Adelaide returned to the winners’ list with a gritty 28-point victory against Carlton to begin the 2026 edition of Gather Round. 

Forward turned midfielder Josh Rachele starred with four majors, as the Crows overcame torrential rain to produce a 17.12 (114) to 12.14 (86) triumph at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.

Senior Coach Matthew Nicks spoke to the media after the game, and delivered five key takeaways. 

Nicks reveals what sparked second-quarter surge

Adelaide entered the quarter-time break under pressure, as it conceded seven opening term majors and trailed by just over a kick.

Much of the early damage came from around the stoppages, as the Blues got their hands on the ball at the contest, and converted their clearance ascendancy into scores. 

The Crows rectified their midfield struggles after quarter-time, and the game quickly turned, as they booted six second-term goals to open up a match-winning lead. 

Nicks gave an insight into how he addressed his midfielders at the first change, and how they responded.

“I think I started the conversation with ‘I’m not going to yell’ but I think I might have ended up going there,” Nicks said. 

“It was more (a feeling) of disappointment for them (the midfielders), because we had a big week in trying to improve in that (stoppage) space and we knew the theory and how we could get it done.

“We just weren’t able to execute it, so I tried to explain to them, nicely, what we had spoken about during the week. 

“And to their credit they turned it around instantly in the second quarter, which was very pleasing, and we were able to get the game on our terms.” 

Rachele’s midfield growth

Livewire Josh Rachele continued his development as a midfielder with a complete performance against the Blues. 

The 22-year-old set the tone with four first-half goals, and continued to influence the game, as he finished with 26 disposals, seven score involvements, six clearances and five tackles. 

Nicks said it was pleasing to see Rachele take a step forward, as he continued to learn the nuances of being a top-level midfielder.

“We’ve been pleased with what he’s brought, Josh’s still working on the midfield part, but it’s getting better every week,” Nicks said. 

“If you go back to the Geelong game he was outstanding, he wasn’t at his best last week and had to work on a few areas, and he came out and addressed that this week.

“He’s a student of the game and he’s a pro, there’s still work ons, and that might be me as a coach trying to keep Josh level, but when we get things right around him he’s able to show his weapons like he did tonight. 

“We were pleased to see him do some good things in the midfield tonight.”

Rankine brings the energy

Izak Rankine produced his best performance of the season thus far, with his energy and ability to spark his team a critical part of the Crows’ victory. 

The 25-year-old injected himself into the game early, booting the first major of the game, and was influential throughout the night to finish with 22 disposals, seven tackles, seven score involvements and two goals. 

“We saw his energy didn’t we, that was the one,” Nicks said. 

“The main thing we’ve been looking for has been our ability as a team to inject Izak into the game.

“He went on ball probably a little bit more this week than he had previously, which was always in our plan, and we’ll lift that up each week as it goes along. 

“The energy he brought was vital for us tonight, we just love the fact he had that smile back on his face, and when he’s a happy footballer we’re a very happy team.” 

Borlase steps up

Defender James Borlase continued to show he is up to the rigours of AFL by producing another strong performance behind the ball.

Given the challenge of curtailing Coleman Medallist Harry McKay, the 23-year-old was well and truly up for the task, and kept the Blues spearhead to just one goal and seven disposals. 

His efforts came off the back of an excellent return to the AFL side last week, where he quelled the influence of in-form Dockers forward Josh Treacy. 

“I’ve really enjoyed what Boz has done these past two weeks,” Nicks said.

“He’s taken his game to well above SANFL level, and in the past he had struggled making that jump to AFL-level.

“He’s done a lot of work on his game and these last two weeks he’s been huge, it’s great to see him get the reward and as a team we’re also getting the reward from what he’s producing. 

“A lot of it was just his ability to believe in himself, now he’s getting huge match-ups every week at AFL level and I couldn’t be more pleased with how he’s handled himself.” 

Hinge injury update

Defender Mitch Hinge appears set for another stint on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury against the Blues. 

Returning to the side after missing the first four matches with back soreness, Hinge slotted seamlessly into Adelaide’s defence, picking up 10 disposals and 231 metres gained before going down late in the second quarter. 

Nicks said it was a disappointing result for the 27-year-old and was unsure of the severity of the injury. 

“We think hamstring, to what grade we don’t know yet,” Nicks said. 

“It’s disappointing for Hingey because he’s worked so hard to get himself back, and even in the short period he was out there I think we saw that drive and penetration we get from him off half back. 

“I’m guessing at the moment, but it didn’t seem that good.”

Although Adelaide’s Gather Round game is complete, fans will have chances to meet their favourite Crows, with players being part of the footy festivities on Friday.

For details on what’s on during Gather Round and how to meet your favourite Crow, click here.

Adelaide will return to Adelaide Oval for a Round Six match against St Kilda next Saturday.

Tickets to the match against St Kilda are available here.