Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks refused to acknowledge that the last quarter umpire blunder was the reason the Crows lost to Geelong in a tight encounter on Thursday night.
Midway through the final term, Cats midfielder Tom Atkins pulled the wool over the eyes of the adjudicating umpire, kicking the ball over the boundary line as he contested it with youngster Zac Taylor.
A moment of quick thinking from Atkins, the veteran immediately picked up the ball and assumed a free kick, despite knowing he was the last to touch it before it went out of bounds.
"THAT'S A HUGE STORY." 😳
Tom Atkins fooled the ump... and the Cats made the most of it. pic.twitter.com/D2RwENHbHc
— 7AFL (@7AFL) March 26, 2026
The field umpire waved play on once the Cats on-baller returned to the field, ultimately making the incorrect decision. Shortly after, the Cats kicked a goal.
"No, no, there's nothing that stood out that changed the game from that point of view," Nicks said in response to the costly call.
"A couple of things towards the end that we'll go and work on when it comes to those really close arm wrestles.
"Again, (it was) quite an experienced side we're up against tonight that did that really well ... especially through the last quarter."
It follows a string of umpire blunders Crows fans have copped over the years, namely the Ben Keays goal that was disallowed in 2023, where in a similar fashion to Atkins, Sydney players smartly resumed play before the AFL review centre (ARC) could intervene.
Geelong coach Chris Scott's response to the controversy was "pragmatic", but encouraged the ARC to intrude as long as it didn't take too long to come to a decision.
"If people are saying that it [the decision] was wrong, it's likely to be accurate," Scott said.
"I think it's a pragmatic, logical decision to say, well, if we can get some help from the ARC on those things, we should do it, but not a way that holds the game up for too long.
"If the question was, ‘Would you rather it take a little bit too long, but they get it right?', yeah, I'd rather they got it right."
St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt called the incident a "farce" on Triple M.
"Did it come off me?" 🤔
Tom Atkins on THAT free kick 👉 https://t.co/FpHcJmGlTs https://t.co/swrXSaxPvD pic.twitter.com/p2zzSrPuO7
— 7AFL (@7AFL) March 26, 2026
"It sparked debate post-game about the ARC. We've been told they have the ability to overturn big decisions," he said.
"The last touch was off Atkins – Atkins knew it but picked up the ball and played on – the umpires were just like, ‘Yep, Geelong free kick!'… they just went with it, ball went inside 50, [Jack] Martin, scooped and score, and game over essentially! So, we've got the ARC…”
"I know, but then it's a bit of a farce, isn't it? I just don't understand. Why bother having it if you can't go back and say, ‘We got that wrong', take it back and it's an Adelaide free kick."
The Crows, as Nicks put it, lacked experience in key moments as captain Jordan Dawson (calf), along with Rory Laird (calf), Taylor Walker (managed) and Callum Ah Chee were withdrawn from the clash.
Ah Chee will miss considerable football after suffering a hamstring injury last week, while the Adelaide trio are expected to return next week against Fremantle.
"There were a few that were really close to this week," Nicks said.
"Daws was super close. It was a captain's run decision. Laird's similar. Tex should be right to go. His was more of a management decision.
"I think we'll be looking at at least three of them."
Then again, what else could Nicks say? (without getting a fine)……
At the time the crows had a “run on” and this “decision” (not alone by the way, there were others) stopped that run.
…. almost by design.
The ARC can make sure a key defender leaves the field…. but cannot overturn a blatant umpiring F’up.