Whether it was directed at Gold Coast or not, the sight of the Adelaide coach's box laughing during the final quarter of Saturday night's massacre at Metricon Stadium left a bad taste in Stuart Dew's mouth.
Just seven days after losing to Richmond by 92 points, the Suns were again trounced, this time by 95.
Dew was distraught after the performance, and the Gold Coast coach clearly wanted his players to remember one image from the night.
"Look at the Crows' coach's box in the last quarter," Dew said.
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"They laughed in the last quarter, we've got to live with that.
"That stings, it's got to sting.
"That's where we're at. That's what they think of us."
If – and there's no suggestion Don Pyke and his men were – Adelaide was laughing at the Suns, it would be hard to blame them.
The Crows won every quarter and aside from some late 'junk time' goals from the home team, the final margin could have been well in excess of 100 points.
Adelaide had 174 more disposals in a landslide victory.
Dew did not dodge any questions, saying he did not want to put "spin or mayo" on the successive hidings.
"The first 15 weeks as a footy club, on-field we made gains and started to stand for something … the last two weeks we've certainly lost our way," he said.
"The boys have clearly lost their confidence.
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"We didn't absorb anything tonight and that's the disappointing part."
After chairman Tony Cochrane confirmed earlier in the week Gold Coast would request a priority pick, Dew said it was not the answer to digging the Suns out of their current hole.
"It's not the answer," Dew repeated three times.
"The priority pick is not the answer, flat out.
"Like every other club you've got to work as hard as you can, you've got to improve your list through draft and trade, that's the answer.
"By and large through the season we've shown development and improvement. The challenge is to not let these two weeks define us."
