AFL great Tim Watson believes it is “no coincidence” that Josh Rachele has reportedly been dropped by Adelaide in the days after the 21-year-old forward found himself offside with the club’s leaders.
Rachele stoked the fires in the lead-up to last weekend’s Showdown, playing the pantomime villain when he jokingly claimed Port Adelaide supporters “don’t have many teeth”.
He welcomed the boos and issued a faux apology before goading fans on the field, pointing to his teeth while celebrating a goal in the second quarter.
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Port had the last laugh with a 22-point victory while Rachele has not been backed to the hilt by the Crows.
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks suggested his young star got “carried away” with a “moment he might like to have back” while veteran Rory Laird said Rachele was “misaligned”.
“He kept going on with it and it was in line with how the game was, it was such a passionate and intense game that he probably got to the game and continued on with it instead of just letting his footy do the talking,” Laird said.
Rachele is now set to be left out of the team for the Crows’ final game of the year, according to the AFL’s Cal Twomey.
The exact reason is unclear but it would be a decision out of the blue, Rachele having played every game this season for a return of 30 goals — including 11 over the last six weeks.
“What a poor way to back in, support and assist a 21-year-old who they invested pick No.6 and a contract through 2029,” Adelaide’s 2017 grand finalist Josh Jenkins said.
The Crows’ apparent decision to drop Rachele has put him squarely in the middle of the wide-ranging conversation — previously centred on Jack Ginnivan and Hawthorn — about player personalities and club expectations.
“I find it really difficult because on the one hand we’re telling players they’re part of the entertainment business and that’s what they need to do, they need to connect with fans,” Watson said on Channel 7’s Talking Footy.
“There’s this overexuberance that happens out there on the football field in the moment, we see them display that — the connection between players, and I think the fans love that, when the players acknowledge them.
“But I guess the time and the place is the issue. I always think it gets back to what your teammates think.
“This is not about self, this is not a game tennis where it’s only about you. This is a game of football where it can influence the other team and the members of your team.
“If it does influence them in a negative way then you actually have to modify your behaviours.
“Laird came out and said almost words to that effect over the way he would prefer Josh Rachele to play and the way he would like him to behave out on the field.
“And no coincidence, they’ve actually dropped him this week. It hasn’t been a great year for this young man.”
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Geelong premiership captain Joel Selwood said he can’t remember “the best sides having such a selfish look at the play”.
“It’s always been a shared value that they continue to drive in the same direction,” he said.
“It just looks a little bit broken at the moment.”
Speaking before the news that Rachele was dropped, West Coast premiership player Will Schofield said he was “really surprised” the Crows were “putting Rachele up on a bit of a pedestal” rather than sitting him down privately.
“I certainly valued keeping things inside the locker room, and I know in strong teams that’s what’s important,” he said on Fox Sports.
“You need to sit Josh Rachele down and speak to him about how he speaks in public and how he backs that up on the field. That’s a conversation you have inside your four walls, never outside.
“You don’t ever want to hang out a teammate to dry, especially young ones, so I thought that was really disappointing for Adelaide. It probably summarises why they’ve been such a poor side this year.”
Richmond great Trent Cotchin said he loves watching players engage with the crowd but “there are times” where a focus on the team can help build energy and momentum.
He feels “a few players” have crossed a line choosing to celebrate individually and with fans.
“It’s the kind of celebrations. I was always brought up with this attitude of respecting your opposition, whether it’s players or fans. There’s got to be a humility to it,” Cotchin said on Talking Footy.
“Even just being at under-10s games in the last couple of weeks I’ve seen kids running to the boundary shooshing opposition crowds. In under-10s!
“There’s a part of me that goes ‘I just want to go over to the coach and tell them pull that kid off for the next minute’.
“You don’t want to take away from the organic nature and people’s personalities coming out in the game but there is a line and I think there’s a few players that are crossing it.”
The drama surrounding Rachele and the Showdown comes at the end of a season where the Crows have gone backwards.
Having won 11 games last year to finish 10th on the ladder, the pressure was taken off Nicks when he signed a contract extension in March.
Four straight losses to start 2024 followed and Adelaide are now guaranteed to finish in the bottom four even if they upset ladder leaders Sydney on Saturday night.