What's more miserable than waking up with a hangover the day after losing an AFL grand final?
Doing it as an interstate player then being forced to stew on it for the better part of the day at Melbourne airport because of a flight delay.
Adelaide's despair following their 48-point loss to Richmond on Saturday was compounded on Sunday, when players and coaches were caught up in a nationwide Virgin Australia glitch.
Virgin were forced to check passengers in manually on Sunday because of a technical mishap they blamed on Optus.
It resulted in widespread disruptions and unhappy hordes, including many Adelaide supporters.
The Crows' family day started at 1pm (local time), at which point Taylor Walkers' side were meant to be already in the air.
The club kept fans posted via Twitter. Their flight was delayed approximately 90 minutes but Walker and his teammates eventually arrived at Adelaide Oval.
The Crows started Saturday's grand final as favourites following an excellent season in which they lost just six games and were crowned minor premiers.
They started strongly against the Tigers in the grand final but fell apart after quarter-time, booting a total of one goal in the second and third terms.
"They're devastated. They put a lot of energy into that and they walk away with nothing," Crows coach Don Pyke said after the game.
"Sometimes losses can be a great driver.
"But you got to learn the lessons ... we'll reflect and have those conversations."
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