I’m not sure there was a more disappointing club in the league than Adelaide in 2024. Maybe Carlton? Essendon? Still, those teams either played finals, or were in the mix with a few rounds to go.
The same cannot be said of the Adelaide Crows.
After a 2023 season that saw many believing the only reason the Crows missed finals was due to poor umpiring, 2024 saw Adelaide shoot themselves in the foot with a lacklustre series of efforts. They found themselves behind the eight-ball early, with four consecutive losses opening up the season, and were stuck playing catch-up for the remainder of the year.
Only they never really caught up. They just kind of… languished.
Their key defensive stocks were hit with injury, and the team’s inability to thrive in close games, losing six games by under 12 points, saw expectations plummet. They were the team that were going to make finals, remember? It was almost a formality that this mob were September-bound.
And they finished 15th.
The pressure is now on. On the players, on the club, and on the coach. They have a list that’s good enough to compete at the highest level, but they have failed to capitalise on it. They have squandered what should have been the two years that pushed them into finals and gave their players September experience.
Now, with a healthy defence, young players shifting gear to become stars of the game, and a very solid trade/free agency period, the Crows have geared up to right the wrongs of the past two seasons.
Can they do it?
We’ll soon see.
It’s that time of year, already.
The break after Christmas and New Year is over. The holidays are finished for AFL players, and the hard stuff starts now. Yes, the teams had been training for well over a month prior to Christmas, but as we head into 2025, the stakes are raised, and the intensity increases.
This is where premierships are won and lost. This is where improvements are made and lists come together. New faces, new colours, old heads with renewed passion… so much feeds into the making of a contender. And as the days tick down toward the intra-club clashes, practice games, and eventually the real stuff, questions are raised about each team and how they’re going to perform in this new season.
And that’s where HB and The Mongrel come in.
We don’t do things by halves here, at The Mongrel Punt. When we do a season preview, we go all out to make sure it is the best, most comprehensive coverage you’ll receive. We pride ourselves on it. If you are going to read one season preview for your team, or any team, this series will provide it.
The way it works is as follows.
Each club has a minimum of 15 questions asked about the upcoming season, their coaches, their players, and their expectations. The answers are not glossed over. We dive deep on each and every one of them – some singular answers would normally be long enough for an entire column. The first five questions/answers are free for you to consume. The next 10-14 for each club are for our members, including a special appearance from Mrs Mongrel to throw her two cents in the mix.
Isn’t it a bit early for a season preview? Well, I suppose, but do you know how long it takes to write seven-to-nine thousand words? That’s 18 x 8,000… gets out the calculator… that’s 144,000 words. The average novel is about 85,000 words, so buckle the hell up with these previews.
Also, if there are any issues that arise after the publication of the preview for any team, they will be covered in standalone articles to act as additions to this preview.
You will not read a deeper season preview than this – I guarantee it. This is where we start the run to the new season, and believe me – nobody does it better than The Mongrel.
Adelaide… you’re up.
Enjoy.
1 – WHAT IS THE 2025 CEILING FOR IZAK RANKINE?
When you think of the best players in the competition, most gravitate to the proven stars of the competition – Patrick Cripps, Marcus Bontempelli… you know the drill. They have runs on the board.
Me, I like to look for the diamond in the rough, and whilst it is not a stretch to suggest that Izak Rankine is an excellent player, I have the feeling that if he is able to have an injury-free run through the season, we are now at a position in his career that we could be looking at a top-ten player in the league.
At 18 disposals, and 1.93 goals per game, Rankine is eyeing off a statistical milestone that has not been achieved in over a decade.
In 2011, Geelong’s Steve Johnson notched averages of 22.35 disposals and 2.17 goals per game. He was the last player to top 20 touches and two goals over the course of the season – been a while between drinks, huh?
Rankine is highly capable of being the next player to do so, and if he can achieve this feat, I would not put it past him to finish in the top five in the Brownlow. Maybe higher.
What I saw from Rankine in 2024 was a man who had made the step from young player with potential, to a star in his own right. Stemming from a draft pool that boasts Sam Walsh, Connor Rozee, and Zak Butters, Rankine has never really been in the conversation about whom the best player is from that year. Maybe the conversation changes in 2025. Maybe it’s time.
The perfect player to double up in the mid/forward role, he can hit the scoreboard, create for others, and find plenty of the footy. At 24, Rankine is now entering his peak. Whilst I am no Crows supporter, I am a fan of seeing a player come of age and realise just how potent they can be. I saw a bit of that from Rankine in 2024, and expect him to continue on that trajectory in 2025.
For the record, other players to sit in the 20&2 Club are Leigh Matthews (a ridiculous x11), Kevin Bartlett (x4), and this century, only Stevie J (x2), Brad Johnson, and Nathan Brown (pre-leg break) have made the cut.
Rare air. But Rankine is a rare talent.
If he plays a full season, and the Crows make finals, he strikes me as the type who could even win the Brownlow.
