Cornes: Nick Daicos wouldn’t have been pinged for ‘too far’ like Izak Rankine was

A South Australian footy great says the call on Izak Rankine was technically correct, but Collingwood players like the Daicos brothers wouldn’t have been pinged.

Inaugural Adelaide coach Graham Cornes says there is “no way” Collingwood stars Nick Daicos or Scott Pendlebury would have been pinged for running more than 15m in the dying seconds of the Crows narrow loss to the Pies.

But Cornes said the controversial decision didn’t cost the Crows the game and, amid debate of another umpiring call costing Adelaide a win, said going down that path only develops a “loser mentality” and “persecution complex”.

With just 16 seconds to go at the MCG, and the Crows four-points down, it looked like Rankine was going to give Adelaide a chance to win the game as he kicked the ball into its forward 50 after a blistering run.

But he was called back for running more than 15m, with it later measured he ran 24m.

The AFL has given its official stamp of approval to the decision to penalise Izak Rankine for running 24 metres without a bounce, despite howls of disapproval from Adelaide fans.

The league on Sunday said it was happy with the call from the umpire given players are only allowed to run 15 metres without a bounce.

Nick Daicos of the Magpies is tackled by Izak Rankine of the Crows. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

While clearly players take liberties with that rule – and many of those calls go unpaid – it was clear to the umpire that Rankine well exceeded that 15 metre limit.

To further compound the blow, Rankine injured his hamstring in the process and is expected to miss games for the Crows.

On Sunday, he told TV crews at Adelaide Airport that he didn’t think at the time that he had cleared the 15m mark.

“At the time I don’t think I ran too far … I think the umpire made the right decision but the frustration kind of lies with it being sort of inconsistent and I would like the umpires to call a bit more of them during the week,” he said.

Cornes said a Collingwood player wouldn’t have been pinged in the situation.

“Technically it was the correct decision, but in the spirit of the game and what has been accepted in most games this year it was a poor decision by the umpire,” he said.

“It certainly wasn’t in the spirit of the game and so many players run much more further than that without penalty.

Izak Rankine injured his hamstring in his run down the wing against Collingwood. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

“However that didn’t cost them the game, even had the kick been allowed a goal still would have needed to be kicked in a small time and there were plenty of opportunities for the crows put the game beyond doubt before that and they didn’t.

“There is no way that Nick or Josh Daicos would have been called for it or Scotty Pendlebury or someone like that, there is no way.

“But you have to put it beyond these decisions and they haven’t done that. They had plenty of opportunities in the last quarter to ice the game but poor kicks, poor decision making, an unfortunate slip by (Mark) Keane to allow (Jordan) De Goey to mark uncontested, there are lots of other examples which you can point to.”

Former Adelaide player now radio personality Ryan Fitzgerald said he was disappointed the umpires didn’t have a “sense of the occasion” given it was such a thrilling ending to the game.

“The thing that disappoints me, I understand that it is too far and they have measured and that but every weekend there are instances of this that are let go,” he said.

“There was another video last night after the Brisbane Lions Richmond game where a young player called Harry Sharp took off from defence, took two bounces and ran past the wing and if you actually break that down I think both times before he bounces it he is way over 15m.

“I totally understand that we weren’t guaranteed of winning the game, we still had to kick a goal but don’t stop it and bring it back and absolutely kill the game by making such a critical decision like this.

Harry Sharp was one player highlighted as getting away with running too far on the weekend. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

“I don’t know why they have to make these huge decisions, that are 50/50 decisions in the last seconds of a game.

“Have a sense of the occasion, that is all I ask because if you don’t pay that free kick you are not going to get pulled up on it or get into trouble after the game.

“No-one was screaming for it and they decided to get involved and pay a huge decision like that with 20 seconds to go on the clock. It is mind-boggling.”

At Adelaide Oval on Sunday, Port Adelaide star Zak Butters was pinged for running too far with the ball early on in the Power’s clash against Hawthorn.

It was the fourth-time in the last two seasons that Crows fans have felt umpires have cost their side a win.

Last season, the AFL conceded that Crows captain Jordan Dawson should have received a free-kick for high contact in the dying seconds of the two-point loss to Collingwood in Round 15, while there was the now infamous goal-umpire decision that incorrectly ruled out what should have ben a Ben Keays’ goal against Sydney in Round 23.

In Round 6 this year, the AFL said umpires should have pinged Essendon ruckman Sam Draper for laying on the ball in the final seconds of the Crows’ three-point loss to the Bombers.

After the Keays no-goal, Crows chairman John Olsen said the club would push for “redress” from the AFL.

Olsen declined to comment when contacted on Sunday.

Cornes said the Crows had to stop blaming umpire decisions.

“I think what you are doing is that you are developing a loser mentality, you are certainly developing a persecution complex which doesn’t help you when you are trying to analyse something objectively,” he said.

“Because when you look at the game the midfield was smashed, they allowed a run of six goals, which is a problem for them.

“Those are the things that Matty Nicks should be addressing because the effort is good but the execution is poor.”