Fresh vision ends debate over controversial Crows deliberate non-call

The AFL was in uproar after the umpires appeared to gift the Crows a get-out-of-jail-free card — and now a fresh angle has emerged.

There might be a few apology letters arriving at the AFL umpiring department this week.

Fresh vision of the most controversial call of the weekend has emerged and it lets the whistleblowers off the hook after the dramatic conclusion to the Crows’ thrilling one-point win against the Demons on Saturday evening.

With less than a minute on the clock, Melbourne’s Christian Petracca booted the ball inside 50m as his team desperately looked to recover a lead they’d lost moments earlier to Taylor Walker’s clutch set shot.

The footy was claimed on the last line of defence by Adelaide’s Nick Murray, whose left-handed handball dribbled over the boundary line.

From the commentary box and thousands of living rooms across Australia it looked like the most obvious of deliberate out of bounds calls.

“To me it was deliberate. Completely deliberate. And it should have been called that by the umps,” Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson said on Fox Footy.

“That has to be deliberate doesn’t it?” commentator Jason Dunstall said. “It’s a 10m handball over the boundary line!”

The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph said “you have never seen a more deliberate out of bounds call in your life”.

Even former AFL umpire Matt Head tweeted: “In umpiring terms, that’s a CLANGER.”

But late on Saturday night Fox Sports unearthed a boundary side angle of the decisive moment and it changed everything.

Charlie Spargo pressures Nick Murray as he sends out a handball.

As Murray handballed the ball, Melbourne opponent Charlie Spargo’s hand appeared to come in contact with the ball.

It wasn’t completely obvious and there will be many who will argue there isn’t clear evidence of Spargo’s intervention.

But even the most diehard Demons fans has to concede there’s enough grey area to defend the umpire’s non-decision.

Demons coach Simon Goodwin wouldn’t be drawn when asked if he’d seek clarity from the AFL over the decision this week.

“It’s still one of those areas we’re still finding our way in as a game,” he said.

Crows coach Matthew Nicks said he was hoping Crows defender Tom Doedee was close enough to the direction Murray handballed to create doubt in the umpire’s mind.

“I believe there was someone nearby,” Nicks said. “Was he aiming for the points? I haven’t sat down with him yet. It’s one of those hard ones, isn’t it, to make a call on.”

Steven May slumps to the ground as Crows players celebrate the win. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The brave Crows trailed by as much as 16 points in a frantic final term, but smelled a famous upset victory when Darcy Fogarty put them five points down with four minutes remaining in the high-quality contest.

Walker was the hero when he outmarked Steven May and coolly drilled his third goal with 43 seconds remaining to end the Demons’ unbeaten run at nine wins.

“We knew it was a massive challenge and I think our guys really enjoy those challenges,” Crows coach Matthew Nicks said.

“I’m so proud of what they put out there today.”

— with NCA NewsWire