Matthew Nicks and Josh Rachele address young forward’s axing from Crows’ R24 team

Crows coach Matthew Nicks says he has Josh Rachele’s back after his shock axing, and the young forward has addressed liking an Instagram comment that suggested he may leave Adelaide.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 19: Josh Rachele of the Crows leave the ground after losing the round six AFL match between Adelaide Crows and Essendon Bombers at Adelaide Oval, on April 19, 2024, in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

• The real reason Crows dumped Rachele

Adelaide young gun Josh Rachele says he fully understands why he has been dropped and that it does not affect his long-term future.

Rachele has been a major talking point after surprisingly getting dropped for the Crows season-ending game against Sydney on Saturday night for putting himself ahead of the team.

Speaking for the first time since his omission, the 21-year-old told Channel 7 he was very remorseful but was now focused on playing his role in the SANFL on Saturday.

While some commentators cautioned Adelaide to tread warily with Rachele ahead of a six-month off-season break, the small forward remained committed to the club with five years remaining on his contract.

“Obviously I’m disappointed with how last week turned out,” said Rachele, who thrust himself into the spotlight by making a toothless pre-Showdown barb to Port Adelaide supporters and then pointing to his teeth in a solo celebration in front of Power fans.

“One of our main values as a club is prioritising others and it was something that I didn’t do last week and over a couple of other things too.

“I understand fully and I’ll go out tomorrow and put my best foot forward.”

Rachele says he has no doubts about his future at the Crows. Picture: Mark Stewart

Asked if his omission affected his long-term future, Rachele said: “No, not at all”.

“I absolutely love the club, love my teammates and my future is to be here at the Adelaide Crows”.

Rachele raised eyebrows in the wake of his axing when his Instagram account liked a comment that said: “Just so you know, us crows fans are here for you rash. Disgusting what the club is doing hanging you out to dry. Would not blame you for asking for a trade mate.”

But the Victorian, who Adelaide took at pick 6 in the 2021 national draft, was adamant that was an honest mistake.

“That was an accident,” he said.

“I was actually on my own Instagram feed and a few people were liking good things, and I wanted to like that, and it was actually the one underneath.

“I love the football club, they’ve invested in me heavily and I’m contracted here for a while.”

Amid intense debate and attention about the Crows’ call, Rachele said he was going well.

“I’ve got a lot of love and support from everyone – my family, my girlfriend, the club,” he said.

“I’m very lucky to have that support base.”

Rachele won’t play in the last game of the Crows’ season. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Earlier, Crows coach Matthew Nicks stressed he had Rachele’s back in the wake of his axing.

Fronting the media for a second time in three days, Nicks said the omission was “nothing to do with the way Josh celebrates” nor was isolated to recent events.

The fifth-year coach would not go into detail about what Rachele was doing wrong but said the team’s decision was “about values and the standards we are looking to uphold consistently”.

“Central to that is being team-first,” Nicks said.

“It’s not really a decision in the end because when you’re dealing with values, there’s no decision to be made.

“Josh and I have had a number of conversations.

“This is something we’ve been working on for a long period of time now, not just Josh and I, but the team … about what it is we stand for.

“It’s a fine line between what we accept and don’t as a football club and football team.

“If we want to be serious about those values, we’ve got to live up to those … otherwise they’re just words.”

Nicks said the club has Rachele’s back. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Nicks said the team loved Rachele’s energy, enthusiasm, passion and enjoyment.

He said the 21-year-old had been fantastic since receiving “complete clarity” on the reasons for his axing and that Rachele quickly turned his focus to what role he needed to play in the SANFL this weekend.

“He and I are on the same page about what played out,” Nicks said.

“He knows I’ve got his back and will always have Josh’s back.

“I’ve got every player’s back, especially in times that are tough.

“I’ve got no doubt he’ll be a leader of our footy club in the near future.

“Right now we’re making sure he is the leader that we want others to follow.”

Nicks was also quizzed about Mark Keane, whom he guaranteed had not walked out of the club in returning to Ireland for personal reasons.

Keane, who has played 26 games for the Crows over the past two seasons since joining the club from his homeland, has been linked with a second stint at Collingwood.

“He has our full support, he’s gone back to be with his family,” Nicks said.