IF the Crows are to progress to a semi-final, and in turn, extend Matthew Nicks' helming of the club, THEN Izak Rankine needs to win his fair share of contested possession, and then some, against the Western Bulldogs this weekend.
Adelaide were the surprise packets of 2025, claiming the minor premiership en route to a first finals appearance in eight years.
That finals appearance ended in disaster, with the Crows losing two consecutive home finals to go out in straight sets. The Crows, 2025's second-best total contested possession team (per Wheelo Ratings), lost the count in both games - by six at the hands of Collingwood (notably, a team who struggle in this metric under Craig McRae), and by a massive 31 against Hawthorn. In that semi-final, they fell 32 contested possessions short of their season average, in a damning lowering of their own colours.
Talismanic superstar Izak Rankine missed that campaign due to a homophobic slur issued in Isaac Quaynor's direction, weeks prior. A year on, the superstar heads into September in rare form, as the highest-rated player in the competition across the last eight weeks.
Since his injury-affected, uncharacteristically quiet Showdown outing in Round 16, Rankine's contested possession numbers are positively disgusting.
The lifelong Crows fan, in his eight matches since, has gone below double digits in the metric just once, averaging just shy of 15 contested possessions per game. That number places him among the league's best contested bulls, despite Rankine's frame and play style not typically lending themselves to excellence in this metric.
| Player | Average Contested Possessions |
| Clayton Oliver | 14.9 (season) |
| Izak Rankine | 14.875 (last eight matches) |
| Patrick Cripps | 14.4 (season) |
| Matthew Rowell | 14.2 (season) |
| Lachie Neale | 13.5 (season) |
The Crows have gone one better this year than last, topping the league's contested possession count. They cannot afford to let this standard slip come September, and Rankine's emerging teammate, Brayden Cook, knows as much, telling Zero Hanger just what jumped off the tape to him when watching Collingwood's monumental clash with the Crows' elimination final opponent, the Western Bulldogs.
"I sat down for the second half and watched that - you can tell the level just shifts, doesn't it? It's a lot more contested, and the cleaner players stand up," he said.
Cook also alluded to a heavy focus on how the side starts this weekend. The Crows never led in the aforementioned loss to the Hawks, and did not hold a lead at any change in their two losses last September.
Last time the Crows faced the Bulldogs, a superhuman first quarter from their incredible, recently-decorated skipper, Jordan Dawson, had the contest all but over after the first frame. In the return fixture - the two sides' third meeting this year, and the one of greatest consequence - the Crows' efficacy in the contest, harassment of their opponents, and ability to withstand the Bulldogs' contest and clearance strengths will be on show for all to see, or not, and Cook knows it.
"That'll be a big part of it, I reckon; that first quarter. We'll know pretty early whether we're on, and we're not really gonna leave that up to chance," he said.
Rankine is one of many Crows commodities that can fill numerous roles for Matthew Nicks and co, with the likes of Josh Rachele, Jordan Dawson, Brayden Cook, Riley Thilthorpe and Jake Soligo also adept at multiple positions.
Cook was asked whether this is an explicit focus at West Lakes, or a product of the environment, and his answer was emphatic. A team-first approach to everything underpins the Crows' relative success.
"It's a product of the environment," he said.
"It's about what the team needs, and I think we've just got a really good group - it's not always about individual performance. We just do what the team needs, and whether that's “Rash” (Josh Rachele) going into the midfield, or him going forward, or “Daws” going back."
