AFL spokesman Patrick Keane yesterday said the unusual starting time of 8.15pm (SA time) and possibly the pessimistic expectations of local supporters after the Crows were beaten by the Sydney Swans at home a week earlier had contributed to just 31,742 supporters attending the cut-throat clash.

The turn-out was the lowest for a Crows' final, prompting AFL great Leigh Matthews to yesterday claim the match did not have the atmosphere of a typical September clash.

The stadium holds more than 51,000.

"It was below our expectations. We don't see pricing as an issue, as it was the same pricing for a 44,000 crowd last week," Keane said.

"So, we have to think it's a combination of possibly the start time and some diminished expectations for Adelaide fans after the week one loss."

The attendance compared with 44,849 the previous week against the Swans, who have a far greater following in Adelaide.

Some Adelaide fans complained of the ticket prices ranging from $85 to $46 plus booking fee. The game also clashed with the Royal Show, and many parents may have opted to take their children there.

Crows coach Brenton Sanderson said attendance issues were out of the club's hands.

“The crowd was a bit out of our control because it was the AFL that obviously sold the tickets,” Sanderson said.

“Our fans came last week and were probably disappointed. Those who were here though certainly made some noise. The 31,000 sounded like 80,000.”

Matthews, a triple premiership coach with Brisbane, said playing back-to-back finals in the one state, as had been the case with the Crows, wasn't always a good thing.

"I know in Brisbane, for instance, you never wanted to play two games in a row from a marketing point of view because the walk ups wouldn't come two weeks in a row," he said on 3AW.

The AFL will have another unusual starting time of 5.15pm when the Crows face Hawthorn in a preliminary final at the MCG next Saturday.

The time was a compromise between an afternoon and evening match to accommodate the commercial wishes of host broadcaster Channel 7 and the need for the winning team, already disadvantaged by playing the day after the first preliminary final in Sydney on Friday night, to begin its recovery for the grand final.