Adelaide star Josh Rachele has his sights set on becoming a full-time on-baller but for now is enjoying splitting his time between the midfield and the forward line.

Rachele played the hybrid role in the win against Carlton and enjoyed a standout performance, recording 19 disposals, six pressure acts, eight score involvements, three clearances and two goals.

Rachele spoke on Adelaide’s post-game show, Crows Live, which gives supporters an insight into the changerooms after each home game.

The 22-year-old said spending time in the midfield allowed the likes of Isaac Rankine and Captain Jordan Dawson to rest up-forward.

“We’ve got set roles, obviously throughout the whole game, but I thought today I had a bit more freedom,” Rachele said after the 60-point win against the Blues on Saturday.

“It started with VB (Assistant Coach Nathan van Berlo) giving me the heads up to roll through the midfield. We found that our mids were probably staying there a bit long the past couple of games and tiring in the last quarter.

“I think that’s why you saw Daws and Ranks play a bit more in the forward line and that just helped them go back to the midfield and have more power as well.

“It was great to be back in the midfield. I definitely would like to play a bit more down there in the long term. I did a lot of midfield work during pre-season, so it gives me full confidence that I can make an impact when I go in there.”

Rachele also praised the Crows’ backline for holding the Blues’ forwards to just seven goals.

“It was definitely one of the most enjoyable games of the year, everyone played their role nicely and executed the game plan perfectly,” Rachele said.

“We knew that their two bigs (Charlie) Curnow and (Harry) McKay are definitely kick starters of their offence, so we executed the game plan perfectly to stop their dominance. It was something we scouted before the game.

“We’ve given full praise to all our key backs, especially Josh Worrell, and Mark Keane, and even Buttsy being back in, it worked perfectly.”

The Crows will now turn their attention to the first Showdown of 2025, with the match to be hosted at Adelaide Oval this Saturday night.

“I’m super excited,” Rachele said.

“We all know the Showdowns are the closest things to finals, and it’s going to be a great game.

“The Power, with a loss, are going to be firing, so I think it’s going to be a great battle between both teams.”