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The AFL have responded to Adelaide’s request for a ‘please explain’ over several crucial last-minute umpiring decisions in their thrilling one-point loss to Gold Coast.
The most costly came when star midfielder Izak Rankine was first denied a mark inside 50, then not paid a free kick after Suns defender Sam Collins came crashing into him to take him to ground.
Speaking after the match, Fox Footy’s David King said the umpire ‘froze’ in not awarding the free, one of a number of contentious calls to go against the Crows in their first loss of the season.
“That’s a mark and/or a free kick. You can’t tackle a guy while he’s marking the ball; you can’t drive into the middle of his back,” King said.
“The umpire froze, let’s be honest. He didn’t want to pay the decision. It’s a mark or a free kick, there’s no doubt about that.”
Another controversial call saw Crow Riley Thilthorpe denied a free kick for high contact after opponent Mac Andrew appeared to collect him in the head attempting to tackle, with the incident leading to a post-match scuffle after Andrew taunted Thilthorpe with a thumbs-up.
In response to the Crows’ request, the league contacted the club on Sunday morning and released a statement confirming a mark or free kick to Rankine should have been paid.
“With 1.44 remaining in the Gold Coast v Adelaide match Rankine should have been awarded a mark,” the statement reads.
“Subsequently, he was also held in the marking contest, which should have also warranted a free kick. Upon review, the umpires missed it in real time.
“The AFL football department has contacted Adelaide this morning.”
The decision is the latest costly error to cost the Crows in the dying minutes of a narrow loss.
In 2024, Essendon’s Sam Draper was wrongly not penalised for holding the ball in the final seconds of the Bombers’ win, while in 2023, the Crows were infamously denied finals when a Ben Keays snap in the last minute against Sydney was incorrectly ruled to have brushed the post.
In response, Crows CEO Tim Silvers said the costly errant calls were becoming ‘increasingly frustrating’.
“We once again find ourselves faced with an AFL acknowledgment of an umpiring error but unfortunately and in reality, it is of no use or benefit to our Club, or our players, coaches, staff, members and supporters,” Silvers said in a statement.
“It’s increasingly frustrating.
“With a five-day break between games, we must switch our focus to putting in a strong performance against Geelong in Thursday’s opening of Gather Round.”
Speaking after the match, a visibly frustrated Matthew Nicks stopped short of blaming the missed decisions for the Crows’ narrow loss.
“You need every bit of luck in that moment, but that last minute and a half, we clearly didn’t get things going our way,” Nicks said.
“I’d say there’s some really frustrated fans of ours out there. I feel for them, and I’m a little bit with them.
When asked whether he felt Rankine should have been awarded the mark, Nicks said: “My version of it is I think, if he didn’t mark it, he was tackled in a marking contest.
“But again, we made so many mistakes throughout the game. Things happen.”
The non-calls weren’t the only controversial aspect of the final moments at People First Stadium, with Thilthorpe and Andrew needing to be separated after the siren after a heated scuffle broke out.
Having taken umbrage to Andrew taunting him over a late free kick not paid to the Crows forward, Thilthorpe’s fuse was lit when the Sun sarcastically gave him a ‘thumbs-up’ immediately following the siren.
Former great Jack Riewoldt was far from impressed with the act, urging Andrew to ‘be a humble winner’.
“Mac Andrew didn’t have the runs on the board on the day to do that,” Riewoldt said on Fox Footy.
“That’s disrespectful for mine, and I don’t think Dimma [Hardwick] would like it, and I think he would knock it on the head.
“I like the idea around taking it up and growing up and being tough, but I just don’t see that as tough.
“The after-the-siren stuff, I think’s crap, to be honest… be a humble winner. I just don’t like that.”
The one-point win leaves the Suns unbeaten to start the 2025 season, while the Crows boast a still-impressive 3-1 record.
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