Geelong coach Chris Scott was left fuming not only by his team's narrow one-point loss to Adelaide on Thursday night but also by the behaviour of some Crows fans, whom he labelled 'nuffies'. The dramatic clash at Adelaide Oval saw the Crows hold on for a famous 11.9 (75) to 10.14 (74) victory.
With his side trailing by two points at three-quarter time, Scott was seen looking back towards a group of fans as he walked through the crowd to the huddle. After the match, Scott confirmed he had spoken to security about the interaction.
'I didn't have any words with any fans - I spoke to security — you're reading way too much into that,' Scott said. 'Of course, they did (have words with me) they're nuffies, but that's okay. I talk to security regularly.'
Scott was questioned about the appropriateness of AFL senior coaches having to walk through the crowd at venues during breaks. 'That's a good question,' he replied. 'This is one of the best stadiums in the world, I love it, but it's an oversight that coaches should have to walk through the crowd. I don't want to do it at any ground.'
Bailey Smith and Patrick Dangerfield Shine
Bailey Smith starred for the Cats, while skipper Patrick Dangerfield produced a season-high 30-possession performance. The 36-year-old played significantly more midfield time than he has in a season where he has struggled with fitness.
'It's been a bit of a slow build, everyone's entitled to their opinion, but no one has the access that we have internally to where he's at,' Scott said. 'This is something that wasn't really available to us, sort of five six weeks ago, and we think we've been building towards it a little bit more. He's going to have some ebbs and flows, and I think that's true of all players across the competition, but especially the ones that are towards the end of their career. But he definitely showed he still got it, didn't he?'
Jeremy Cameron's Quiet Night
Star full forward Jeremy Cameron failed to kick a goal and finished with just seven possessions on a quiet night, with some suggesting his broken arm from last year's grand final loss is still affecting him. 'My understanding is it's okay,' Scott said. 'We thought he was influential early in the game up the ground, but the game sort of changed a little bit, so what we wanted from him changed as well. It was a pretty serious injury, but my understanding is he feels better some days than others, but again, you can read a little bit too much into these things and sort of look for reasons why a player doesn't quite do what he normally does and get to an answer that might not be the truth.'
Match Review Concerns for Multiple Players
Several Crows players face nervous waits for the AFL match review. Veteran Taylor Walker will come under scrutiny after the former skipper pushed Connor O'Sullivan into a marking contest between Mark O'Connor and Jordan Dawson. The current Adelaide captain clutched his hip in pain but played on, despite the league cracking down on such actions. O'Sullivan was paid a free kick.
'That's an absolute no-no,' leading analyst David King said on Fox Footy. 'You're not allowed into the traffic like that. Tex, he's in some bother.'
Geelong's Tom Stewart could also be in hot water. The Geelong star bumped Crows recruit Callum Ah Chee front-on in the first half after a ball went over their heads. Fox Footy reporter Jon Ralph noted it walks a fine line between legal and illegal. 'It's all about whether this is to the head, or the upper chest … you be the judge of that one,' Ralph said. 'I don't think he's bracing there, I think he's actually bumping. You see Cal Ah Chee is not thrilled with it. Medium impact to the head would be a week (suspension), but if it's only to the upper chest, it's only a fine and we all move on. I think Michael Christian will be very closely scrutinising the slo-mo there.'
