‘Massive impact’: AFL world divided over biggest call of the year

A football great has made an extraordinary comment about one of the most controversial umpire calls made this season.

Geelong has prevailed over Collingwood in a “modern-day classic” that saw Jack Crisp miss an after-the-siren set shot to win the game — but the result has been mired in umpiring controversy.

Crisp, who on Saturday night at the MCG broke the late Jim Stynes’ record for consecutive games played by trotting out for his 245th-straight, hooked his set shot right as the Magpies fell by three points.

Fox Footy caller Mark Howard called it a “modern-day classic” at full-time.

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“Can’t believe what you’ve seen here tonight. Just cannot believe it,” Howard said.

AFL legend Jason Dunstall added: “Just the way Collingwood were able to give themselves a chance to win that after being three goals down with three minutes to play.”

Demons great Garry Lyon cited the gargantuan performance of a star Cat and the never-say-die attitude of Collingwood.

“You’ve just got to go back and watch it again, because that man there (Patrick Dangerfield) played as heroic a last quarter as you’re likely to see,” he said.

“And then this football club, Collingwood, refused to concede anything, and then the bloke who’s just broken a record we didn’t think was ever going to be broken had a kick after the siren to win it.

“You wouldn’t write it … That goes down as a modern-day classic.”

On the field, being interviewed by Cats great Cameron Mooney on Fox Footy, Patrick Dangerfield reflected candidly.

Controversy erupted late in the game.

“It was like a ‘footy gods’ sort of moment, wasn’t it?” he said.

“It was a pretty special match, I think.

“As this game often (does, it) brings us these moments where with three minutes to go I think we’re in an OK position, and then bang-bang, it’s game on.

“That’s been Collingwood — they are a team that never gives up, and they always fight.”

But the game didn’t come without controversy.

With Collingwood trailing by seven points, Lachie Schultz thought he’d snapped a classy goal before the umpires met and deemed it a behind, believing Cat Mark Blicavs had touched the ball. The play was then sent to the ARC for confirmation — and the review deemed there was insufficient evidence to overturn the soft ‘behind’ call.

“You speak about the umpiring, you could also go to the ARC and have a look at Lachie Scultz’s goal,” triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt said post-game on Fox Footy.

“Was that enough evidence to confirm that maybe that was touched? I look at that call and think that could’ve been a goal too.”

But the most highly contentious moment was a free kick paid against Bobby Hill for tripping, which caused a crucial shift.

With a tad over two minutes remaining and the Pies chasing the game down 10 points, Hill initially appeared to catch Geelong’s Shaun Mannagh dead in his tracks holding the ball — but the umpire believed Hill’s tackle slid too low.

“The right arm does go below the knee, but … that could be paid either way very easily,” Dunstall said.

But dual flag-winner David King was stronger, asserting his stance the Pies were “hard-done-by” in the waning moments.

“One man stood between Collingwood and victory — I should say five men: four in green, and one with number 35 on it,” King said.

“It’s a factor. They got 14 of the last 18 free kicks. 15 minutes into the third quarter, the Pies led by 20 points and it felt like 30 points. They had full control of the game.

“I have to say it, and I’ve talked about the umpiring a lot this year — it’s a negative starting point, and I understand that. But Collingwood were hard-done by in that last 12 minutes of football — there’s no other way of looking at this.

“Patrick Dangerfield … he was everywhere, and he was everything, but the umpiring has had a massive impact on tonight’s game.”

Herald Sun chief football writer Jay Clark said the AFL would approve of the call made against Hill.

“The AFL will tick this off,” he said.

“The chase-down tackle — it was the tackle of the year from Bobby Hill on Shaun Mannagh, but at the end of the day, he’s got to get him around the hips in that situation.

“He’s dragged down and gets him down by the knees … he takes him at the knees … that was a free kick.”

King replied: “It’s always been (about) where the tackle starts, but you can slide down. The tackle starts at the hips. It can move down.

“I know they’ll tick it off, but in the spirit of the game, I think that’s been a rundown tackle every time except this time.”

Originally published as ‘Massive impact’: AFL world divided over biggest call of the year