Richmond's savage reaction to Adelaide's anthem stare-down

Richmond players and fans were ready for Adelaide's customary anthem stare-down and met it with a brutal reaction before the AFL Grand Final.

Crows players and coach Don Pyke have employed their famous stance for all three of their games so far this finals series, and brought it back for Saturday's Big Dance.

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Rather than link arms to sing the national anthem like most teams do, the Crows stand apart from each other with their arms at their side, making them appear bigger and more imposing.

Crows captain Taylor Walker took it one step further on Saturday when at the end of the anthem he walked forward towards the Tigers with a menacing stare.

Richmond fans didn't take too kingly to the move, loudly booing as the Crows finally broke apart, while Tigers players immediately turned their backs as the anthem ended.

It's the first time Adelaide's stare-down has been met with derision from the opposition.

Richmond fans made up a massive portion of the near 100,000 crowd at the MCG, giving their players a truly incredible ovation as they ran out onto the field.