2 – WHERE DOES ISAAC CUMMING FIT INTO THIS TEAM?
If I were to look at Cumming at his best, I would slot him in on a half-back flank and watch as he becomes the Crows’ best rebounding player. His recent injuries worry me a little, but with a good pre-season, there is no reason Cumming cannot revert to the form he displayed in 2022, when he was one of the more damaging flankers in the game. That he didn’t make the AA squad that season was a bit of a joke, and I hope that snub still sits uneasily with him. I’d like to see it remain a fire under him as the 2025 season approaches.
When fit, I really like the Crows’ defence. In the past, I have called them the no-name defence, as blokes like Jordon Butts, Nick Murray, and Josh Worrell aren’t exactly household names, but collectively, they can combine to be the type of hard and tough back six that is difficult to score against. Adding Cumming to that mix gives the Crows a genuine touch of class, and if all goes well, his presence should fill the role Adelaide initially wanted Wayne Milera to play.
Teaming him with Mitch Hinge, and maybe even switching either of them to the wing opposite Lachie Sholl, at points, gives Adelaide plenty of versatility with their rebounders. It also gives Max Michalanney more time to develop at his own pace, as he is evidently on track to become one of the next breed of high-quality Adelaide defenders. He is a staple in this team.
Looking at the Crows’ back six, Butts, Murray, and Mark Keane take the key position spots, with James Borlase as a more-than-handy backup (I genuinely rate him – he has the type of shoulders that make women seriously consider having a Caesarion birth). As intercept/rebounders, you have Cumming and Hinge, whilst Max Michalanney is now becoming a go-to player, as well.
The good news is the depth in defence. You still have Milera on the list, and whilst injury has robbed him of his best footy, as a backup, he could still play a role. Brayden Cook can slot in at half-back or on the wing, Luke Nankervis adds legspeed when he plays in defence and has a huge upside, Brodie Smith is the veteran amongst the group, and then you can swing Alex Neal-Bullen back there, when required.
That is deeeeeeep!
Last year, we saw the Crows stretched, as Worrell, Butts, Murray, and Milera were all relegated to the sidelines for extended periods, but when you line up their list alongside others in the competition, Adelaide now possess as much depth now as anyone, and that becomes important as the season progresses and players need a week or three off.
Given the names listed, the competition for spots in defence will be hot at Adelaide, but Cumming is a gem, and as long as his body doesn’t let him down, I can see him being one of the players that underpins the Crows’ rebound all season.
3 – WAS 2024 A WAKE UP CALL FOR JOSH RACHELE?
I hope so, and more than that, I genuinely hope it has not left a bitter taste in his mouth. Things like being dropped and having the coach talk about it publicly, can sour a player on the club. Let’s hope he is more robust.
Rachele had a season filled with moments – a pretty dumb statement without clarification, huh?
The moments seemed to shift wildly from unacceptable to brilliant, and the problem was that it rocked the pendulum of his 2024 season back and forth a little too erratically. He copped criticism from all quarters for his efforts in the Crows’ close loss to Essendon when he appeared to drop his head in two marking contests, costing Adelaide chances to score. When the result was just three points, the spotlight went straight to the young player and his indiscretions.
In the Essendon v Adelaide return match later in the year, it was Rachele throwing the ball on his boot in the last minute to sink the Bombers in an act many described as his redemption.
And then, late in the year, Matthew Nicks sensationally dropped Rachele from the senior side, stating that he was not upholding club values and standards. This came a week after Port Adelaide knocked the Crows over in the Showdown – a game that saw Rachele snag a goal and then proceed to taunt Port fans in attendance about their dental hygiene.
Personally, I have little issue with byplay between a player and the crowd – it can add to a game, but the Crows obviously had a number of things they weren’t too pleased with when it came to their young star.
Yep, up and down like a bride’s nightie… that was the year of Josh Rachele.
So, what does he take away from this? What does he do differently to place the emphasis more on his exceptional talent and less on his missteps and errors?
There was a point in the career of Izak Rankine where I thought he was too much sizzle and not enough steak. That saying could now be applied to Rachele. There is a three-year age gap between Rankine and his teammate, and whilst it took Izak a while to embrace teamwork over individual brilliance, he is right at the point he needs to be at the moment. Rachele needs to join him for the Crows to reap maximum rewards.
He has the talent – it is evident when you see some of the things he does with the footy. It’s now all about attitude and work ethic.
We must, however, keep in mind that Rachele is a relative baby in AFL terms. He is 21 years old and has a heap of growth in him, both in terms of his ability, but also in terms of his maturity. The hope is that he has sat with his coach, a mentor, or someone he respects, and reviewed his 2024, saw where the issues were, and made a point to address them. He kind of stagnated in terms of his progression, and now needs to re-establish the upward trajectory we all expect from him.
Expectations… they can drive you, or they can kill ya!
