{"id":490898,"date":"2026-02-19T20:37:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/490898\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T20:37:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T20:37:18","slug":"adelaide-crows-season-preview-analysis-premiership-chances-predictions-josh-rachele-comments-latest-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/490898\/","title":{"rendered":"Adelaide Crows season preview, analysis, premiership chances, predictions, Josh Rachele comments, latest news"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Adelaide Crows answered the call and leapt into flag contention last year. But after being bundled out of the finals in straight sets, a different kind of pressure veils the reigning minor premiers in 2026. <\/p>\n

And along with recalibrated expectations, a host of question marks hover over a side that has premiership potency but requires tweaks from last season. <\/p>\n

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The Crows at long last tasted September action in Matthew Nicks\u2019 sixth year at the helm, surging to a remarkable 18-5 record and first place on the ladder in a top-heavy season. <\/p>\n

But in its first finals campaign in the eight years since its harrowing grand final loss to Richmond, Adelaide faltered dramatically against Collingwood and then Hawthorn to dampen an otherwise breakthrough year. <\/p>\n

Many will maintain that the Crows overperformed with 18 wins last season, but the reality is the club\u2019s core assets are only scratching the surface of what they can become. <\/p>\n

So, while they mightn\u2019t reach the same level from a wins perspective, expect Adelaide to be a top-six side again at minimum \u2014 even despite jarring injuries to pivotal puzzle pieces Daniel Curtin and Mark Keane that\u2019ll test the club\u2019s depth early on.<\/p>\n

Blues come back to beat Lions | 01:10<\/p>\n

After a busy 2024 trade period, a quieter Adelaide rightly went about rounding out its quality side with complementary pieces. <\/p>\n

Cal Ah Chee will be an underrated addition as a hard-running utility, while Finnbar Maley adds valuable key-position depth in the forward half as the club continues to blueprint life after Tex. <\/p>\n

In the middle, 25-year-old two-gamer Lachlan McAndrew has challenged the incumbent Reilly O\u2019Brien for the number-one ruck mantle this pre-season.<\/p>\n

Get all the latest news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports AFL Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n

And there\u2019s the hopeful development of other lesser-known names \u2014 such as Hugh Bond, Luke Nankervis and Charlie Edwards, among others \u2014 and positional tweaks for some established ones. <\/p>\n

One of those is Josh Rachele, who, after four years in the system as a dynamic half-forward, is looking to push into the Crows\u2019 on-ball rotation. <\/p>\n

Even before Curtin\u2019s knee injury this pre-season, Rachele had been training more around the ball as he looks to expand his game and enter the All-Australian conversation. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve got a different dynamic to most midfielders,\u201d Rachele told Foxfooty.com.au this pre-season<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a different craft, obviously, for going from forward to the midfield \u2026 I think it\u2019s exciting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very optimistic as well because there are no clear expectations. I think the main goal one day is to definitely be kind of like that Christian Petracca (type), 50-50 (split) rolling through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lions v Blues full match sim highlights | 11:55<\/p>\n

Last September\u2019s disappointing exit continues to spur the Crows, and Rachele says the side is unfazed by the fact they\u2019ll be on every club\u2019s radar this year after last season\u2019s surge to prominence. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s great. If you told us this time last year we\u2019d finish on top of the ladder, to be honest, we\u2019d probably say we wouldn\u2019t,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been rewarded with a tough draw, but also a lot of prime-time games, which is a great thing not just for the club but for the fans. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s kind of no ceiling on this year; I don\u2019t see why we can\u2019t go even better than what we did last year. But it\u2019s going to be a tough start, and hopefully we can just win some early games and build on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

STRENGTH<\/p>\n

Fearsome forward flock. Only two words are necessary to justify this: Riley Thilthorpe. After injuries limited him, the former second-overall draft pick exploded for 60 goals last year after never having previously eclipsed 18 in a season. And the 23-year-old is only getting started, partnering nicely with second-tall Darcy Fogarty, alongside Taylor Walker, who\u2019s almost certainly entering his final season. Maley adds solid depth, while the mature-aged Toby Murray has made strides in his second pre-season, leaving tall draftee Archie Ludowkye to develop at his own pace. As for the smalls, Ah Chee and Alex Neal-Bullen are set to form a one-two punch as rotating half-forwards, while brilliant trio Izak Rankine, Ben Keays and Josh Rachele are forward-weapons in addition to their ability to play up around the ball. Last year\u2019s third-highest-scoring team is only set to grow in stature. <\/p>\n

