Why coach axed young star after ‘laughing stock’ act

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks insists he didn’t axe young player Josh Rachele purely for his inflammatory actions during last week’s Showdown.
Rachele was a surprise omission from the Crows team sheet ahead of their final game of the season, against the Swans on Saturday.
It came just days after he was slammed for running toward Port Adelaide fans and pointing to his teeth during last week’s game.
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Rachele had earlier sledged Power fans for having fewer teeth during a radio interview.
His actions were hammered by Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes, who said Rachele was now “the laughing stock of the competition”.
Josh Rachele showed his teeth to Port fans during the Showdown. Fox Footy
The Power are sitting pretty in second spot on the AFL ladder while the lowly Crows are languishing in 15th.
Nicks dropped the 21-year-old on Thursday but denied suggestions it was a reaction to the saga.
“It’s about values and the standards we are looking to uphold consistently,” Nicks said on Friday.
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“Essential to that is being team first, so Josh and I have had a number of conversations.
“It’s not isolated to recent events, this is something we’ve been working on for a long period of time. Not just Josh and I, but the entire squad and what we stand for.
“When you’re dealing with values it’s important you get everyone on the same page. It’s such a fine line between what we accept and what we don’t as a football club and football team,” he said.
“There are a lot of things Josh is doing that we love. We love his energy and enthusiasm, he brings an incredible passion to our group.
“I’ll make it clear that this has nothing to do with the way Josh celebrates, in fact, we love the way Josh goes about his footy and the enjoyment he brings. It does send a real vibe through our group.
“It’s not an isolated incident, this is not one scenario, this is something we’ve worked on for a period of time now.”
The Crows are rank outsiders to beat the ladder-leading Swans at the SCG.