Geelong coach Chris Scott has questioned why coaches are forced to walk through the crowd at Adelaide Oval after an ugly incident during his side's loss to the Crows on Thursday night.
An inspirational display from Jordan Dawson helped steer Adelaide to a dramatic one-point victory over Geelong and into the AFL's top six. The Crows outlasted their opponents in a brutal contest, prevailing 11.9 (75) to 10.14 (74) at a rain-soaked Adelaide Oval.
Scott was involved in an altercation with the Crows' faithful at three-quarter time, with a pocket of the crowd heckling him as he joined the team huddle ahead of the vital final term.
'This is one of the best stadiums in the world,' the Cats coach said after his side's loss. 'I love it, but no, it's an oversight that coaches should have to walk through the crowd. I don't want to do it at any ground.'
He then unloaded on the fans who sprayed him as he made his way towards his team at Adelaide Oval. 'I didn't have any words with any fans. I spoke to security,' Scott said. 'Of course they do (have words with me). They're nuffies, but that's OK.'
Scott's frustrations with Adelaide Oval are nothing new. In 2021, he blasted the venue's access arrangements after being tripped while making his way to the field through a crowd of spectators.
The comments came after Geelong let another opportunity slip, with the Cats edged out by Adelaide in a result that leaves them under mounting pressure. A second straight defeat sees them fall to 8-5 ahead of a pivotal showdown with Gold Coast.
There was more score review controversy when Darcy Fogarty was denied a goal from a long-range set shot with less than four minutes left. The behind that was eventually awarded put Adelaide in front and ultimately proved decisive, with neither side able to muster another score in the desperate final stages.
Adelaide (7-5) move up to sixth on the ladder with their first win over Geelong in five years, ending a run of six consecutive defeats. Remarkably, seven Crows games this season have been decided by single-figure margins, including three that have resulted in one-point victories.
'We've played so many games against them that have been tight, so to get one is really pleasing,' Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said. 'Geelong are such a great side and have been for so long ... but for me it's more about the way we got it done. Deep down I just know how good we are and it's hard sometimes to walk in here and talk to that, but I will today. The boys executed under immense pressure and I'm incredibly proud of the way they went about it. They deserve the result.'
Geelong dominated centre clearances, controlled territory early and won the contested possession battle, but were wasteful in front of goal. 'I was going to say we shouldn't walk away devastated - but I am devastated,' Scott said. 'We feel like the game was there for us to win and we didn't quite grab it. But that is, to an extent, the competition we're in.'
