Josh Kennedy has produced a farewell game for the ages, but it wasn't enough to stop West Coast slumping to a 16-point AFL loss to Adelaide at Perth Stadium.
Kennedy, playing his 293rd and final AFL match, kicked a remarkable 8.2 from 15 disposals on Sunday to give his side hope of victory.
The 34-year-old had the chance to level the scores with five minutes to go in the match, but his 35-metre set shot sailed just wide.
The Crows kicked two goals in the dying minutes to seal the 16.6 (102) to 13.8 (86) victory.
Kennedy slumped to his knees at the final siren, and the 50,117 fans broke into chants of 'JK' shortly after despite the disappointment of defeat.
"I can't thank you all enough. You've given me so much over my career," Kennedy told the crowd after the match.
"The boys were feeding me a fair bit today. There were a lot of balls that came my way that shouldn't have."
Adelaide forward Darcy Fogarty was the villain with three last-quarter goals to finish with four for the match, while 200-game milestone man Rory Laird was superb throughout with 36 disposals, 10 clearances and two goals.
Kennedy's haul meant he leapfrogged former St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt into 22nd spot in the all-time VFL/AFL goalkicking list.
The star forward received a huge cheer when he won the pre-game coin toss, but the Crows silenced the crowd with the first three goals of the match inside five minutes.
The rest of the quarter was the Kennedy show as the West Coast great showcased his elite goalkicking.
Kennedy got the crowd going with a 49m set shot from the boundary line.
And it was party time late in the quarter when Kennedy kicked two goals in the space of two minutes, both from 50m out and one of which was from the boundary.
Kennedy's heroics meant the quarter-time margin was just three points, and West Coast shot out to an eight-point lead in the second term when he slotted his fourth goal.
Adelaide fought back and the signs for West Coast looked ominous as the visitors opened up a 23-point lead in the third quarter.
Kennedy twice stepped up to stem the tide, following his 25m set shot with yet another bomb from outside 50m.
The veteran wasn't done with yet, booting two more goals in the final term to set up a grandstand finish.
But Kennedy's rare late blemish proved to be West Coast's final shot, with Adelaide steadying from there.
Adelaide defender Will Hamill was subbed off in the second quarter with concussion after copping an accidental elbow from Jack Darling in a marking contest.
The Crows entered the match in damage control after the ghosts of the club's ill-fated 2018 pre-season camp surfaced again this week.
The new revelations from Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins forced both Adelaide and the AFL to issue a public and private apology.
Lions hold off late Blues charge for important win
Carlton star Patrick Cripps faces a nervous wait for the match review officer's findings as the Blues' AFL finals hopes took a hit with a 33-point loss to Brisbane.
Cripps is in hot water after a heavy bump on Callum Ah Chee in the second quarter as the Lions rebounded from last weekend's loss to Richmond to secure a 17.12 (114) to 12.9 (81) win at the Gabba.
The Blues' captain left his feet in a marking contest with Ah Chee, collecting the Lions' wingman high in the process.
Lions' medical staff attended to the stricken Ah Chee on the field before he was taken from the ground and subbed out with concussion.
Having been unable to score a goal until that point, the incident sparked the Blues into life as they kicked three straight majors.
But it was a burst that came after a dominant first half by the home team, who took a 35-point lead into the main break having kicked four unanswered goals in the opening term.
Brisbane stretched that lead to 58 points during the third quarter before Carlton came home with a wet sail.
Charlie Curnow's two goals sparked a six-goal run at the start of the final quarter as the visitors' reduced the margin to 15 points with three minutes to play.
The charge would've had Lions' nerves jangling after they surrendered a 42-point lead against the Tigers but three quickfire goals in the dying minutes secured a much-needed win for the fifth-placed team.
Zac Bailey, subbed out in the Tigers' defeat, kicked four goals for the home team while Daniel McStay also slotted four.
Lions' small forward Charlie Cameron, who had a running battle with Blues' 150-gamer Adam Saad for most of the afternoon, kicked two goals.
Brisbane skipper Dayne Zorko put in one of his most influential displays of the season with 22 disposals, a goal and nine score involvements while Lachie Neale (32 disposals, nine clearances, 10 score involvements) was also key.
Brandon Starcevich and Daniel Rich returned to the Lions' team from injury to make telling impacts while Oscar McInerney dominated the ruck.
Charlie Curnow kicked two final quarter goals for the Blues, as did Zac Fisher and Jesse Motlop. Defender Jacob Weitering played well in keeping Joe Daniher quiet and Sam Docherty (28 disposals, seven marks) was also impressive.
As well as Ah Chee, the Lions lost key defender Marcus Adams in the final term after a heavy knock to his ribs in a marking contest, while Carlton's Jack Martin was subbed off with calf tightness late in the match.
Seventh-placed Carlton, who are chasing a first finals berth since 2013, face Melbourne and Collingwood in their last two home-and-away fixtures, while Brisbane take on St Kilda and the Demons.
Swans back into top four with big win over North
The Sydney Swans have enhanced their AFL top-four prospects with a comfortable 38-point victory over lowly North Melbourne at Docklands Stadium.
The Swans predictably dominated Sunday's contest but North, led by a career-high eight-goal haul from Nick Larkey, kicked accurately to prevent the visitors from streaking ahead in the first-half.
Sydney put their foot down in the third quarter, however, kicking six goals to three before cruising to their fifth-straight victory, 18.18 (126) to 13.10 (88).
The result leaves the Swans (14-6) fourth on the ladder, just below reigning premiers Melbourne on percentage, leading into their last home-and-away games against Collingwood and St Kilda.
Sydney were too powerful across every area of the ground, with young guns Chad Warner, Errol Gulden and Nick Blakey leading the charge.
But veterans like Tom Hickey, Sam Reid and dynamic forward-midfielder Tom Papley were also influential.
Superstar Lance Franklin, who on Saturday declared he was putting contract talks with the club on hold until the end of the season, ended with four goals after North defender Aidan Corr restricted the legendary goal-kicker early in the game.
North (2-18) suffered a pre-game blow when key defender Ben McKay (shoulder) was withdrawn and replaced by Josh Walker, who had been preparing to play in the Kangaroos' VFL game at Arden St.
Larkey was clearly the Kangaroos' best, while midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke put in another outstanding performance in his career-best season.
While all ran smoothly for the Swans at Docklands, former co-captain Josh Kennedy suffered a suspected hamstring injury in the VFL game after he was on the cusp of a return to the AFL side.
The Swans are back at the SCG next Sunday for a mammoth clash with the red-hot Magpies in a battle crucial to the make-up of the top-four, while the Kangaroos travel to play Adelaide on Saturday to face the Crows.
