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New details about Josh Rachele's axing as Adelaide Crows coach responds to backlash

Rachele has faced backlash for taunting fans of fierce rivals, Port Adelaide.

andrew reid
·5-min read

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks and Josh Rachele have both addressed the 21-year-old's axing for Saturday night's AFL clash with Sydney, following a week of controversy around the Crows young gun. Rachele faced backlash after joking that fans from their fierce rivals Port Adelaide were missing teeth, before sticking the boot in further when he pointed at his mouth during a goal celebration in the ill-tempered Showdown won by the Power.

There had been reports during the week that Rachele was facing the axe for Saturday night's away game to ladder-leaders Sydney. And AFL great Garry Lyon was among those to warn the Crows that dropping Rachele could have a detrimental effect on the youngster. But after confirming that Rachele had been omitted from the Crows side to take on the Swans, Nicks said it was down to a failure to live up to 'team-first' standards and not the 21-year-old's antics against the Power.

Pictured left to right, Adelaide Crows coach Matthew Nicks and Josh Rachele.
Adelaide Crows coach Matthew Nicks says the axing of Josh Rachele has nothing to do with the backlash around his antics in the Showdown against Port Adelaide.

"It's not isolated, it's not a moment, it has got nothing to do with this week," Nicks told reporters on Friday. "There's a lot more to this than a period of time. It's about values, about the standards that we are looking to uphold consistently. Central to that is being team first. Josh and I have had a number of conversations, that's not isolated to recent events. This is something we've been working on for a long period of time, not just Josh and I, but the team and what is it we stand for."

Rachele spoke to the media before training with his state league teammates on Friday morning and said he accepted the reasons for his axing. The 21-year-old also admitted he was "disappointed" and "very remorseful" about landing himself in the middle of controversy. "One of our main values as a club is prioritising others and it was something I didn't do last week and over a couple of other things too."

The Crows small forward is contracted to the club until the end of the 2029 season and has been spoken of as a future leader at the club. And he dismissed any suggestions that the current drama could jeopardise his future with Adelaide or cause the 21-year-old to hold any form of resentment against the club or his coach. "No, not at all. I absolutely love the club," he said.

Adelaide's coach says the axing of Rachele "has nothing to do with the way Josh celebrates" and insisted he loved the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the playing group. And Nicks denied suggestions from the likes of Melbourne legend Lyon that the club is turning its back on the small forward by dropping him for their final game of the season.

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"For Josh, he knows I've got his back. I'll always have Josh's back," Nicks said. "I've got no doubt he'll be a leader of our footy club in the near future and going forward. And so right now, we're working on making sure that he is a leader that we want others to follow."

The comments from Nicks come after Crows veteran Rory Laird suggested Rachele should have just let his footy do the talking and AFL great Lyon questioned whether dropping Rachele was the right move. “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.

On the left is Josh Rachele and Adelaide Crows coach Matthew Nicks on right.
Josh Rachele copped backlash after taunting Port Adelaide fans by suggesting they were missing teeth. Image: Getty/Fox Footy

“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 said he thought it would be better to back the youngster and let him play the final game of the season. “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?"

with AAP