IZAK Rankine returns to the AFL stage on Friday night for the first time since being handed a four-game suspension for a homophobic slur seven months ago. 

The 25-year-old watched on in September as the minor premiers faltered in the finals, exiting in straight sets without winning a single quarter against Collingwood or Hawthorn at home. 

Rankine then remained in South Australia last weekend to serve the final game of his suspension, while the Crows travelled to Melbourne and beat the Magpies for the first time at the MCG since 2014. 

The 2018 pick No.3 missed both practice matches due to a minor hamstring strain, but is raring to resume his AFL career and repay the faith the club for its support in him, following the incident involving Collingwood defender Isaac Quaynor. 

Now Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks has one of the most explosive players in the competition back at his disposal after a long summer of reflection. 

"We go away and learn from things we don't get right," Nicks told reporters this week ahead of Friday night's blockbuster against the Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval. 

"I think Izak has done a hell of a lot of work on what he's doing off-field. He's an incredible human — what he's doing on-field, the way he's going to hold himself. I am really confident on what you're going to see from him."

After everything that happened last August, it's easy to forget Rankine's impact in 2025. 

He was included in the 44-man All-Australian squad for the first time after being one of only four players in the AFL to average at least 20 disposals and one goal per game in 2025. The other three were all measured up for a blazer.

Rankine properly exploded in 2024, but managed only 15 appearances due to a hamstring strain against Collingwood in the dying seconds of round 10, then the four-game suspension for a bump on Brandon Starcevich in his third game back, before his season ended with the concussion from Dan Houston in the round 23 Showdown. 

When Rankine's hamstring went while he ran down the boundary of the MCG chasing a win against the Magpies, he had been the No.1-rated player in the game for a month, averaging 23.7 rating points. 

But last year, the former Gold Coast Sun spent even more time in the midfield and averaged more disposals (20.5), contested possessions (11.3), score involvements (6.6), inside 50s (4.5) and clearances (4.4) than ever before. 

After a brilliant home and away season under Nicks, rising from 15th in 2024 to top of the ladder, Adelaide fell off a cliff in September.

Clearly, it wasn't all down to the unavailability of one man, but the saga was a distraction at the business of the season.

This was the decline in key metrics after Rankine was suspended in round 23. 

After copping his whack last year and working on himself and his game, Rankine will have a big say in just how far Adelaide progresses in 2026. 

"(He's) very motivated," Nicks said this week. "I'm not saying he wasn't motivated prior, but just to another level."