ADELAIDE will wear its home guernsey in the AFL grand final, with Richmond forced to don its clash strip.

The two sides with the longest active AFL grand-final droughts will compete for the flag after Richmond downed Greater Western Sydney by 36 points in Saturday’s preliminary final.

And the Crows have had an early win, with the AFL executive ruling Adelaide will wear its tri-colour home guernsey. AFL football boss Andrew Dillon said the Crows would be given priority because they had won the minor premiership.

Tigers legend Kevin Bartlett had been outspoken in his belief that it would be a travesty if his old club wore their predominantly yellow clash strip if they made it through to their first grand final since 1982, and he blew up on Sunday when the decision was announced.

Round 18

This is what the Tigers will be wearing next Saturday. Source: AAP

“Richmond Football Club cannot run out next weekend playing in a grand final if it’s not in its traditional jumper,” Bartlett said on SEN.

“All the club’s got to say (is), ‘All right for you Andrew Dillon, all right for you Gillon McLachlan and all you marketing gurus there that say Richmond is going to wear a clash jumper — we’re not going to wear it.’

“You just have to fine us. Bad luck. What are they going to do? Stop the Tigers from playing?

“Of course they’re not. Just tell them to go and get stuffed. This is going to be strong from (president) Peggy (O’Neal) and her board. The bloody great Ian Wilson would have told them to all go and get stuffed (and that) we’re wearing our black jumper with yellow sash.

“Don’t fall for that crap from hierarchy that tells Richmond they’re going to run out in a canary yellow jumper with a black sash. That’s not the Richmond Football Club on grand final day. There is no clash between Richmond and the Adelaide Crows. No clash whatsoever. They’re making it up there at AFL House.

“Boo hoo hoo to Andrew Dillon and Gillon McLachlan — they can all go and get stuffed.”

Richmond should and must tell the AFL to get stuffed and it will not wear its clash jumper against Adelaide. The club must not roll over. Kb — Kevin Bartlett (@KevinBartlett29) September 23, 2017

SEN personality and host of Channel Seven AFL program The Front Bar Andy Maher was also fuming.

Richmond's into the Grand Final.

Pity it's jumper isn't going.

What a joke. — Andy Maher (@AndyMaherDFA) September 23, 2017

Players, coaches & certainly paid admin staff come & go at AFL clubs. The only thing that should never change are your fans & your colours https://t.co/sRLrPRk772 — ralph horowitz (@rtralphy) September 23, 2017

Gr8 memories Demons beating blues in 2000 qual final on Ch7 in red&blue jumpers. Gutlessly we wear insipid white ones when we play them now — ralph horowitz (@rtralphy) August 28, 2011

However, it was reported on Sunday Richmond would likely accept the AFL’s decision and wear its clash strip.

“We always prefer (the) traditional jumper, but we’ll play in whatever they tell us to play is my sort of take,” O’Neal told Fairfax Media.

Some, including Swans premiership player Ted Richards and footy great Wayne Schwass, said Richmond should focus less on the jumper debate and instead celebrate the fact it had finally made it to a grand final after all these years.

“There’s been so much crap around this already,” Richards said on Fox Sports’ Gameday Live on Sunday morning. “If it’s such an issue the Crows should come out and say, ‘We’ll wear our clash strip, Richmond can wear its own jumper and we’ll play the game at Adelaide Oval.’

“If you’re going to look at issues, what the Crows have got to deal with — finishing top and playing the game at Richmond’s home ground — is more of an issue.”

The focus should be on recovery, training & preparing for the GF not what jumper you wear @Richmond_FC Your jumper doesn’t win the game! — Swatta (@WayneSchwass) September 23, 2017

Richmond shouldn't waste one minute on 'clash' jumper. They're in grand final, playing relentless contested footy that could deliver 🏆 — Tom Browne (@TomBrowne7) September 23, 2017

Before the official announcement was made Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan hit back at suggestions the Crows would wear their clash strip, saying Bartlett had no say in the matter.

“There’s no way that that would happen,” he said of the prospect of wearing their predominantly white jersey. “The last time I looked, this decision is not made by Kevin Bartlett, so I’ll leave that to the AFL.

“In 2010 and 2013, they made decisions that the highest-ranked team wore the home jumper when there was a clash.

“I’d expect they should make the same decision.”

— with AAP