Adelaide Crows star Izak Rankine’s ‘season is finished’ over alleged homophobic slur during Collingwood match

Adelaide’s push for a long-awaited flag has been dealt a major setback, with reports suggesting forward Izak Rankine has been hit with a season-ending ban over a homophobic slur made during Saturday night’s clash with Collingwood.

The Crows edged out the Magpies by three points in what was hailed as one of the games of the year. But the drama was quickly overshadowed by Rankine’s alleged on-field remark towards an opponent.

The AFL conducted an investigation into the incident and, according to reports on Tuesday, deemed the conduct worthy of a heavy suspension, effectively ruling Rankine out for the remainder of the 2025 season.

It comes just weeks after West Coast’s Jack Graham was sidelined for four games for a similar slur against a GWS player.

Footy presenter Eddie McGuire told Channel 9’s Footy Classified:

“Izak Rankine’s season is over. Tonight the AFL will send a letter to Adelaide and my understanding is the suspension is for five weeks. His season is finished in 2025,” he said.

“The Adelaide Football Club will have the opportunity to appeal the sanction, because they could argue it is unjust.”

The setback is a crushing blow for the Crows, who are chasing their first premiership since 1998.

While a former Crows coach says Adelaide’s players and coaches would be disappointed in Izak Rankine.

The Crow, regarded as among the AFL’s most talented players, is bracing for a ban of between three and five games.

Ladder-leaders Adelaide have one home-and-away game remaining and will then host two finals.

The Crows lobbied for a three-match ban which offers Rankine a glimmer of hope of playing later in the finals when the club returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Scott Camporeale, Adelaide’s caretaker head coach in 2015 after the death of Phil Walsh and an assistant coach at the club for nine years until 2019, was dismayed at Rankine’s case.

“You feel for the community, we’re supposed to be standing up for these things,” Camporeale told Adelaide radio station 5AA.

“They are well-educated, these players ... they’re the best-educated group in the country around race, gender, all those things.

“And we continually keep having to go through these scenarios.”

Camporeale said in a pure football sense, Rankine’s teammates and coaches would feel let down by the 25-year-old.

“Matthew Nicks would be pretty disappointed as a senior coach,” he said.

“He is a September player, Izak Rankine ... he’s the No.1 score involvement player for the Crows.

“Can they still win it? I think they can, it’s never just one player.

“But he has got to be around the club, he has got to be supporting the group ... he needs to be there front and centre and support his teammates.

“Most of them would be pretty disappointed because they know how integral he is to the team.”

Last month, West Coast’s Jack Graham was banned for four games for making a homophobic remark to a GWS player.

In April last year, Port Adelaide’s Jeremy Finlayson banned for three games and, the next month, Gold Coast’s Wil Powell was suspended for five matches, both for directing homophobic slurs are opponents.

Two VFL players have also recently been banned for homophobic slurs.

Sydney defender Riak Andrew last month was suspended for five matches for an anti-gay slur while playing for the Swans’ reserves team against North Melbourne.

And in July last year, St Kilda’s Lance Collard was banned six games for homophobic comments while playing in the VFL for Sandringham against Williamstown.