SANFL skipper Ian Callinan says he has never experienced such a bizarre finish to a game of football following Adelaide’s controversial draw against Glenelg on Friday night.  

The SANFL Crows fought bravely in torrid conditions against the Tigers at the Bay on Anzac Day eve, as heavy rain and wind lashed Glenelg Oval.

Already on the back foot after losing Sam Kerridge and Jack Osborn to injury early in the opening term, the Crows remained in touch with the Tigers throughout the contest despite restricted rotations.

Trailing by 20 points at the final change, Adelaide surged back into contention with three consecutive goals, with Nick Mott’s second major tying the scores at the 12-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

But the Crows were denied any chance to claim their first win of the season as a power failure plunged the venue into darkness and forced an impromptu stoppage to the game.

Play could not be resumed within a 30-minute window following the outage, forcing SANFL officials to declare the result a draw in accordance with the current score line.

The only other draw in Crows history was back in Round 14 of the 1994 AFL season against St Kilda, when again Adelaide shared the premiership points following a final-quarter fightback.  

Veteran Ian Callinan said the strange finish was like nothing he had ever experienced in his 16 seasons of senior football.

“It was an amazing finish - I’ve never been involved in anything like that,” Callinan told afc.com.au while still in the darkness post-match.

“It was just bizarre. I was going to kick the ball off the ground and I was probably lucky that I didn’t kick my opponent’s head off when the lights blew.

“The whole thing was just weird really.

“I was talking to one of the boundary umpires when the lights went out, and he said it’s happened twice before at Noarlunga.”

See all the stats from Friday night's clash with the Tigers.

The odd finish means the Crows remain winless after three games so far this season and stay stranded in ninth position on the SANFL ladder.

“The result was a bit disappointing for us," Callinan said.

"We were really coming in that last quarter and had built some really good momentum."

Adelaide had kicked just four goals to three-quarter time and endured a goalless second term as Glenelg looked likely to record its first win of the season. But an inspired final quarter saw the Crows charge back into the box seat with goals to Keenan Ramsey, Matthew Spencely and Nick Mott before the Bay blackout struck.

“We always felt we were in the game, but that’s just the way it is,” Callinan said.

“Early on it was a bit of an arm wrestle and they got a couple of goals on the rebound in that third quarter, but our courage in that last quarter was phenomenal.

“I thought we were a bit unlucky that the lights went off. But it’ll be a character-building moment for our group.”

The four-time SANFL premiership player said Friday night’s clash was a physical challenge for Adelaide’s young State League side given the scrappy nature of the contest.

Fielding nine development players – including two League debutants – and down to just one interchange for the majority of the contest, Callinan said he was proud of his younger teammates for going toe-to-toe with the Tigers in the wet.

“We had a few guys play their first games tonight and we had a pretty young side out there,” he said.

“Unfortunately we’ve also had some injury worries in our first three weeks. Each time we’ve ended up with just one on the bench in our first three games. It’s disappointing, but that’s footy sometimes.

“At the end of the day we will take a lot from tonight. It’s character-building for the group and I think we’re heading in the right direction.

“Hopefully there’s a win not too far away.”

Adelaide has an eight-day break before tackling fourth-placed South Adelaide at Noarlunga next Saturday night.