To Sanderson, the fact the team reduced a 33-point half-time deficit to just two points early in the last quarter made defeat even harder to swallow.
"We came here expecting to win and we didn't win," Sanderson said.
"[We] played really poorly so we will lick our wounds and get on with beating Essendon next week."
That's a normal response from the coach of the second-placed side when they lose to the team five places below them on the ladder.
Although when the opponent is Geelong at Geelong, the degree of difficulty increases, particularly when you go into the game without in-form ruckman Sam Jacobs (a late withdrawal) and key forward Kurt Tippett (ruled out earlier in the week with concussion).
Sanderson saw the result as an opportunity lost.
He had watched his team fight back into a winning position with the opposition down to two fit men on the bench.
Then, in Sanderson's words, some Adelaide players went kick chasing and Geelong was good enough to make them pay as veteran Andrew Mackie kicked two last-quarter goals.
"They were important goals," Sanderson admitted.
"We played some really good footy in patches but we just couldn't string it together for four quarters," Sanderson said.
"When the rain came in we got within two points and then they were just a bit cleaner around the footy and a bit sharper around the contest and we probably left too much to too few today."
The fact was the Crows lost the game early when it could not take advantage of a three-goal breeze in the first quarter. After kicking the first two goals of the game, they were only able to manage one more for the quarter and allowed Geelong to take a seven-point lead into the first break.
The next three quarters went the way of the team kicking with the wind.
Sanderson admitted that Adelaide did not handle the early pressure Geelong applied.
"Their pressure was good. We turned the ball over. We scored the first two goals of the game and then their pressure around the ball, they got attacking turnovers and punished us," Sanderson said.
"We didn't handle their pressure well. We coughed it up by hand. We're not normally a handballing side but I know at half-time the ratio was one to one (86 kicks and 82 handballs) so we have to learn how to absorb that pressure a bit better and kick the ball forward when the pressure is really coming and not over-finesse and be too cute with the ball."
The Crows tried to turn things around. Ben Rutten was pushed forward after Tom Hawkins got the better of him early. He was then subbed from the game as Sanderson hoped to inject more run into the midfield.
The returning key forward Taylor Walker was less effective than normal, often forced to battled two or three opponents at a time.
And the midfield said Sanderson did not apply the required intensity at each and every contest, a dip in what he had come to expect during 2012.
In the end, however, the Crows could not match their opposition at a haunt Sanderson knows so well.
"They're a good side," said Sanderson of the Cats.
"They're gaining momentum. They have had two good games now. Their pressure on us was very good. They're a difficult side to beat here, yeah, but to get within two points makes it even harder."
