The AFL has conceded that the wrong call was made regarding the last touch out of bounds free kick that Geelong's Tom Atkins claimed himself.
Midway through the final term, Atkins soccered the ball towards the boundary line as he was contesting the loose ball against Adelaide's Zac Taylor.
However, the ball trickled over the boundary line, prompting the boundary umpire to 'lasso'.
The league has backed in the ARC process, admitting that if they had intervened, the call would have been overturned. The AFL will review its "late-in-game process" following the missed call.
"The ball came back into play before the ARC had time to intervene on the last disposal free kick awarded to Geelong in the fourth quarter last night. If the ARC did intervene, the decision would have been overturned," the statement provided to Zero Hanger read.
"The AFL will look at its late-in-game process and the ability to potentially hold play to get the correct outcome."
The Cats took full advantage of the missed call, slotting a goal moments later and extending the margin to eight points.
The costly blunder is yet another asterisk in Adelaide's checkered history with controversial calls in close games in the past two seasons.
Captain Jordan Dawson wasn't awarded a high free kick with seconds remaining against Collingwood midway through 2023 that would've given the classy left-footer an opportunity to steal the victory. The Crows lost by two points.
Later that year, Ben Keays was denied a goal in 2023 against Sydney that would've placed the Crows in the finals.
In 2024, then-Essendon ruck Sam Draper should've been penalised for not genuinely attempting to dispose of the football, with the Crows falling behind as the final siren rang.
Last year, Izak Rankine couldn't have done more to earn a free kick for a marking infringement or awarded a mark against Gold Coast as the seconds ticked down. Adelaide lost by one point.
The league publicly conceded these were wrong, with Thursday night's call just another to add to the list.
