The AFL has addressed two questionable situations from Friday night's heated Collingwood-Geelong bout, clarifying a pair of calls that resulted in Cats goals.
The Magpies got the better of the Cats on the night, however, it wasn't without controversy, as Geelong was the benefactor of two contentious non-calls that had the potential to sway the game's final result.
On Saturday, the league admitted it incorrectly adjudicated Cat Jeremy Cameron's fourth-quarter snapping goal but backed a boundary umpire's third-quarter decision that a Cameron mark came inside the boundary line.
In the third quarter, Cameron marked an inside-50 entry which, according to the main angle shown, appeared to come from outside the boundary line.
The adjudicating boundary umpire allowed the mark, opting not to call 'out of bounds on the full'. Geelong's star goalkicker capitalised, nailing a remarkable left-footed banana to send the Magpies supporters into a frenzy of disapproval.
Despite the raging debate, the AFL ticked that decision off, backing the adjudication of their boundary umpire.
"We back the umpire," the AFL is understood to have communicated on Saturday.
Later, in the final term, Cameron took full advantage of a Brad Close handball-receive, booting a snapping major after appearing to receive the ball from an out-of-bounds position.ย League headquarters admitted fault in that situation.
"Out of bounds should be called when there is a 'clear' gap between the boundary and the ball," an AFL statement reads. "The difficulty of decisions involving the curved boundary line should not be underestimated. The umpire was in the best position to make the call."
More from the AFL on Cameron's mark: "Out of bounds should be called when there is a 'clear' gap between the boundary and the ball. The difficulty of decisions involving the curved boundary line should not be underestimated. The umpire was in the best position to make the call." https://t.co/9761aCYKJc
— Sam Edmund (@Sammy__Edmund) August 12, 2023
While Collingwood coach Craig McRae wasn't overly fussed about the controversial nature of the calls, two-time Geelong premiership mentor Chris Scott seemed adamant the correct decisions were made.
"People that know the game well say that it wasn't outside the boundary," Scott said to reporters post-game on Friday.
After one of the reporters offered their opinion that the ball was out of bounds, Scott snarkily responded: "You must have a different view to some of the other people that know the game well that said it wasn't โฆ You seem confident."
Collingwood's win sees it move 12 points clear of Melbourne on top of the ladder, while ninth-placed Geelong's loss means its final pair of games against St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs are must-win clashes.
