Adelaide's leadership are disappointed in Crows fans for inappropriate jeering of Collingwood's Isaac Quaynor in their qualifying final.
Quaynor, the target of a homophobic slur from Adelaide ace Izak Rankine in an August 16 game, was booed throughout the Magpies' 24-point win at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.
Rankine was banned for four games for his bigoted comment and watched the final from the grandstand.
The crowd's treatment of Quaynor was slammed as "disappointing" by Collingwood coach Craig McRae, a sentiment supported by AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon.
"I am not a fan of booing at any stage," Dillon told reporters on Friday.
Crows coach Matthew Nicks refused to comment on the crowd behaviour post-match, but on Friday Adelaide officials and leadership group member Reilly O'Brien agreed with McRae.
"We want members and footy fans to be barracking and passionate," the Crows said in a statement.
"However they should do so respectfully and any behaviour contrary to that is disappointing and not appropriate."
Ruckman O'Brien also labelled the crowd's treatment of Quaynor as "disappointing".
"It was a pretty hostile environment last night, Adelaide Oval, and fans sometimes do what they do," O'Brien told reporters.
"Obviously, yeah, fans have crossed the line sometimes with that.
"I haven't analysed it too much myself, to be honest, and haven't read too much into it, but crowds can do that sort of thing."
Quaynor said post-game the Rankine saga had been challenging to deal with, but added he paid scant attention to the relentless jeering.
But his coach McRae was forthright in criticising the pro-Crows crowd.
"I'm just not a booer ... I just get disappointed with that, I find that really disappointing," McRae said.
"We'll protect our players as best we can. We love and support them around the edges."
Rankine, the sixth AFL-listed player banned for an on-field homophobic slur since April last year, has now served two matches of his four-game ban.
Adelaide's loss to the Pies offers him some hope of playing again this season. He will be available again should the Crows advance to the grand final.
After returning to Adelaide from overseas on Tuesday night, an emotional Rankine pledged to work to regain society's trust, and fought back tears during a public apology.
The 25-year-old on Thursday morning apologised to the Crows' AFLW team for his homophobic slur, after addressing his male teammates the previous day.
"Obviously he can play potentially if we are able to win the next two games," O'Brien said.
"And he'll certainly be around the group training, putting his best foot forward in case that does happen.
"He's obviously a great player to have back in and he's back with the group this week.
"He's a great presence to have around the group, a high-energy guy, and we love having him around.
"So hopefully we can get there and hopefully he can play in a grand final."
