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 Optus 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.
