The Adelaide star has suffered anxiety in training and the Crows are awaiting further assessment after complaining of pain on Wednesday.

Additionally, a rising Hawks star rejoined the club and two emerging kangaroos were shot during training.

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Isaac Rankin’s session ended early Wednesday afternoon due to a hamstring problem.

Reaching to contest his mark during match play, Rankin grabbed his right hamstring before being alerted by Adelaide medical staff.

Crows assistant coach Jack Hombsch then provided an update on Rankin’s status.

“He just got up with a bit of pain. He’s being assessed as we speak so we don’t know much yet but we hope he’s okay at this stage,” he told SEN SA.

“We expect him to be fine on Friday (match simulation against Port Adelaide).”

Rising Hawks star commits

Hawthorn breakout star Josh Weddle has officially recommitted to the club on a new contract following interest from Essendon.

In a major coup for the Hawks on the eve of the season, Weddle wrote a new four-year extension that will make him a free agent in 2030.

The 21-year-old is out of contract this year and has attracted interest from Essendon with a big offer as one of their most exciting talents.

Late last year, Weddle was offered a lucrative seven-year contract by the Bombers, with the deal reportedly worth around $10 million with a rival club.

But the versatile 191cm player, who has made 60 appearances in the AFL, has been locked up in Sam Mitchell’s side and has committed his future to the Hawks.

“We are delighted that Josh has committed his future to Hawthorn. He is a key part of what we hope to achieve and we are very confident that his best is yet to come,” Hawks director of football Rob McCartney said.

“Early in his career, Josh has shown the ability to change games and create special moments that bring his teammates back into the contest.

“His explosive running ability is well documented, but Josh’s evolution as a defender to play on the wing, ruck and even forwards highlights his versatility and selflessness to play any role needed to help us develop.

“Josh continues to be one of the hardest working players at our club, pushing his peers and driving the standards required at Hawthorn and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

teammates German Impey said he was confident the other Hawks, who will be surrounded by rivals such as Weddle, will rejoin the club.Even if it means it costs less money to maintain their exciting core.

“They’ll obviously look at other clubs because we’re playing well,” Impey said. foxfooty.com.au.

“There’s a reason they didn’t leave two, three, four, five years ago when we weren’t in the finals or in the team.

“We’re very confident in retaining these players. If you look at the Hawks’ history, they’ve probably had to take salary cuts to retain good players.”

“Hopefully we can do something similar and make sure everyone is healthy and fit and ready to hit the track.”

Hawthorn duo Nick Watson and Jack Ginnivan had to contain their excitement on Tuesday following reports that Weddle was on the verge of re-signing with the club, although this has not been officially confirmed.

At the 2026 AFL Auskick launch on Tuesday, Ginnivan was asked about the possibility of re-signing Weddle before being interrupted by Watson.

Ginivan: “Yeah, he’s an absolute gun, so obviously there are a few…”
Watson: “I don’t know if he’s put pen to paper yet, but I think so!”

Ginivan: “Yeah, but if he hasn’t re-signed yet, I hope he does. But if he does, we saw how good he is (on Monday). He’s an absolute weapon and it would be great to get him.”

Weddle missed key games this year with a hip injury late in the Hawks’ home and away seasons, but he returned and made a notable impact in the Hawks’ two wins in the finals.

The exciting utility has been a revelation for Hawthorn’s defense for the first few years of his AFL career, but will likely see more time on the ball in 2026.

“We see that every day in training. He brings energy, he brings love within the group,” Watson said.

“There’s been a lot of talk about Essendon wanting to sign him, but we know he’s a Hawthorn boy.

“He’s fast, powerful and can break through in midfield. He can play anywhere, on the wing or at half-back, and he can also score as a forward.

“So he’s a special player, a special talent. Hopefully he stays with the Hawks.”

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Loose Duo falls during training

A cloud of injuries surrounds two emerging kangaroos before the start of the 2026 season.

Colby McKercher injured a finger on his left hand during Friday’s training session and underwent minor surgery on the cracked finger.

However, North Melbourne expects McKercher to be ready for Matchday 1 against Port Adelaide.

It’s still an ill-timed blow, even after a promising pre-season for the third-year halfback ahead of Friday’s game simulation against Melbourne.

Meanwhile, Taylor Goad went down during training Wednesday with concerns about possible knee and leg injuries.

Gord left the session early in the arms of his trainer and the club are now evaluating the young ruckman.

George Wardlow (hamstring) has also battled hard to be fit for the first leg despite a string of injuries throughout pre-season, including a heavy loss to Jackson Archer at Arden Street with a match-ending ACL.

AFL explores women’s national team in 2026

Two of AFLW’s biggest young stars are hoping the women’s game will be incorporated into national football following the success of Saturday’s State of Origin revival.

This comes amid reports that the AFL is keen to introduce women’s international football in 2026.

7News Melbourne’s Xander McGuire said on Tuesday night that the league was exploring two avenues. One is a traditional Origin game (Victoria would play in either Western Australia or South Australia) and Australia vs Ireland, given there are just under 40 players on the 2025 AFLW list.

Mr McGuire said the AFL’s priority international slots would be in June during the bye period of the AFL season, or in late July to early August.

There is an appetite for marquee matches for Collingwood’s Ash Centra and Western Bulldogs’ Jasmine Smith on Tuesday, even if they are played in the middle of the off-season.

“Certainly, I think it would be pretty cool to see now how many people were at the Western Australia game a few days ago,” said Sentra, a 2024 pick.

“60,000, it would be great to see if women can achieve that.”

Smith, who played five games for the Suns before moving to the Bulldogs at the end of 2023, will play for Queensland in the traditional state-versus-state clash after growing up on the Gold Coast.

But the Bulldogs midfielder is delighted to be moving on from his hometown and declared there will be tournament-wide interest in the Australia-Ireland clash.

“I think the state vs. state game is really great, but there’s also been a lot of talk about the Ireland vs. Australia team,” Smith said.

“There is still talk of that at this point.”

AFLW’s pre-season doesn’t officially start until May, meaning players will be away from their clubs for half the year.

Thanks to the break, Smith believes there will be a rush of girls putting their hands up to take part in games in February, which he said will be of great benefit to their fitness.

“Certainly, the preseason is so long that I think it would actually be beneficial to get a few more games in during the offseason,” Smith said.