Izak Rankine will learn his finals fate as early as Tuesday, with an AFL investigation potentially ending the Adelaide star’s season.

Rankine, one of the Crows’ top players, is in massive strife for an alleged homophobic slur against at a Collingwood opponent in last Saturday night’s big home game.

The three-point win guaranteed Adelaide a top-two finish in their first September appearance since losing the 2017 grand final.

But a lot of the wind came out of the Crows’ sails on Sunday when the allegation emerged, with the AFL quickly becoming involved.

Adelaide will play North Melbourne this weekend and will play from two to four finals, depending on results.

But the AFL has made clear its determination to stamp out homophobic slurs.

West Coast’s Jack Graham was banned for four games last month after he self-reported a comment made to a GWS opponent.

Last year, Gold Coast’s Wil Powell was suspended for five matches and Port Adelaide’s Jeremy Finlayson served a three-game ban.

So precedence strongly suggests the if the AFL finds that Rankine has a case to answer, he will be out for at least four matches, with a five-game ban a definite possibility.

Rankine was unsighted at Adelaide’s West Lakes headquarters on Monday. He and club officials met with the AFL’s integrity unit during the day.

Suns coach Damien Hardwick expressed concern on Monday night that while homophobic slurs had no place in the game, the punishments being handed out might be too severe.

“We can have a player that belts a guy in the jaw and will get maybe five weeks and then we used a term - which once again, I don’t condone the behaviour,” Hardwick told AFL360.

“But I think we’ve painted ourselves in a corner with regards to the penalty and length of penalty.”