Rory Sloane dismisses captaincy challenge notion after AFL acknowledges Crows’ controversial outcome in nail-biting finish.

Adelaide legend Rory Sloane has expressed his belief that a captain’s challenge-style review system would be unfeasible in the AFL, particularly in light of the Crows’ narrow one-point defeat against the Suns.

On Sunday, the AFL acknowledged that Crows midfielder Izak Rankine should have been awarded a mark in the closing moments of Saturday’s match.

The league admitted that a mistake was made by the field umpire and stated that even if Rankine did not fully control the mark, he should still have received a free kick.

The Suns emerged victorious over the Crows, winning 13.13 (91) to 14.6 (90), but not without controversy when Rankine was denied a mark despite seemingly having a solid grip on the ball.

The former Sun also missed out on a free kick after being pushed in the back by defender Sam Collins.

This marks the fourth instance in under two years where the Crows have been adversely affected by an umpiring error acknowledged by the AFL during a close contest.

In the match’s final moments, with the Crows trailing by a solitary point, a set shot from 25 metres out in the left-forward pocket could have shifted the game’s outcome in Adelaide’s favour.

On Nine’s Today, Sloane spoke about the mistakes made by the field umpire on both occasions.

“Don’t bring it up again,” Sloane joked.

“It’s like adding insult to injury.

“I don’t understand why the AFL does this. They go away, assess [the decision], and come back saying, ‘Yeah, we made another error’, which just reopens the wounds for fans who are already feeling aggrieved.”

When asked how the AFL might rectify this issue to avoid future occurrences, Sloane echoed coach Matthew Nicks’ post-game sentiments that the responsibility lies with the team and they shouldn’t have been in that position at the end of the game.

“Unfortunately, there’s not much players can do other than to move on,” he explained.

“As Nicksy [Nicks] pointed out, if we hadn’t put ourselves in a situation where the game was so close, maybe we would have aimed to win by two, three, or four goals instead of relying on a bit of luck and an umpiring decision.

“We shouldn’t find ourselves in those situations, and, yes, there were areas the Crows needed to improve upon last weekend.”

In the NRL, a team’s captain can use a stoppage in play caused by a referee’s intervention to contest a decision.

If “challenging”, the call is referred to the video referee within the sport’s Bunker for assessment.

Although this slows down the game, it offers the opportunity to question on-field decisions, which could lead to more accurate outcomes.

Sloane doesn’t believe such a system would work in the AFL.

“I’m not sure if a captain’s challenge would be viable; it seems better suited for a coach,” he remarked.

“Coaches have a broader perspective on the game than a captain who’s caught up in the moment, making it difficult to see everything happening on the field.

“So, if we were to implement something like this, I’d prefer it to be a coach’s call—allowing them to review the footage and make an informed decision.”

Sloane did not provide specific details on how a coach’s challenge might operate in real time during the fast-paced nature of Aussie Rules.

Last year, AFL executive general manager Laura Kane indicated that the idea of allowing each team one captain’s challenge per game was not under consideration by the league.