After one angry minute, Crows move on from ump blunder

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks gave his players one minute to vent their fury.

Literally: he put a countdown clock on it.

After releasing their anger at a goal umpire blunder which cost the Crows a shot at the finals, Nicks told his charges to move on.

"I gave them a minute to vent and get out any anger they had," Nicks told reporters on Wednesday.

"We put a countdown timer on it.

"We said that'll do it ... whatever gets it off your chest, get out whatever you want to get out. And move on."

The AFL has apologised to the Crows, who were denied a go-ahead goal against Sydney with 70 seconds remaining in their one-point loss on Saturday night.

A Ben Keays kick was given a behind when the goal umpire incorrectly ruled the ball brushed a post - and the defeat tipped Adelaide from the finals race.

In June this year, after Adelaide's two-point loss to Collingwood, the AFL also apologised to the Crows for a field umpire missing a free kick to captain Jordan Dawson in the last 30 seconds which would have resulted in a shot at goal.

"It would have been nice to get those going our way," Nicks said.

"But things don't always go your way.

"What are we going to do? (If) we dwell on it, we're not going anywhere.

"We move on really quickly. Maybe that's something you learn over your time in the game, there's no point living in the past. Get over it, move on.

"We've got to be better. I'd love for us not to leave it to the last minute of a game to leave it in the hands of someone else of where it is we end up.

"That's easier said than done.

"And we'll just keep getting better and hopefully next year there's no opportunity for this to happen.

"Even now, let's be honest, we could win again this weekend and still not make the finals so it's not like finals was a guarantee."

Adelaide's season ends in Perth against West Coast on Saturday, with the Crows missing finals for the sixth consecutive season - four under Nicks, whose contract expires at the end of next year.

"There is a certain amount of luck but you make your own luck," Nicks said.

"This year we felt like we made some huge ground, our development in a lot of areas was so strong.

"You go back and look at a lot of the data from this year compared to where we were last year, the growth has been huge.

"And we have got to do that again next year."

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store