The AFL will again be fielding questions regarding its processes, after numerous influential moments presented themselves in the final quarter of Carlton's close-run victory over struggling rivals Essendon on Sunday night.
Carlton key forward Harry McKay drew the ire of onlookers when he convinced the umpire he was having a shot on goal from an implausible distance and angle, late in the contest, milking 41 valuable seconds off the dwindling clock.
"It's an interesting conundrum for the umpire. The player has the right to declare, and there's no penalty to it,” commentator Gerard Whateley explained on Fox Footy's broadcast.
"There's no way he can make the distance..."
Harry McKay milked 41 seconds off the clock by taking this set shot from very long range in the final minutes of Carlton's thrilling win over Essendon.
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When asked about the moment post-match, McKay was forthright.
“I always have a theory that late in the game, if you have a shot anywhere, somewhere within the 50, in theory you can go back and take your 30, and a little bit more,” the 28-year-old told Fox Footy's broadcast.
“I think it was slightly ambitious to think I was gonna kick it from 75 (metres out) but any time you can take a little bit of time off the clock late - we practice it a lot in training, so I'm glad it kinda worked.
“...I think, from memory, I reckon I was back far enough to kick it long if I didn't get allowed to have my 30 (seconds),” he explained.
“But once the umpire said you're allowed to have your 30, I went back in my routine, so I think it was fine.”
It was one of three procedural shortcomings that left Bombers fans pleading their case as fans of one of their traditional rivals celebrated a fourth consecutive victory since Michael Voss' departure.
As the Bombers rebounded from McKay's speculative kick to the top of the goal square, the Fox Footy broadcast clock froze at 0:44 and skipped to 0:24 after Bomber Zach Reid had marked at full-forward - seemingly with no time lost.
Reid maximised his opportunity, dragging his side back within a kick, but the maligned side failed to produce the winning goal in the remaining nine seconds.
Earlier in the final quarter, McKay's fellow forward Brodie Kemp appeared to exaggerate contact, running headlong into the fence in order to convince the umpire to award him a free kick. The umpire obliged, and Kemp kicked a tidy snap from the ensuing penalty. A costly moment in a one-score result.
The AFL have repeatedly fielded the aggravated pleas of a variety of stakeholders this season, as ARC, clock and umpiring shortcomings repeatedly have more of an effect on results than most are comfortable with.
Carlton will now head to their mid-season bye, while the Bombers renew hostilities with the Demons on Saturday, the side who, remarkably, are the only one in the competition to be vanquished by Essendon in over a year.
