The Lowdown: Simeon Thomas-Wilson’s likes and dislikes from Round 24

Esava Ratugolea hadn’t worked down back this year, then was thrown forward and provided a spark, now he’s again ineffective. So will he be out there for the final against his former side?

The regular season is over and only one South Australian side still has more football to play in 2024.

SIMEON THOMAS-WILSON unpacks the likes and dislikes from Round 24.

DISLIKES

1. WINNING FIXES EVERYTHING

Footy clubs always say they hate hypotheticals but let’s play one here. Just say either the Crows actually won the Showdown and Josh Rachele played the exact same way he did and did that celebration to the Port Adelaide fans. Or let’s say the Crows were sitting maybe sixth on the ladder and assured of a finals spot. In the first hypothetical would Rachele have been dropped for the Sydney game? You would have to think probably not, while in the second would there be such a backlash from Crows fans to the decision? Again you would think not.

Josh Rachele of the Crows gestures to his teeth after scoring a goal in the Showdown. Picture: Getty Images

But the Crows lost the Showdown and will finish 15th in a year in which they promised so much and delivered so little. A month ago at Adelaide Oval, Jack Ginnivan did pretty much nothing for three quarters against the Crows but then kicked two junk time goals and absolutely ripped into the home crowd. It followed on from him inciting the fans of his former club Collingwood the previous week. Given their talent, positions and propensity for a big celebration there have been similarities raised between Rachele and Ginnivan since the Crow was dropped.

Jack Ginnivan celebrates in front of Crows fans. Picture: Getty Images

Especially since after leaving Collingwood Ginnivan is now celebrated as being part of a Hawks side that is encouraged to be themselves and have fun. But the gestures to the Pies crowd was after one of the great games by a player this season, and perhaps most importantly the Hawks are and have been winning – the Crows have not.

2. KEEP IT IN-HOUSE

West Coast premiership player Will Schofield is one of the analysts in footy who hasn’t been that long out of clubland, and because of that gives him a good insight into how clubs should have handled an issue. And he has been scathing of the way the Crows’ senior players spoke about Rachele and the issues he might have at West Lakes in public. First Rory Laird, who is one of the Crows players you would expect to give quite vanilla answers, said what Rachele did pre-Showdown “was a bit misaligned as to how we approach games”. Schofield said that was a conversation you have “never outside” of your footy club. And then when captain Jordan Dawson said Rachele unnecessarily riled up Power players and fans Schofield tweeted “this is about as bad as you could handle this”. It is already going to be an off-season in which plenty of questions were going to be asked about the Crows, these comments ensured a lot more are thrown at them. Laird might be among Crows greats such as Mark Ricciuto, Andrew McLeod and Simon Goodwin as three-time Malcolm Blight Medal winners but every mistake or potentially questionable action on Saturday night was quickly highlighted on social media.

Esava Ratugolea’s best position remains up in the air. Picture: Getty Images

3. STILL A ‘SAVY’ CHOICE?

Is the Esava Ratugolea stint up forward starting to look like more of a cameo rather than a solution for the Power? Yes he does provide a contest consistently, but he just seems to be too quiet in terms of his impact on the game outside of that. Against the Dockers on Sunday he finished with six disposals, four marks and three tackles – as well as setting up Jason Horne-Francis for a goal but a lot of that was to do with some diabolic Fremantle defending – and that almost felt like it was more than the eye test. Charlie Dixon and Todd Marshall should be back for the qualifying final against Ratugolea’s former side Geelong next week, making this probably the big question around the Power’s team for the start of its finals campaign. A plus for Ratugolea could be his versatility, as shown as when it looked like Aliir Aliir’s season could be over and he was thrown back into defence.

LIKES

1. MORE THAN A SIGH OF RELIEF

Pre-season Ken Hinkley was adamant that when it came to finals luck was one of the biggest factors in September. The Power copped an injury blow against Fremantle on Sunday when Kane Farrell hurt his hamstring. With Dan Houston suspended that is a big blow for the Power now given Farrell’s ability to set Port up from half-back. But the Power have looked to avoided a potentially finals-defining blow with Aliir Aliir avoiding a serious injury. If you could come up with a list of players the Power could least avoid to have injured in finals Aliir would be right up there so when it looked like he had suffered an Achilles injury in the second quarter at Optus Stadium Port’s premiership chances looked to have suffered a dagger to the heart.

Aliir Aliir avoided serious injury in a relief for the Power. Picture: Getty Images

Houston is a big enough loss and Aliir on top, it would have been hard to see the Power as a serious contender with those two star defenders out. But in what was almost as big as the win over the Dockers, Aliir returned to the game and while he looked slightly hampered by what has been diagnosed as an ankle injury he has a week to recover.

2. SWEET AS

For a little bit it looked like Ivan Soldo was going to be the best recruit by the Power in the off-season by sometime. The former Richmond big man made an impressive start to his career at Alberton, and established himself as the Power’s No. 1 ruckman. It made you wonder just how Jordon Sweet felt after spending so many years behind Tim English at the Western Bulldogs. But often it is about your moment and since Soldo’s knee caused him grips it has been a Sweet life for the former Dog as the Power’s ruck option.

Jordon Sweet. Picture: Getty Images

Sean Darcy was missing and Sweet made all his size on Luke Jackson count and some at Optus Stadium. He finished with 39 hit-outs, 13 disposals, seven tackles, four marks and a goal in a massive performance against the Dockers. It followed on from him getting the better of Reilly O’Brien in the Showdown a week prior and then more than matching it against English when the Power smashed the Dogs at Adelaide Oval. It has been a shrewd recruitment by the Power.

3. 2025 COULD BE A THRILLER

If there is one positive Crows fans can take out of 2024 is that Riley Thilthorpe is on track to be a star of the game. It is well known that Adelaide has not always nailed its high draft picks, but the Crows did not miss with Thilthorpe. Given the Western Bulldogs were able to get access to Jamarra Ugle-Hagan at No. 1, despite the Crows going into the draft with that pick, just who Adelaide was able to get at No. 2 wasn’t as straight forward as it seemed at the time. Logan McDonald was another key forward who impressed in his draft year, while who knows what could have happened if Elijah Hollands didn’t suffer an ACL injury.

Watch out for Riley Thilthorpe in 2025. Picture: Getty Images

But the Crows went with the local lad and it is set to be a decision that rewards them for years to come. He was primed for a breakout year before that pre-season injury, but instead packed on muscle as he became a beast in the gym before he returned. It might not have been a breakout year but it was definitely a promising end of the season for Thilthorpe and one that has him primed to explode in 2025.

AND THE LOWDOWN ON …

Did Sam Powell-Pepper slightly let the cat out of the bag last week? When speaking about his new contract last week the Power leadership group member spoke about how good friend Travis Boak has kept saying to him that he can’t wait to play with him next year when Powell-Pepper returns from his ACL injury. Boak is still unsigned for 2025, but barring a woeful finals series the Power veteran has demonstrated more than enough in 2024 that he can go around for another year.