Adelaide internal trial: Crows head to Port Pirie for latest pre-season session

Plenty scoffed when Matthew Nicks said Josh Rachele was having the best pre-season he’d ever seen a player have. But as SIMEON THOMAS-WILSON reports, Nicks wasn’t exaggerating. See his track notes from Port Pirie here.

Usually internal trials don’t mean much.

Try telling that to several key Crows who used a Friday hitout at Port Pirie to press their claims for a round 1 berth.

While there are still plenty of big challenges to come, there were signs Adelaide’s 2025 might be more positive than last season when the blowtorch was turned on coach Matthew Nicks in particular.

The club’s recruitment has been long criticised, but Alex Neal-Bullen and James Peatling dominated on Friday.

Peatling’s former teammate at GWS Isaac Cumming also impressed.

Crows fans were left enraged when Josh Rachele was dropped for the final game last season, and there was some scepticism when Nicks said he was having the best pre-season he has seen.

Jake Soligo looks up field. Picture: Adelaide FC.

But Rachele showed that Nicks’ comments might not have been hyperbole as he kicked three goals in the first half at Port Pirie when the Crows’ A and B teams were pitted against each other.

Even with Izak Rankine in Perth for the Indigenous All Stars clash, there was plenty that stood out for the Crows’ best side when the heat was turned up.

Sometimes an internal trial can be scrappy and a bit ugly, but it was pure domination from the blue A side in the first half.

Even with the wind in their face to begin with, they just dominated and by halftime the lead was at 79-points.

In the second half the Crows switched up the teams so their strongest forward and back lines went up against each other.

But ahead of the real opponents coming next week, starting with Port Adelaide in Mount Barker, the signs were optimistic for Nicks and plenty at the Crows.

WHO MISSES ROUND 1 WITH RANKINE TO COME?

Apart from Rankine and Lachie Sholl, who was out with a knee injury, it was the Crows’ full strength side that took to the field to begin with as the blue team.

Alongside captain Jordan Dawson at the first centre bounce were Peatling, Jake Soligo and Reilly O’Brien.

Cumming and Chayce Jones were on the wings.

The blue starting backline was Mark Keane, Josh Worrell, Wayne Milera, Max Michalanney and Rory Laird, while Taylor Walker, Darcy Fogarty, Ben Keays, Neal-Bullen and Rachele were in the forward line.

Dan Curtin, Matt Crouch, Lachie Murphy and Sid Draper started on the bench.

Curtin had some good moments, especially with his attack on the ball with the Crows looking like they will go with their four tall forward plan.

James Peatling gets a handball away. Picture: Adelaide FC.

MIDFIELD MIX FINALLY WORKED OUT?

The Crows have often been labelled as too slow or one-paced in the midfield.

Even though Rankine was missing the Crows midfield looked like it had a lot more tricks than it has had in recent years.

Peatling playing almost exclusively on the ball helped this with the former Giant electric through the midfield.

Soligo started the first quarter on fire before playing more on the wing in the second term, Crouch was busy in and around the contest.

Dawson played on-ball mostly and showed how strong he is when it comes to overhead marks, while Draper showed his speed and agility at stoppages.

You’d expect Rankine to come in for him and it looks like the Crows now have multiple weapons in their midfield.

The Blue side dominated the internal hutout. Picture: Adelaide FC.

CLAMPS NO MORE?

He didn’t even play a quarter after the Crows decided to not take any risk after he dislocated his thumb.

But the brief time Michalanney had out on the ground on Friday was extremely exciting.

While his nickname at West Lakes has been ‘clamps’ because of his defensive abilities shown in his first two years at AFL level, Michalanney had multiple occasions where he broke lines from halfback and went on the attack.

The Crows struggled to generate attack from their backline in 2024, could this evolution of Michalanney help this in 2025?

He wasn’t the only Crow in the wars with Luke Pedlar suffering a suspected burst eardrum.

NO SPOT BUT ONE TO WATCH

It’s a shame for the Crows that they don’t have a list spot free ahead of the impending closure of the pre-season supplemental selection period.

Because former Sydney ruckman Lachlan McAndrew would definitely be worth a list spot.

Part of the Crows’ SANFL squad after Kieran Strachan’s foot injury suffered last year, McAndrew has impressed in pre-season.

He continued this at Port Pirie.

While the yellow side was smashed in the first half, McAndrew could hold his head high as he arguably beat O’Brien in the ruck battle.

He also kicked the sole goal for his side in the half.

With Strachan back in the next month, the Crows will have to reassess what happens regarding McAndrew because he has shown he has something to offer an AFL club.

Hugh Bond also impressed for the yellows in an under siege backline, as did Harry Schoenberg in the midfield.

Originally published as Adelaide internal trial: Crows head to Port Pirie for latest pre-season session