The frustrated Adelaide players blame themselves, not an arbitration error, for their controversial loss from a point against Gold Coast.
The AFL admitted that an arbitration error cost crows a chance to win the thriller on Saturday, but the confession was welcomed with a collective shoulder shy by officials and adelaide players.
There were only 90 seconds left in the match with the crowds lowered from a point where Izak Rankine seemed to mark at an easy score distance, only to be approached by the star of Sum Collins, with the overflowing ball.
The referee should have assigned the brand, either gave Rankine a free kick for having taken place illegally during the competition.
This is the fourth time in the last 35 adelaide games, the AFL conceded that an arbitration error went against the crows in a narrow loss, leaving their livid fans – but apparently they have been mistaken.
“Since I am new, I do not have this attachment to previous decisions,” said striker Alex Neal-Bullen on Monday.
In the photo: when Izak Rankine d’Adelaide (right) had his potentially winning mark of the Gold Coast Sam Collins
Rankine’s teammate, Alex Neal-Bullen (illustrated to play against the Suns), has a message for furious fans: the loss was the faults of the players
“(The chief executive) Tim Silvers summed up very well yesterday with the declaration he made: there is not much that the AFL can make.
“We are now, as a football team, we just have to move on.
“Our ability is now to put energy in the game to come because if we look too far back, you often find that you let the ball fall.”
Silvers said on Sunday that the AFL concession was “without use or advantage” for the crows.
But Neal-Bullen, who left Melbourne to join the crows this season and instantly been elected to the leadership group, said that players are blaming for the overwhelming loss, not the officials.
“Whenever you lose a tight game like that, it’s obviously devastating,” he said.
“We are all competitors in the industry, as a professional athlete.
“The only thing with that, however, was not the only moment that cost us the game.
The capture of Neal-Bullen (illustrated on the left in action against the Gold Coast) will not do much to calm crowns of crows who had enough of AFL errors to cost them games
“There are other key moments when we could have done a little better in a team – and this particular moment was out of this control.
“We have to continue playing the game.
“It was a theme of our football club this pre-season since I arrived here, our ability to stay in the moment … face the challenges.
And the 180 Gamer rejected AFL calls to adopt a system similar to the Deputy Football Video referee (VAR).
“I love our game because it still moves,” said Neal-Bullen.
“You see sports in other countries that are a little stopped.
“Any other delay, the game would be on too many hours, and you just want to continue moving with it as a player.”