Byrne strikes three to tame Lions | 00:36<\/p>\n

WEAKNESS<\/p>\n

Back-half ball movement. Not that it really mattered until the finals, but Adelaide had trouble generating scores from its back-half ball movement. The Crows finished below AFL average and seventh-worst in the competition for the rate at which they transferred the footy from defensive 50 to forward 50. Further, their D50-to-score rate ranked 11th, with the Crows instead one of the league\u2019s best scores-off-turnover teams. That formula proved sustainable in the regular season, but when things tightened up on the high-pressure September scene, they couldn\u2019t get much going end-to-end. And Josh Rachele thinks the side has taken that feedback in stride this pre-season. \u201cI feel like our backs\u2019 ball movement was something that probably got criticised a little bit in the finals \u2014 the way we were moving the ball and being pretty predictable \u2014 and the way they\u2019ve taken that feedback on board and really taken the game on a lot more and broken lines has been great, helping us up the ground, too, especially as a forward,\u201d Rachele told Foxfooty.com.au this pre-season. And the addition of Ah Chee as a reliable link-up player is only going to help in creating avenues to goal. <\/p>\n

Josh Weddle signs Hawks extension | 01:01<\/p>\n

PREMIERSHIP CLOCK<\/p>\n

11pm: Again, the Crows mightn\u2019t win 18 games this year. And while last year\u2019s straight-sets exit rightly still stings, the group will have benefitted massively from the invaluable finals experience, setting the club up for another genuine crack this year. <\/p>\n

PREDICTED LADDER RANGE<\/p>\n

1st-4th<\/p>\n

Moore and Howe racing for opening round | 04:29<\/p>\n

PREDICTED ROUND 1 TEAM<\/p>\n

B: J.Worrell, J.Butts, M.Michalanney<\/p>\n

HB: W.Milera, N.Murray, M.Hinge<\/p>\n

C: I.Cumming, J.Dawson, C.Jones<\/p>\n

HF: B.Keays, R.Thilthorpe, A.Neal-Bullen<\/p>\n

F: J.Rachele, T.Walker, D.Fogarty<\/p>\n

FOLL: L.McAndrew, J.Soligo, S.Berry<\/p>\n

I\/C: C.Ah Chee, L.Pedlar, J.Peatling, R.Laird, L.Nankervis<\/p>\n

EMG: R.O\u2019Brien, B.Cook, H.Bond<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Adelaide Crows answered the call and leapt into flag contention last year. But after being bundled out…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":490899,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[233553,9126,638,2095,64,63,689,55,639,16716,25880,247982,3237,233562,10133,9418,247290,3505,16682,10989,6239,247957,146719,247988,2105,60462,4517,247991,247981,247992,3231,3489,10132,45746,51310,247993,3512,5336,27751,11234,218846,16712,64895,2041,2067,677,231414,247985,244612,23998,247983,247990,247980,11368,159243,247986,6858,199190,247987,85,76104,14478,16702,233535,1133,2614,247989,4899,247984],"class_list":{"0":"post-490898","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-aami-community-series-live","9":"tag-adelaide-crows","10":"tag-afl","11":"tag-america","12":"tag-au","13":"tag-australia","14":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","15":"tag-australian-football-league","16":"tag-australianfootballleague","17":"tag-ball-movement","18":"tag-ben-keays","19":"tag-bitter-redemption-charge","20":"tag-brisbane-lions","21":"tag-charlie-edwards","22":"tag-collingwood-magpies","23":"tag-comeback-win","24":"tag-crows-sweating","25":"tag-daniel-curtin","26":"tag-darcy-fogarty","27":"tag-darcy-moore","28":"tag-final-season","29":"tag-fire-treble","30":"tag-flag-contention","31":"tag-generating-scores","32":"tag-getty-images-inc","33":"tag-grand-final-loss","34":"tag-hamstring-injury","35":"tag-harrowing-grand-final","36":"tag-hawks-extensionafl","37":"tag-invaluable-finals-experience","38":"tag-jack-jovanovski","39":"tag-jagga-smith","40":"tag-jeremy-howe","41":"tag-josh-rachele","42":"tag-josh-weddle","43":"tag-key-flaw","44":"tag-knee-injury","45":"tag-lions-v","46":"tag-luke-nankervis","47":"tag-mark-keane","48":"tag-match-simulation","49":"tag-matthew-nicks","50":"tag-maya-thompson","51":"tag-north-america","52":"tag-northern-america","53":"tag-oceania","54":"tag-on-ball-rotation","55":"tag-pivotal-puzzle-pieces","56":"tag-pre-season-match-sims","57":"tag-premiership-chances","58":"tag-premiership-potency","59":"tag-pressure-veils","60":"tag-question-marks-hover","61":"tag-regular-season","62":"tag-reigning-minor-premiers","63":"tag-reliable-link-up-player","64":"tag-richmond","65":"tag-season-preview","66":"tag-second-overall-draft-pick","67":"tag-sports","68":"tag-straight-sets","69":"tag-talor-byrne","70":"tag-taylor-walker","71":"tag-toby-murray","72":"tag-trade-period","73":"tag-united-states-of-america","74":"tag-valuable-key-position-depth","75":"tag-virginia","76":"tag-wins-perspective"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=490898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/490899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=490898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=490898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=490898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}