That said, an Adelaide team with both Rachele and Rankine playing at their optimum is a handful. If the Crows can get this bloke playing high half-forward and darting back inside 50 to hit the scoreboard, they are as dangerous as any team in the competition. In many ways, the form, and the year of Rachele emulated that of the Crows in 2024. Up and down – inconsistent. Brilliant at times, horrid at others. He will be an interesting watch through the first month or two of the 2025 season.
Has he learnt a lesson? Was it a wake-up call? By around Round Eight, we’ll have our answer.
4 – WHAT DOES ALEX NEAL-BULLEN ADD TO THE CROWS?
There are players all across the AFL that have wild fluctuations in form. One week, they’re up. The next week, you barely see them. It is only the players who truly understand the non-negotiables of playing good footy, week-in and week-out, that bring the same level of intensity to each and every game.
And that is exactly what the Crows find themselves with in Alex Neal-Bullen.
Just the other day, I was writing about the West Coast Eagles and Jack Graham. He is another who is not a marquee player, but what he added to Richmond whilst there was stability. He was one of those players from whom you just knew what you were going to get. He was going to chase, tackle, and pressure, irrespective of the score or the opponent. He had his non-negotiables and they drove his overall game.
And they are the same non-negotiables Neal-Bullen displays on a weekly basis.
Although he didn’t perform the role often for the Dees, he is quite capable of locking down on an opposition player. That would be something you’d normally attribute to a midfielder, but he can do it as a half-forward flanker, making the life of an opposition interceptor/rebounder all that more difficult. It’s a role that tends to completely disrupt an opposition team, as so many game plans use the half-back as the catalyst for the attack. Take them out of the action, particularly early in a game, and their coach is left switching magnets and attempting to adjust on the fly. It almost gives you a thirty-minute head start, tactically.
ANB will not die wondering. He is hard at the footy, doesn’t have his tackles broken, and refuses to shirk the issue. He is as honest as the day is long, and when you’re looking at the attributes you love in a teammate, I reckon every player on the Crows’ list would read what Neal-Bullen brings to the team and smile.
Is he what I’d call a match winner?
No. Pretty far from it, actually. However, nor is he someone that lights it up and then disappears. Give him a job, or assign him a target… he’ll bust a gut to get it done.
Some recruits take a while to find their feet at a new club, and with three Best-22 players joining the Crows for 2025, that may be the case, here. However, I can see ANB being the first to make the adjustment. The skills he brings are easily transferable, and Matthew Nicks should be able to get huge value from him right from Round One.
5 – IS THERE ONE MORE BIG YEAR IN TEX?
Does there need to be?
I don’t think he needs to blow the doors off and kick bags in 2025. He’s done that – he doesn’t have to carry that load anymore.
Tex has been wonderful for Adelaide, and I mean that in more terms than just the way he has performed on the field. He has been worth so much more, and it should be 2025 that the Crows reap the rewards.
Care to explain in a little more detail, HB?
Why, yes… yes, I do.
The year was 2020 and the Crows were… well, they weren’t great. In truth, the whole year was pretty shitty across the board – pandemic, lockdowns, masks, needles… it was all happening. And in a footy sense, Adelaide did not have a good time of it, returning an abysmal 18th place.
In that team, the co-captain, Taylor Walker, struggled mightily. Even taking the reduced game time into account, Tex had arguably the worst season of his career. He could barely get near it, and the doomsayers were… well, they were saying things that largely resembled doom for Walker’s career.
Make no mistake, plenty were barracking for Tex to hang the boots up, citing his inability to impact games as a clear sign that we’d seen his best and what we were seeing now was not AFL standard. There were some openly barracking for him to retire.
The problem was that the Crows had bugger all to replace him with. They had a man-child known as Darcy Fogarty out there, they had Elliott Himmelberg doing a whole heap of nothing, and were leaning on Shane McAdam to provide scoring punch.
Tex simply had to find form again and put the work in until the Crows could rebuild their forward line. It was something the club needed from him.
So, that’s what he did.
You can throw out your “controversies” about the bloke, but what he managed to do for this team was provide a presence for the next four years to both give the club a spearhead, but also allow Fogarty and the newly-acquired Riley Thilthorpe, the time and space to work into their roles. He gave them the time to bulk up, to make the step from kids with promise to men with ability.
And now, as we enter 2025, Tex should be able to reap the harvest he has sown.
No, the Crows shouldn’t need one more big year from Walker. They need big years from Fogarty, Thilthorpe, Rachele, and Rankine, and somewhere in that mix, Tex can slot in, kick a few snags, and enjoy what will likely be the last year of his career.
People thought he was cooked four years ago. He proved them wrong. Now, with the right weapons around him, Tex may just get to put his gun in his holster, saddle up, and ride into the sunset in style.
And that only occurs with a trip to September on the back of that forward line clicking.
Time to repay the man who has given so much.
Go well, Texan.
The next 14 questions are for our members. Option to join below.
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