ADELAIDE forward Eddie Betts has revealed what coach Don Pyke told his downtrodden troops in the three-quarter time huddle in the Crows' embarrassing 91-point loss to Melbourne in Alice Springs last Sunday.
With his side trailing by 80 points at the last change, Pyke gave his players the silent treatment for about 20 seconds before delivering a short and sharp message.
"I think he said, 'That's not effort, go speak to your line coaches'," Betts told Adelaide radio station FIVEaa on Thursday.
"Just by looking in his eyes when he walked out, you could just tell, we were either going to get a whack here or … (silence) says more than a whack, him staring at us, just to see if we're back focused and if we're present.
"He came into the huddle and made sure that everyone was still focused, everyone's still here, everyone's still present instead of giving up.
"In games like that when you can't do anything to stop their scoring, you kind of float through the game.
"By the time three-quarter time comes, they're 15 goals up and you think bloody hell, how am I supposed to stop that."
The Crows will be looking to bounce back when they host Greater Western Sydney at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.