Garry Lyon's warning for Adelaide Crows as Josh Rachele faces the axe after taunting Port

Melbourne great Garry Lyon has cautioned the Crows over any looming call on Josh Rachele after his recent antics with reports he could be left out of the team against the Swans this weekend. Rachele was at the centre of attention last week when he ignited the local derby joked Port Adelaide supporters are missing teeth.

In the Crows' defeat to Port the youngster doubled down. After scoring a goal, Rachele ran towards the fence and taunted Power fans when he gestured at his teeth. And his gesture has continued to cause a divide within the AFL community. Teammate Rory Laird took a surprise view and questioned Rachele's move asking whether he should have let his footy do the talking.

This comes as Rachele only had 10 disposals to go with his goal. Port Adelaide chairman David Koch called out Rachele's actions while Jonathan Brown also questioned the youngster's antics.

Since the backlash, reports have speculated Rachele could be left out of the team this weekend as the Crows take on the Swans in Sydney. And this hasn't sat well with Melbourne great Lyon. The premiership winner feels dropping Rachele would not send the right message to the 21-year-old who has copped plenty of backlash for his antics.

“He’s a young man who has brought a lot of attention on himself. He got roundly criticised after the weekend, and I understand why,” Lyon said on SEN Radio. “Just put yourself in Josh Rachele’s shoes right now. He’s been smashed and I imagine in Adelaide it’s even worse and now a senior player comes out and says publicly they would’ve preferred if he hadn’t done it.

“And now they’re telling me that he’s going to be dropped. Tread warily on this, I think. He’s still a young kid and some kids mature slower." Lyon added it would be better to back the youngster and let him play the final game of the season with his teammates.

“Adelaide, I think, need to tread warily here. If they drop him this week, is that what you want him stewing on for the next six months?" Lyon added. “He’s a talented kid and they’re hard to find and they’ve invested heavily in him in the draft. Do you want to drop him for the last game?"

Matthew Nicks defends Josh Rachele after antics

Lyon isn't the only one to come and defend Rachele. Coach Matthew Nicks defended Rachele's antics and said the game needs more characters. Speaking after the game, Nicks said it was refreshing to see from Rachele considering the majority of players have become "robots" in the modern game. "When you've got a night like tonight where it's got everything, part of that is the theatre and part of that's the adrenaline that's pumping through people's bodies," Nicks said.

"People in the stands, their heart rates are through the roof, and from our players and their point of view, they're doing it as well with physical fatigue and working their way through. So emotions are high. It's a part of footy and if we stamp that out we become robots, and it worries me. But we can get carried away at times. I think most people in the stadium did tonight."

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Although Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes labelled the Crows player a 'laughing stock'. Speaking on AFL.com segment 'The Round so Far', Cornes lambasted Rachele for failing to back-up his antics on the field.

“If you’re going to talk a big game, you want to back it up with your on-field performance and Josh Rachele didn’t,” Cornes said. “He said prior to this match on radio that Port Adelaide fans don’t have many teeth, it’s not even a clever joke … it went on and on, he put up an Instagram story and added fuel to the fire.

“This was the performance, if you’re going to talk a big game, when the ball is there to be won, you’ve got to win it. Right now, Josh Rachele is a laughing stock, he laid one tackle, had 10 disposals and was ineffective.”