Izak Rankine’s standout performance was one of several talking points and historical notes to come from Adelaide’s loss to Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Friday night.
Rankine raises the bar again
Izak Rankine set a new career-high for disposals with 39 against the minor premiers, the round after collecting a record 37 against Richmond. He also took nine marks, made six tackles, had 792 metres gained, 10 clearances and a game-high 13 score involvements, including kicking his own 1.3. Rankine was busy in the first quarter, with 14 disposals, three clearances, 10 uncontested possessions and three score involvements. He also covered 14.2km in the game.
McAndrew competes strongly in the ruck
Ruck Lachlan McAndrew was competitive against Fremantle star Luke Jackson, finishing with 36 hit outs, a game-high four contested marks, five clearances and eight score involvements. Jordan Dawson worked hard for 27 disposals, including 10 clearances, and Ben Keays had three goals assists among six score involvements. Josh Rachele and Zac Taylor both kicked two goals and had six score involvements.
Thilthorpe reaches 150
Riley Thilthorpe’s two goals lifted his career tally to 150 from 97 AFL games, equal with 1998 premiership forward Peter Vardy (who played 96 AFL games).
Laird marks milestone with a goal
Defender Rory Laird celebrated earning AFL Life Membership with Adelaide’s first goal of the night and his first goal of the season. Laird qualified with his 300th official game including 285 AFL games, 11 pre-season matches, one State representative appearance and two international matches.
Record crowd turns out at Optus Stadium
It was a record crowd of 55,010 for games between Adelaide and Fremantle and also the fifth biggest minor round crowd the Crows have been involved with, behind four games against Collingwood at the MCG.
Fremantle continues recent run
Adelaide has not beaten Fremantle at Perth’s Optus Stadium in four attempts. And the Dockers have won seven of their past eight clashes between the sides since 2020. The Crows have played Fremantle 47 times since 1995, winning 24 of those matches. Adelaide’s only success since 2019 was a 39-point win at Adelaide Oval on Easter Saturday, 2023.
