Star Adelaide forward Izak Rankine says a conversation with Senior Coach Matthew Nicks at half-time proved to be the catalyst for his resurgent second half against the Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
Starting the match as a forward, Rankine struggled to get involved in the contest, as the Eagles defence kept the livewire to just three disposals at the main break.
Desperate to get one of his key playmakers into the match, Nicks decided to unleash Rankine through the midfield in the second half to give his team a spark.
The 25-year-old delivered for his coach, collecting 20 disposals after the break and kicking a crucial last quarter goal to help lift the Crows to a nine-point win.
“The key for me in that second half was just being able to get around the ball, I pushed up the ground more and was able to have an impact,” Rankine told the media on Monday.
“The Eagles defenders to their credit were playing really well in the first half and managed to keep us forwards from influencing the game, so at half-time Nicksy said go on ball and see what you can do.
“So I just got up and around it, tried to get the ball going our way, drove my legs and helped give us a bit of a spark around the footy.
“A number of boys were able to lift in the second half, Zac Taylor was unbelievable, (Jordan) Dawson as usual stood up and big Filthy kicked some big goals – so it was good to do my bit.”
The Crows struggled to get going at Optus Stadium conceding six consecutive goals from the end of the first quarter to the start of the third, to find themselves 17 points down.
He praised the Eagles for the pressure they brought to the contest, and explained how he and his teammates were able to overcome the deficit and record a win.
“Obviously the Eagles came out pretty strong and we knew they were going to bring a strong contest style of game,” Rankine said.
“They hit us in the face early and probably took us a bit too long to adapt to that and get the game on our terms.
“But to the boys’ credit we managed to get back to our process, fix up the basics and do what we do best, which is win the battle in the contest in that second half.
“So to come away with a win from that was pleasing, and we learned a lot that we can take into this week.”
Adelaide returns home for a blockbuster clash against Collingwood this Saturday night, where it will look to record its first victory against the Magpies since 2016.
Rankine said the squad was excited by the opportunity of facing a fellow top-four side in front of a packed out Adelaide Oval.
“We are excited, we can’t wait to play at home against Collingwood,” Rankine said.
“They are obviously a great side and we’ve had some close battles in the past where we haven’t quite been able to get over the line.
“Personally I just love going up against the best, they’ve been a great side for a while now and it’s always a challenge going up against them and I love taking that on.
“We are hoping we can flip the script on them this week and it’s gonna be awesome to have our home crowd there supporting us.”
Adelaide faces Collingwood this Saturday night at Adelaide Oval, with the first bounce at 7.05pm (ACST).
