playing largely through the midfield, but he has the ability to play behind the ball, ahead of the ball, inside and wing,” van Berlo said.
Chayce Jones was also in the midfield group, and looks to be in line for a spot on the wing, while Jake Soligo was back in that line after spending time at half-forward this pre-season.
When they went into match-sim the Crows also gave a big hint as to where Matt Crouch fits in their midfield. With Sam Berry sick, but expected to be OK for the internal trial, Crouch was joined by Rory Laird and Harry Schoenberg as the three on-ballers for the blue team.
That looks to be where Crouch sits in the Crows midfield pecking order, behind Laird, Berry and Schoenberg.
Josh Rachele and Izak Rankine were also rotated through the midfield with Ben Keays playing as a deep forward at times.
• The Crows dropped another big hint by using Riley Thilthorpe in their midfield and ruck group.
In an exclusive interview with News Corp, Matthew Nicks revealed that the Crows were looking at deploying the former No. 2 pick more around the ground rather than as a key forward in 2023.
In match sim Thilthorpe and Reilly O’Brien went head-to-head in the ruck with Kieran Strachan playing as a key forward.
Van Berlo said it was something the Crows were keen to explore in 2023.
“Riley’s unique asset is for a guy his size he can run all day, his ability to free himself up from his opponent and launch at the footy makes him very difficult to play against and his ground level follow up is elite for a big guy,” he said.
“So that skillset is something we have definitely explored around can he spent some more minutes around the footy.
“He certainly enjoys doing that, he loves to play forward as well, so we will look to manage him at times and expose him at over times in that regard to grow his game.”
Van Berlo said he didn’t know whether Thilthorpe would end up as a ruck or as a key forward.
“I don’t know where we see him, to be honest, and it is pretty exciting overall,” he said.
“As he develops he might develop into this key forward who wants to have this presence ahead of the ball.”
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