About 500 people attended the service for the Adelaide assistant coach, who died early on Tuesday after a brief battle with an aggressive form of lung cancer. He was 47 years old.

The eulogies from family and friends were concluded by Crows CEO Steven Trigg, who said tributes to Dean in the previous few days had common themes. 

“It all underlines the simple fact that Bails had a profound and positive impact on all the people he worked with. The people he’s helped,” he said.

“Just talking to Bails, you know he loved and respected the game. He’d light up (per the images you’ve seen) when a plan worked, or when a player succeeded. 

"I know he worked incredibly hard and with great passion, at all the Clubs he represented, and people don’t do any of that, if they don’t care. “As a profession and as a passion, the game meant the world to him.” 

Crows players and coaches formed a guard of honour for Dean’s family as they left the service.