Collingwood’s Friday night time draw with Fremantle might have been a special end result if not for a contentious second within the ultimate quarter.
With a tick over six minutes on the clock and Collingwood holding a 19-point lead, the Dockers had been awarded a free shot on objective.
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Pies midfielder Lachie Sullivan was helped off the Optus Stadium turf, however as he stood up he handed the ball off to teammate Nick Daicos.
Umpire Mathew Nicholls blew his whistle and awarded the free kick to Freo ruckman Sean Darcy earlier than explaining to the indignant Pies gamers why he’d paid the free kick.
“He didn’t hand the ball again to me — he handed it to a teammate,” Nicholls may very well be heard saying on his umpire mic in the course of the broadcast.
“He’s not allowed to try this. It’s a free kick, OK?”
Darcy calmly went again and slotted the objective earlier than the Dockers stormed residence with the competition ending in a 11.9 (75) to 10.15 (75) draw.
However it was the controversial free kick towards Sullivan that stole the limelight with footy followers left seething over the umpire’s resolution.
Watch the questionable second within the video participant above
The Herald Solar’s Jon Ralph wrote: “Think about in the event you misplaced a recreation over not handing the ball again to the umpire when that occurs on a regular basis when the ball goes over the boundary. Simply overly officious. There needs to be a steadiness between pedantry and a really feel for the second.”
Veteran journalist Rohan Connolly wrote: “Actually can’t consider this. Is perhaps a rule, however our recreation is meant to be umpired additionally by interpretation. That one is simply ridiculously over-the-top enforcement of a rule and never within the spirit of the sport.”
One consumer wrote: “The AFL can’t defender umpires for giving this a free kick. Useless set disgraceful officiating. The usual of umpiring is an all time low.”
A second added: “Worst factor I’ve ever seen, umpiring is at an all time low is genuinely pathetic.”
Collingwood coach Craig McRae was equally as confused by the free kick, however stated his membership had price themselves the win.
“I’m wanting ahead to what the AFL inform us about that,” he stated. “As a result of I wasn’t conscious that’s a free kick.
“However perhaps, clearly it’s, as a result of they don’t pay issues that aren’t there.
“It’ll be what it will likely be. It doesn’t assist us, does it?
“I used to be confused as a result of I really thought, I used to be advised that he touched the umpire … Nick.
“I used to be unaware of what really occurred till afterwards.
“And if the umpires comes out, they’ll go oh, that was a mistake, that doesn’t assist us both. We’re simply shifting on.
“We made far more errors than the umpires did tonight. I simply assume that he’s umpiring to the letter of the regulation.”
4-time Hawthorn premiership participant Jordan Lewis was sceptical of Nicholls’ recreation sense as he spoke post-game.
“I feel quite a lot of our guidelines are left for interpretation — we see that with free kicks and every part that occurs in and across the floor — I don’t suppose you’d discover an individual that will agree (on) intestine really feel that could be a free kick,” Lewis stated.
Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown couldn’t consider Nicholls had blown his whistle and pinged Sullivan in that second.
“It’s an enormous name — they don’t pay apparent holding the ball free kicks in entrance of objective, and he (the umpire) plucks that one out,” Brown stated.
Capping the dialogue, Melbourne legend Garry Lyon requested: “What kind of recreation would we’ve if every part was adjudicated as fastidiously as that was?”
The consequence makes it Collingwood’s second draw prior to now 5 weeks and has them sitting in fifth spot on the ladder, two factors forward of Fremantle in sixth.
