Richmond was playing for its season in the dying minutes on Saturday, having stolen the momentum just when Adelaide seemed to have the game sewn up. In front of another 50,000-plus crowd at Adelaide Oval, the Crows looked set to cement their place in the eight midway through the final quarter before the Tigers growled. They peppered inside 50, reducing the margin point by point until former North Adelaide player Nathan Gordon snapped truly to put his side in front – keeping Richmond's finals hopes alive.
2. Crows drop ball
Adelaide's players wouldn't have known, but as they were doing battle with the Tigers, Collingwood's capitulation at the MCG was presenting them an opportunity to cement their position in the eight. The Magpies' upset loss meant victory for the Crows would see them enter round 22 a win clear of the bottom eight. Frustratingly for Crows' fans, the side's inconsistency again saw it fumble that opportunity. Adelaide will remain in the eight for another week, but coach Brenton Sanderson will again be questioning what is needed for his unit to play consistent football.
3. A little bit of history repeating
It had been almost 20 years since the Tigers last won seven games in a row, when they were victorious in each of the opening seven matches of the 1995 season. Coincidentally that seventh win was achieved against Adelaide, in a game where Tony Modra kicked five goals for the Crows and Matthew Knights collected 38 disposals for the Tigers. History repeated itself on Saturday night, with Richmond overcoming the Crows to claim a seventh win on the trot.
4. Black Cat a dark omen for home side
The signs were ominous to say the least for the Crows when a black cat ran out onto the field in the second term. Apparently frustrated with the home side's lack of scoreboard pressure, the feline made a brief appearance in Adelaide's forward pocket. It failed to make an impact though and promptly dragged itself.
5. Footy justice delivered
Having been well-held by Tiger Shaun Grigg for most of the night, acting Crows skipper Rory Sloane appeared to nail a huge goal for his side in the dying minutes of the third term when he dribbled it though from the boundary. The goal reduced Richmond's lead to 19 points…until it was overruled just before the umpire restarted play in the middle of the ground. It seemed a baffling decision, but footy karma delivered swift justice when, a few moments later, Sloane spoiled a kick in allowing Eddie Betts to nail an undisputed major.
WATCH: Is this enough to change a decision?
