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Former Crow urges fans to "move on" following another umpiring blunder
Jaiden Sciberras • April 6th, 2025 2:59 pm
Former Adelaide player Josh Jenkins has provided his take on the AFL’s concession of a major error in the Gold Coast Suns’ one-point win over the Adelaide Crows.
The AFL announced on Sunday morning that the umpires within the contest at People First Stadium made an error in the dying moments of the game, failing to pay a mark that should have been paid to Adelaide’s Izak Rankine.
Furthermore, the AFL announced that had the mark not been paid, a free kick should have been awarded to Rankine in the same contest, for being tackled without the ball by Gold Coast defender Sam Collins.
The AFL’s formal announcement reads: “With 1.44 remaining in the Gold Coast v Adelaide match Rankine should have been awarded a mark.
“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.”
While the Crows have now been on the receiving end of several missed or incorrect calls, Jenkins believes that Crows fans should not overreact to the situation as the club is in a very healthy position.
“It is desperately unlucky,” Jenkins told SEN’s Crunch time.
“Adelaide have been in this situation four times in the past two- and a-bit years.
“What I would like to say is, particularly if you are a Crows fan, it is not a conspiracy theory, it is not the VFL against the Adelaide Crows.
“You are incredibly unlucky, you should have received a mark, and/or a free kick in that situation, Izak Rankine against his old team, he is probably 80 per cent from that spot so you probably should have won the game, but don’t focus on that.
“Be disappointed about it, be angry about it but quickly move on to the fact that you have a very good football team.
“You have a really exciting football team, you have a high-scoring football team, and you have got a three-headed monster in the front half that no other club in the competition has.
“Even though you went to the Gold Coast and got nothing for your troubles, you know for sure and for certain, you are the real deal.”
Former Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney doubled down on Adelaide’s talent, reiterating that despite the missed call, the club will finish in the upper echelon of the AFL ladder this season.
“They are going to finish top four I think this year,” Cooney added.
“They are primed. (Riley) Thilthorpe is an absolute beast of a man, what a weapon he is.
“It is just a shame that he couldn’t clunk that last mark in the dying stages with Mac Andrew right up his backside because then he could have really got stuck into him.
“They are a great team, the three recruits are playing some really strong footy, to add that element into the mix straight away just makes you so much stronger around the ball.
“They gave themselves an opportunity and you can clearly see that they have trained for that late in the game, to try and win it.
“I thought Riley O’Brien’s ruck work in the last two minutes was sensational, to give them the opportunity and movement through the stoppage.”
With Gather Round fast approaching, coach Matthew Nicks will look to put the Suns contest behind them as the Crows take on the Cats on Thursday night.
“If I was an Adelaide person, I would not even engage in the conversation at all anymore,” Jenkins continued.
“Don’t even acknowledge the conversation because everyone understands.
“Desperately unlucky, we can’t walk Izak Rankine back into the forward pocket on a Sunday afternoon and give him a chance to win the game with the kick because the AFL said it was wrong.
“Just move on, accept it, and be ready to rock and roll.”
