So, Izak Rankine will be available to play this year’s AFL grand final. Or maybe he won’t be.

All this depends not merely on whether Adelaide can get to the last day, but on how exactly they get there.

Put simply, should Adelaide proceed in straight sets – winning their qualifying final and then earning the following week off – Rankine’s season will be over. If Adelaide takes the scenic route, having lost in week one and playing every remaining week, he might become a premiership player.

Izak Rankine’s only chance of playing in this year’s finals is if the Crows lose one.Credit: AFL Photos

This is perverse. If we assume Rankine’s presence boosts Adelaide’s chances on grand final day, it means the Crows will be better off having lost along the way than having cleared every hurdle.

To be abundantly clear, that’s no incentive for Adelaide to drop their first final. The added peril of an........

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