Adelaide forward Izak Rankine is reportedly recovering well from a concussion he sustained after a sickening bump from Port Adelaide defender Dan Houston on Saturday night.
Rankine was taken from the field on a stretcher and substituted out of the match during the third quarter of the Crows' 22-point loss to the Power at the Adelaide Oval.
It means that the 24-year-old's season is now over as he has entered the AFL's concussion protocols and will be unavailable for Adelaide's match against Sydney this Saturday night.
Teammate Lachlan Murphy provided an update on Rankine and told media that the playing group was supporting him with his recovery.
"Our attention goes to making sure he's on the mend," Murphy said on Monday morning.
"All I know is that he's going to be home for a couple of days.
"From all reports, there's no other injuries associated with it, just a concussion, so hopefully he's on the mend and feeling better and will be in and around the club in the coming days.
"He's at home at the moment, in the concussion protocols, so he won't be playing this week."
Crows coach Matthew Nicks was clearly disappointed to lose Rankine, but said post-game that his star player was "up and about".
"He's up and about but we will keep a close eye on how he's going," Nicks said.
"His health and welfare is the priority for us, now, just making sure he's OK and he is."
It was a typically spiteful Showdown and the incident between Houston and Rankine sparked a melee between both sides.
Despite appearing knocked out for several minutes, Rankine was able to give a thumbs up while being taken off the ground on the medicab.
On Sunday night, Houston was charged with rough conduct by the match review officer Michael Christian, with the incident graded as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.
With a lengthy suspension expected, he will appear before the AFL tribunal tonight in a bid to save his season.
Rankine – who kicked the opening goal of the match – was the target of a lot of attention from the Power opposition from the contest's outset.
"They are targeting Izak Rankine ... it is a Showdown," Crows champion Mark Ricciuto noted during the Fox Footy broadcast.
"They are into Izak Rankine and so they should be – (they are) going to try and put him off his game."
It was a tumultuous season for the Kokatha and Ngarrindjeri man, who was restricted to just 15 games after battling injury and suspension throughout the year.
However despite missing patches of footy, Rankine finished the season with 29 goals and excelled when given opportunities in the Crows' midfield.
