There had been uncertainty about which club would be asked to wear its alternative guernsey in the event of a Crows-Tigers decider, but the AFL announced its decision shortly after the Tigers qualified for the grand final with a win over Greater Western Sydney on Saturday. Richmond great Kevin Bartlett subsequently demanded the club "tell the AFL to get stuffed" after being asked to wear the club's predominantly yellow jumper with black sash against Adelaide.

But O'Neal said the Tigers wouldn't fight the league's decision. "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.

Asked if Richmond would consider changing into their primary jumper for the presentation of the premiership cup in the event of a Tigers win next weekend, O'Neal said it was more a matter for the club's executive.

"I haven't even thought about that. I'll let the people who manage all those things and deal with the AFL instead of me."

Bartlett blew up on Twitter after the AFL made the announcement on Saturday night. "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," Bartlett tweeted.

The AFL said the decision to let the Crows wear their red, navy and yellow horizontal stripes had been made because Adelaide finished atop the ladder, using the precedent of the 2010 (Collingwood-St Kilda) and 2013 (Hawthorn-Fremantle) deciders.

"The AFL legislates that the home team has this right during the home and away season, and it was the view here that with a clash, the AFL had previously made this decision for the higher-ranked team to have its choice," AFL football operations manager Andrew Dillon said.