Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks believes sending suspended star Izak Rankine overseas was the best move to prepare him for his faint chance of playing in a potential grand final.
Rankine was last week suspended for four matches for directing a homophobic slur towards a Collingwood opponent on Saturday, August 16.
He will only play again this season if minor premiers Adelaide lose next Thursday's qualifying final, where they again play Collingwood, then win their remaining matches to reach the grand final.
Rankine jetted to Europe, reportedly Italy, to escape the spotlight while maintaining his training loads.
"We spoke through it at length about what we felt was best for Izak's preparation, be it the limited opportunity he's going to have to play again this year, there's a small chance there," Nicks told Fox Footy.
"So we wanted to do whatever we felt would put him in the best position.
"Keep in mind this is a guy that hadn't left his house for five or six days over the last week and had media parked outside the front of his house constantly watching him and so on.
"Izak understands what he did was wrong and it was a mistake and he's regretful for that but we wanted to make sure that if that small chance arrived, we set him up for success.
"So he's gone to a really high-level training facility overseas because it allowed him to just get the work done he needed.
"Within the country here, we know people are going to find him, and we just wanted him to focus on that."
Nicks confirmed Rankine would be back ahead of Thursday week's qualifying final at Adelaide Oval as he wanted to support his teammates and do "whatever he can to try and help us get across the line".
After Rankine's suspension was handed down, Nicks stressed the forward shouldn't be portrayed as a victim after being banned for the homophobic slur.
But he had spent time with Rankine in the days after it became public.
"I spent a fair bit of time with him across the week prior to, in the end, the decision that was made," he said.
"I think one thing that you learn in moments like this is they're really tough moments and there's no doubting that the mistake was made.
"But you've got to get around your people and you've got to make sure your people are OK.
"And it wasn't just Izak I was with during the week, it was a lot of other people that I felt maybe needed me to be there or needed for the leaders of our club to be around.
"But I think as a footy club, we did it as well as we possibly could in trying circumstances."
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