AFL ticks off late free kick to Eagle Luke Shuey which helped West Coast snatch victory

A FREE kick paid to Eagle Luke Shuey late in his side’s stunning win over Port Adelaide has been given the green light from the AFL. HAVE YOUR SAY

Shuey made no mistake after the siren. Picture: Getty Images

THE AFL says Jared Polec was guilty of “significant high contact” after ticking off the contentious Luke Shuey free kick that cost Port Adelaide a final.

The league had this year successfully executed a crackdown on duckers, divers and players who shrug their arms to milk free kicks.

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The AFL’s own rules state that play on is called if a player is responsible for contact “via a shrug, drop, arm lift or duck”.

Port Adelaide’s Polec tackled Eagles star Shuey in the last seconds of overtime, with Shuey raising his arm and leaning into the tackle to draw the free kick.

Luke Shuey earned a free kick after this tackle from Port midfielder Jared Polec. Picture: Getty Images

But AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said there was no doubt about the decision from both umpires in proximity.

“Their view was basically instantaneous. It was significant high contact,” he said.

“If they believe a player contributed to the incident or exaggerated (they call play on), but it was significant high contact.”

Shuey (119) is behind only Joel Selwood (211) for high free kicks won from 2012-2017, and this year ranks fourth in that statistic.

Joel Selwood is tackled by Trent Cotchin early in Friday night\s qualifying final. Picture: Getty Images

Selwood has drawn 32 high contact free kicks this year, ahead of Brisbane’s Rhys Mathison (24) and Michael Walters (14), with Shuey (13) equal fourth.

The Eagles star would not be drawn into the incident yesterday ahead of a semi-final against GWS on Saturday night.

“Oh, that’s for you blokes to decide,” he said. “It’s irrelevant to us, we are worried about moving on to GWS,” Shuey said.

It was one of a host of contentious incidents in a dramatic game decided in the last seconds of overtime. many of which went against West Coast.

Andrew Gaff’s clearing kick with minutes left was labelled deliberately out of bounds, while Drew Petrie could have had an overtime free kick reversed.

He had given away a free kick for high contact when Jasper Pittard floored him with a rough double-handed push, but the umpire decided against a reversal close to goal.

Patrick Ryder also conceded a third-man up free kick for not nomination for the ruck, with Keane saying a full review of the game was not yet complete.

West Coast’s Sam Mitchell was also criticised by former Power player Kane Cornes for appearing to spit in the direction of Sam Gray.

“That’s a pretty ordinary look from Sam Mitchell. I think he would love to have his time again there. Lucky that didn’t hit Sam Gray on the back of the head,’’ he told Nine.

The Eagles seem unlikely to consider playing Nic Naitanui, who has been in full training for some time after an ACL tear last year.

Shuey said it would be up to the selection committee to decide but with Drew Petrie outstanding and Nathan Vardy solid they would be hard to displace.