The AFL has admitted an umpire made a mistake in not giving Adelaide a free kick after Essendon ruck Sam Draper dived on the ball in the dying seconds of Friday night’s thriller.
The Bombers left the Adelaide Oval with a 4-2 record after hanging on for a decisive three-point win over the Crows, who have slumped to 1-5.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Essendon escape with thrilling win over Adelaide.
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Draper dived on the ball inside Adelaide’s forward 50 and was tackled by Crows players.
Umpires refused to pay a free kick against Draper, who had the ball locked on the ground, before the siren sounded.
“In the moment and at ground level the umpires believed that Draper dived on the ball, and then the ball came out to Draper’s left, and was then knocked back under him by (Taylor) Walker,” an AFL spokesperson said on Saturday.
“In review, and with the assistance of the broadcast angle and behind the goals Hawkeye vision providing a clearer look, you can see that the ball moves from under Draper’s chest – to under his armpit/shoulder – which means the ball is still in his possession, and he has not immediately knocked it clear.
“Therefore, it technically should have been a Holding the Ball free kick.”
The AFL did concede it was a “very challenging” decision for the umpires given nearly every player on the ground was parked inside Adelaide’s forward 50.
“It’s a very challenging one for the umpires in this situation, with the ball on the ground, to see exactly where the ball is, under a large number of players and who has control of it.
“On ground level they were not certain of all these factors, so they didn’t pay it — which is the correct approach at the time.”
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks refused to comment on the decision when asked about it post-game.
The Crows have now been officially dudded by umpires twice in their last four games at the Adelaide Oval.
In round 23 last season, Ben Keays thought he had put the Crows in front of Sydney with a minute left, but the umpire deemed the shot hit the post.
Replays revealed the ball never hit the post and Keays should have been awarded a goal.
Needless to say, fans were perplexed last night at the time of the incident, and were again unimpressed after the AFL admitted the error but also labelled the approach as “correct”.
“So…The decision of paying no free kick was the correct decision because the umpire couldn’t see it clearly enough to pay a free kick, BUT… the ‘correct’ decision should have been a free kick for HTB but the umpire made the correct decision due to his uncertainty at that time,” one fan said on on social media.
And another said: “We were wrong … but here is why we were wrong so we are really right in the end”
And another: “Clear as mud, right? No wonder fans have never been so frustrated – the AFL can’t even clarify things in an easy to understand manner!”
Another fan said that the “concept of integrity and the AFL just don’t sit well together”.
“There were four umpires on the ground. So that’s four angles. So all four got it significantly wrong. For the second year in a row, umpiring has had a monumental impact on Adelaide’s season.”
– With Cameron Noakes