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Sport Nation
Fall from elite: Izak Rankine’s stark regression in key areas
Connor Scanlon • June 18th, 2025 2:00 pm
A year after establishing himself as one of the AFL’s most damaging ball users, Izak Rankine has experienced a dramatic dip in form - and the numbers don’t lie.
In 2024, Rankine was ranked fourth in the competition for ball use, but now he has fallen all the way to 189th.
Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne broke down the Adelaide star’s regression, highlighting just how far both his field and goal kicking numbers have slipped this season.
“His field kicking was top 60 in the comp last year, he’s 242nd in the comp this year,” Hoyne told SEN’s Sportsday.
“He’s left 22 points out on the scoreboard from his poor inaccuracy in front of goal, which is the sixth worst of any player this season.
“Last year he’d gained almost five goals on the scoreboard with his great accuracy in front of goal.”
With the Crows currently sitting fourth on the ladder, Hoyne said Rankine’s drop-off offers a sign of concern for the Crows.
“We keep talking about how important ball use is in the game in 2025, and this guy has shown how well he can use the footy,” Hoyne said.
“We’ve all seen it… But we’re now a 14-game period into Izak’s season where we’ve hardly seen it at all.
“I think we’ve only seen it in two or three games this year where his ball use was at the levels that it was last season.
“I just wonder when we sit here at the end of the year, and (if) this hasn’t improved, whether or not Adelaide can actually properly challenge Collingwood and Geelong.”
However, drawing parallels to Collingwood's strong showing without Nick Daicos being at his absolute best, Hoyne flagged Rankine as the Crows’ biggest lever for improvement.
“So, it’s a bit like the Collingwood conversation we’ve had at length,” said Hoyne.
“Best team in the competition with their best player not going anywhere near as well as we’ve seen for the last two years.
“Well, I would’ve thought that’s a significant sign of where the improvement can come from.
“This mob (Adelaide) sitting fourth on the ladder (are) doing so much right, with probably their best player going well below what we’ve seen him do over the last 12–24 months.
“So, room for improvement (for Adelaide), but can Izak actually get there with his ball use this season.”
Rankine and the Crows will enjoy the bye this weekend before returning against Richmond at the MCG in Round 16.
