'Jump in the bin': Umpiring slammed as AFL executives booed during controversial Showdown finish
The AFL has narrowly avoided uproar following Friday night's thrilling Showdown, with controversial umpiring and ARC calls very nearly costing Adelaide the win.
And it would have happened right under the noses of league boss Andrew Dillon and head of football Greg Swann, who were in attendance at the Adelaide Oval.
A Wayne Milera goal late in the fourth term would have put the Crows two goals up and likely sealed the result, but it was overturned due to a highly questionable push on the goal line as the ball was being shepherded through.
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Brayden Cook celebrates the winning goal. AFL Photos via Getty Images
The ball then flew down the other end, with Joe Berry putting Port Adelaide back in front with under a minute to play and potentially flipping both teams' seasons.
Adelaide wingman Brayden Cook however managed to kick one last goal on the run with 10 seconds left on the clock to steal the result back for the Crows, averting what would have been a weekend of fury from fans.
Former players picked up on this quickly, with 2011 Brownlow Medallist Dane Swan posting on social media in the aftermath.
"The umpiring though. No beuno. Would not of (sic) blamed the Crows fans if they ripped down the stadium in protest after couple of those late free kicks paid against. Back to the VFL for some (umpires) next week," Swan wrote.
Former Adelaide star Paul Seedsman was equally ropeable after the game.
"Umpires jump on the bin. This has been horrendous - wear the prison bars (Port Adelaide guernsey) next time at least," he wrote.
The AFL's top brass booed by fans after appearing on screen during the Showdown. Fox Footy
"Thankfully Andrew Dillon and Greg Swann are in attendance. They can do something about it.
"The cookie monster (Brayden Cook) has saved the AFL (from) another apology to the Crowies."
Fellow ex-Adelaide champion Josh Jenkins believes the AFL needed the Crows to win to avoid an explosion of umpire bashing.
"This sport cannot afford Port to win after that free kick. Wowee," he wrote on social media.
"Seriously. The AFL badly needed Adelaide to win that game. The joint would've erupted losing a game on another late game decision again."
The overturned ARC call. Fox Footy
The push late in the game wasn't the only controversial call. Earlier in the night the ARC overturned a Crows goal, saying the ball actually went over the top of the post.
The crowd certainly made their feelings known to Dillon and Swann, who were heavily booed after being shown on the big screen following the ARC call.
Former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley on the Fox Footy call joked that the camera operators had done well timing wise popping them on the big screen when they did.
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks meanwhile deflected from questions about umpiring in his press conference.
"What a spectacle. Things happen. I'm glad it finished the way it did," Nicks said with a smile.
It's been a tough season for the AFL's ARC system, which was tweaked coming into the round of footy after multiple controversies in round seven.
The Crows have been at the centre of multiple AFL umpiring controversies in recent years.
The most egregious of which came in the final round of the 2023 season, with a Ben Keays goal incorrectly ruled a point, and ultimately costing Adelaide a top eight spot.
