AFL tick off controversial umpiring decision in fourth quarter of Pies v Dockers

The AFL have delivered their stance on the controversial fourth quarter moment that unfolded during a Friday night blockbuster.

John Noble throws the ball to a teammate

The AFL have had their say on the controversial fourth quarter incident that stole the limelight during Collingwood’s Friday night draw with Fremantle.

With a tick over six minutes on the clock and Collingwood holding a 19-point lead, the Dockers were awarded a free shot on goal.

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Pies midfielder Lachie Sullivan was helped off the Optus Stadium turf, but 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 before explaining to the angry Pies players why he’d paid the free kick.

“He didn’t hand the ball back to me — he handed it to a teammate,” Nicholls could be heard saying on his umpire mic during the broadcast.

“He’s not allowed to do that. It’s a free kick, OK?”

Darcy calmly went back and slotted the goal before the Dockers stormed home with the contest ending in a 11.9 (75) to 10.15 (75) draw.

The league issued a statement on Saturday to Fox Sports in which they stated that Nicholls was correct and that the “free kick was officiated correctly”.

Watch the questionable moment in the video player above

The moment the Dockers were awarded the free kick. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Despite the league giving the moment the thumbs up, fans watching on were not happy and took to social media to vent their frustration.

The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph wrote: “Imagine if you lost a game over not handing the ball back to the umpire when that happens all the time when the ball goes over the boundary. Just overly officious. There has to be a balance between pedantry and a feel for the moment.”

Veteran journalist Rohan Connolly wrote: “Really can’t believe this. Might be a rule, but our game is supposed to be umpired also by interpretation. That one is just ridiculously over-the-top enforcement of a rule and not in the spirit of the game.”

One user wrote: “The AFL can’t defender umpires for giving this a free kick. Dead set disgraceful officiating. The standard of umpiring is an all time low.”

A second added: “Worst thing 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, but said his club had cost themselves the win.

“I’m looking forward to what the AFL tell us about that,” he said. “Because I wasn’t aware that’s a free kick.

“But maybe, clearly it is, because they don’t pay things that aren’t there.

“It’ll be what it will be. It doesn’t help us, does it?

“I was confused because I actually thought, I was told that he touched the umpire … Nick.

“I was unaware of what actually happened until afterwards.

“And if the umpires comes out, they’ll go oh, that was a mistake, that doesn’t help us either. We’re just moving on.

“We made way more mistakes than the umpires did tonight. I just assume that he’s umpiring to the letter of the law.”

John Noble throws the ball to a teammate

Four-time Hawthorn premiership player Jordan Lewis was sceptical of Nicholls’ game sense as he spoke post-game.

“I think a lot of our rules are left for interpretation — we see that with free kicks and everything that happens in and around the ground — I don’t think you’d find a person that would agree (on) gut feel that is a free kick,” Lewis said.

Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown couldn’t believe Nicholls had blown his whistle and pinged Sullivan in that moment.

“It’s a big call — they don’t pay obvious holding the ball free kicks in front of goal, and he (the umpire) plucks that one out,” Brown said.

Capping the discussion, Melbourne legend Garry Lyon asked: “What sort of game would we have if everything was adjudicated as fastidiously as that was?”

The result makes it Collingwood’s second draw in the past five weeks and has them sitting in fifth spot on the ladder, two points ahead of Fremantle in sixth.

Originally published as AFL tick off controversial umpiring decision in fourth quarter of Pies v Dockers