West Coast coach Andrew McQualter said he was still bemused by the 'holding the ball' rule after a contentious call that left onlookers scratching their heads.
During Saturday's loss to Collingwood at Marvel Stadium, a last-quarter contest saw Pies midfielder Ned Long spun full-circle and offered plenty of time to dispose of the football, but was waved play on eventually.
The following contest saw Liam Duggan collect the loose ball before he was met by Patrick Lipinski, prompting the umpire to award the free-kick to the latter despite no discernible prior opportunity given.
It left McQualter and the Eagles fans perplexed.
How does new AFL footy boss Greg Swann simplify holding the ball? Hall and co. do such a good job tackling Long and donโt get rewarded for holding the ball then the Pies get a free kick only moments later with absolutely no prior opportunity. Mystifying pic.twitter.com/kRMdGGTFvI
— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) June 28, 2025
"There were a few challenging ones that I'm going to seek some clarity on, because I thought that there were a couple that I just wasn't sure which way they were going to go," McQualter said after the game.
"It's a challenging job, umpiring this game. It's a really hard job, and we'll just get some clarity from the AFL on some of those decisions, and look to train our players once we get that."
Even McQualter's counterpart, Craig McRae, was puzzled by the adjudication, which he says has been a confusing aspect of the game for a long time.
"Way back when I was teaching (Collingwood veteran) Mason Cox the game, he says, 'what's this holding the ball thing?' and I said, I don't know, we'll work it out," McRae admitted.
"What are we, 10 years later, still I'm not sure.
"I just don't want to be the guy that rings the AFL every week. That's not my go. I'd let the game be the game. I'll let the game settle. It's amazing how many things, if you just give time and space to, somehow find a way of balancing itself out."
However, McQualter was still impressed that his 18th-placed side managed to duke it out with the premiership favourites for the majority of the game.
The Eagles remained in the contest until halfway through the final term, before the Pies put the margin beyond doubt, leading to a 28-point difference.
Jobe Shanahan kicked a goal on debut while mid-season draftee Tom McCarthy racked up another huge game, collecting 29 disposals.
West Coast will return to their home base in Perth and host GWS at Optus Stadium next week.
