AFL shrugs off Rankine missing spicy Magpies-Crows game
Oliver Caffrey |
Adelaide star Izak Rankine will miss a guaranteed spiteful rematch against Collingwood, with the AFL sending the Crows to the MCG to face the Magpies for their 2026 opener.
Rankine was suspended for four games after admitting to using a homophobic slur against a Collingwood opponent during Adelaide’s thrilling round-23 win this year.
The 25-year-old had to sit out the Crows’ last home and away game against North Melbourne.
Adelaide became the first minor premiers to exit the finals in straight sets since 1983 after losing to Collingwood and Hawthorn, meaning Rankine still has one game left of his suspension to serve.
Collingwood secured redemption for their late-season defeat at the Adelaide Oval, upsetting the Crows in the qualifying final at the same venue.
The Adelaide crowd came under fire during that match for the sustained booing of Isaac Quaynor whenever the Collingwood defender touched the ball.
“Round one is very important for us to get off to a really strong start,” AFL scheduling and strategy boss Josh Bowler said, when asked about staging the game without Rankine.
“I think fans will be pretty excited to see that game, regardless of who’s playing in it.”
While the March 14 match will be Adelaide’s first of the season, Collingwood will be involved in the first Opening Round game to be played in Victoria six days earlier.
After four matches in NSW and Queensland, the Magpies will face St Kilda at the MCG on March 8 to end the first weekend of the season.
Collingwood-Adelaide will be among a number of grudge matches set for round one, with Essendon to clash with Hawthorn at the MCG on the Friday night.
Already long-despised rivals stretching back to the 1980s, the match will be eagerly-anticipated due to Bombers star Zach Merrett’s bombshell move to the Hawks falling over.
Merrett had to stay at Essendon, where he will almost certainly be stripped of the captaincy, after the Hawks weren’t able to satisfy the Bombers’ demands for him during the trade period.
Former St Kilda captain Jack Steele’s first game for Melbourne is set to be against the Saints after being moved on from Moorabbin in the off-season.
Following on from their first finals appearance since capitulating in the 2017 premiership decider, Adelaide will be the Thursday night kings in 2026.
Matthew Nicks’ team is locked into the marquee timeslot five times – the most of any team – during the first 15 rounds.
Beaten grand finalists Geelong have the most prime-time games before the floating fixture starts in round 16, set to play eight matches on a Thursday or Friday night.
The Cats’ grand final rematch against the Brisbane Lions will take place at the Gabba on a Thursday night to open round 10.
Geelong will then host Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium in round 17.
The Lions, who will be gunning to complete a premiership three-peat for the second time this century, have been mostly taken out of the spotlight by the AFL.
Brisbane have just three Thursday or Friday night matches – Collingwood (Easter Thursday), Geelong, and Carlton (round nine).
The Lions have been locked in to face Richmond at Ninja Stadium in Hobart after the Tigers agreed to sell a home game to Tasmania.
The AFL confirmed this fixture was compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, using software provider Fastbreak AI.
“We ultimately utilise a computer program that has AI built into it that works with us to optimise the outcomes of Thursday, Friday nights, how do we get the best crowds,” Bowler said.
AAP
