Essendon coach Brad Scott will seek clarification from the AFL over some questionable umpiring decisions following his team's 91-80 defeat to the Gold Coast Suns on Sunday.
Scott expressed that his players were "bewildered" by certain calls, particularly regarding the interpretation of the deliberate out-of-bounds rule.
Initially asked about a costly 50-metre penalty from Jayden Laverde which put the game out of reach in the dying stages, Scott's focus went to the interpretation of insufficient intent.
A controversial decision late in the game saw Nick Hind penalised after soccering the ball forward and over the boundary line.
"I think if you kick the ball off the ground, the umpires tend to pay deliberate out-of-bounds. So we've just got to clarify that so I can let our players know," Scott stated.
Despite his concerns, he emphasised that the umpiring did not influence the game's outcome, and expressed sympathy for the umpires, acknowledging the challenges they face.
"I didn't think the umpiring had any bearing on the game tonight. Whichever team prevailed deserved to win," he remarked.
"Umpiring's really hard because people say 'use common sense' but they also want umpires to umpire to the letter of the law."
The match also saw Essendon dealing with some minor injury issues. Kyle Langford was subbed off during the fourth quarter due to a hip pointer injury, which Scott described as "not too serious."
Additionally, veteran ruckman Todd Goldstein was a late withdrawal due to an ankle injury but is expected to be fit for the upcoming clash against Carlton.
In the VFL, former top-10 draft pick Zach Reid suffered what the club believes to be a pectoral injury.
"Reidy has looked fantastic at training and in the VFL and can't take a trick. He's just incredibly unlucky," Scott said.
"He's a great person, we think he's a player of enormous potential, and we'll persist with him as long as it takes."
Despite the setback, the Bombers are looking ahead to their King's Birthday Eve clash against Carlton, with hopes of returning to winning form and maintaining their hold on the top four.