AFL news: Western Bulldogs top four finish rocked by late drama in Brisbane-West Coast

Brisbane snatched fourth spot on the AFL ladder with just seconds to go against West Coast – but a staggering twist has cruelled Western Bulldogs fans.

Bulldog Lachie Hunter reacts after the Dogs’ two-point loss. Picture: Michael Klein

A suspected timekeeping error could have cost the Western Bulldogs a finals double chance in a staggering twist to a drama-filled clash between Brisbane Lions and West Coast.

The Lions snatched fourth spot on the ladder from the Bulldogs after securing a 38-point win over the Eagles at the Gabba on Saturday evening.

The home side eclipsed the Bulldogs on percentage points in only the final 20 seconds of the match courtesy of a snapped behind from Lincoln McCarthy, which was followed up by a goal after the siren by Charlie Cameron.

The race to the 2021 Toyota AFL Finals Series is on and every match matters. Watch Live & Ad-Break Free on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free >

The Lions took fourth spot from the Dogs by just 0.426 per cent.

Without those last seven points scored by McCarthy and Cameron, the Lions would have finished 0.012 per cent behind the Bulldogs on the ladder.

But in a major post-match twist, it came to light that about 24 seconds appeared to have been wrongly added to the game time during the final term.

LIVE LADDER: WHAT EVERY ROUND 23 RESULT MEANS

Brisbane Lions celebrate a top-four finish with victory over the West Coast Eagles. Picture: Getty

The clock was paused for that period of time while Brisbane midfielder Jarrod Berry lined up for a set-shot on goal with 14min 59sec remaining in the final term.

After Berry had taken a mark 15m out directly in front, the officiating umpire called time-on to clear West Coast defender Tom Cole away.

The umpire then raised his hand as he set the mark, but the clock did not resume until Berry’s kick was sailing through for a behind.

“You could argue it cost Western Bulldogs a top-four spot because everything happened within that last 20 to 25 seconds,” four-time Hawthorn premiership player Jordan Lewis said on Fox Footy.

“People might say, ‘It’s a bit of a stretch, it was still 14 minutes to go’. Well, that could have been the game and Bulldogs miss out on top-four. A simple error has cost a side top-four.”

Bulldog Marcus Bontempelli leads his team off after the Dogs lost by 2 points to Port Adelaide. Picture: Michael Klein.

The AFL was contacted to clarify the situation late last night but did not respond before deadline.

The Lions’ result, which relegated the Bulldogs to a fifth-place finish to the year, came after the Bulldogs had failed in their bid to make sure of their spot in the top four on Friday night.

A two-point loss to Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium was a third successive defeat for the Bulldogs, who had been sitting pretty on top of the ladder after Round 20.

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan had sent a text message to his players on Saturday morning to explain the mathematical scenario required to make the top four, with Lions players entering the game believing they needed a five-goal win.

However, as the scores of the two teams grew throughout the day, so too did the required winning margin.

“To be honest, I thought we wouldn’t win by enough to move up,” Fagan said.

Bulldog Lachie Hunter reacts after the Dogs’ two-point loss. Picture: Michael Klein

“I’d almost resigned myself to that fact but our boys, like they’ve had a habit of doing over the last three or so years, found a way to score pretty quickly and in the end. It was never in doubt.

“In my 20-odd years I’ve been in a situation where we had to win and win by a certain amount, which made it quite tricky.”

The Bulldogs will now host an elimination final against either Essendon or Fremantle next weekend at the venue of their choice, which is likely to be in front of a crowd at Adelaide Oval.

The Bulldogs have won three of their past four matches at Adelaide Oval.

“It might just depend what we’re confronted with in the states and what the options are,” Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said on Friday night when asked about his preference of venue.

“But if we’re afforded some accommodation and able to be settled, I’d say straight off the bat Adelaide.”

Originally published as AFL news: Western Bulldogs top four finish rocked by late drama in Brisbane-West Coast