Izak Rankine shift being considered by Adelaide Crows in light of midfield dilemma
The Adelaide Crows are thinking about switching up their midfield in an effort to end their current losing skid.
Izak Rankine, a valuable forward, may be moved into the midfield by the squad.
To be honest, we’d rather two of him, said Nathan van Berlo, assistant coach with the Crows.
“Izak ahead of the ball commands a very good defender, wins a lot of his own ball, and kicks opportunistic goals that others cannot, but then in and around the footy gives us a different look.”
The current midfield lineup for Adelaide, which consists of Sam Berry, Matt Crouch, and Rory Laird, has drawn criticism for being “vanilla” and for lacking explosiveness in recent weeks.
“I can appreciate there’s commentary around certain styles of players that we have,” van Berlo said.
“We’ll certainly have a look at it and see what that mix looks like, going into the game, whether that mix is different or the same, what we’ll be focusing on is getting our contest right.”
Billy Dowling, a youthful midfielder, may make his eagerly anticipated debut if more selection adjustments are required in light of his outstanding showing in the SANFL round one.
Regarding Dowling’s play, van Berlo remarked, “I was really impressed with the way he went about his footy, and he’s had a great summer.”
