Adelaide’s remarkable 2025 season came crashing down in brutal fashion, as the minor premiers bowed out of the AFL finals in straight sets, a collapse not seen since North Melbourne’s shocking exit back in 1983.
The Crows, who dominated the home-and-away season, became the first minor premiers in V/AFL history to lose to an eighth-placed team in a final after their 34-point defeat to Hawthorn. What had been a season filled with promise ended in heartbreak, compounded by the suspension of their star forward Izak Rankine, whose absence cast a long shadow over the club’s finals campaign.
Rankine Suspension Looms Over Finals Push
Rankine, one of the most electrifying players in the league, was sidelined for four matches following a homophobic slur incident that drew widespread attention. His suspension ruled him out of Adelaide’s finals series, and his absence was immediately felt on the field.
Fox Footy pundits didn’t shy away from linking the Crows’ finals downfall to the missing star.
“Losing that bloke hasn’t helped,” former Brisbane great Jonathan Brown said as cameras caught Rankine in the Adelaide rooms after the loss. “It was a defining moment probably in the season, wasn’t it?”
Premiership Crow Mark Ricciuto admitted the saga was disruptive, noting just how difficult it was for the club to navigate the fallout.
“There was lots of different thoughts going through everyone’s minds at the time. And they didn’t play good footy afterwards – so whether that was the key part or not, I don’t know,” Ricciuto said.
“I think it might be coincidence because they were playing a little bit average before that – it certainly didn’t help (losing Rankine for finals) that’s for sure.”
The Crows had presented “compelling medical submissions” to the AFL in a bid to soften the penalty, but the league stood firm, forcing the club into September without their most dangerous forward.
Locker Room ‘Ecosystem’ Disrupted
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley added weight to the theory that the loss of Rankine disrupted more than just Adelaide’s forward line. He suggested the incident affected the very culture of the locker room.
“The ecosystem of a locker room, let alone a football club, is finely tuned so I’ve got no doubt that something like that, it doesn’t just impact Izak Rankine … it does impact on the connection with your teammates. And some of them would have been disappointed with him – with Izak, and some of them would have been disappointed for him,” Buckley explained.
“And then, all of that together, it just wasn’t long enough to be able to reconcile it, to be able to regather and go back and be able to present as your authentic best self as a team – and that was evident in the last two matches in particular.”
Buckley’s comments highlight the often-overlooked intangible element of team sport – chemistry and unity. Losing a key player under such controversial circumstances can fracture the sense of togetherness needed to thrive in high-pressure finals contests.
Nicks Concedes Dynamic Shift
Crows coach Matthew Nicks did not shy away from acknowledging how the suspension shifted his team’s balance, even if he stopped short of blaming the entire collapse on Rankine’s absence.
“What it did do, is it did change the dynamic of our group,” Nicks admitted.
“This is my opinion — he’s one of the best players in the game. So, I think if any team lose their best player, it becomes quite a challenge to replace that.
“Some of our younger guys stepped up and showed that they can play at the level. But the challenge we had was filling that void that Izak’s had there for us there all year. That’s purely on-field, I don’t feel like it affected us away from footy.”
Nicks conceded that the finals failure would sting deeply for years to come. “Two home finals and they didn’t win a single quarter – it has a bitter aftertaste to it,” Fox Footy’s Gerard Whateley pointed out, while Ricciuto added it had been “a bad ending and a pretty average month really for Adelaide.”
The coach admitted the straight-sets exit would “leave a pretty big scar” on his group, especially given how dominant they had been during the regular season.
What Might Have Been
Had Adelaide advanced further, Rankine would have been eligible to return for the grand final after serving his suspension. Instead, he will now miss the opening match of the 2026 season, extending the repercussions of his actions into next year.
The sense of wasted opportunity lingers heavily. Adelaide were not only the minor premiers but also a side lauded for their resilience, talent, and attacking brand of football. Yet, under the weight of internal and external distractions, they faltered on the biggest stage.
For a club looking to cement itself as a powerhouse, the finals collapse has raised more questions than answers. Was it simply an untimely dip in form? Or did the Rankine controversy unsettle a finely balanced group to the point of no recovery?
The coming offseason will be crucial for Adelaide. How they respond – both in terms of supporting Rankine’s rehabilitation into the group and rebuilding the players’ confidence after a devastating September – could determine whether 2025 was merely a painful blip or the start of a longer-term problem.
For now, the scars are raw. Adelaide may have stormed through the season to claim top spot, but their September collapse ensures this campaign will be remembered more for what might have been than what it achieved.
