Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has claimed Collingwood forward Tim Membrey shouldn’t have been allowed to take his kick for goal after the siren in Friday night’s wildcard final thriller.
With 35 seconds to go, Membrey took a strong mark inside 50 with 35 seconds to go, with the Magpies trailing by just three points.
But his kick would miss to the near side, prompting jubilant celebrations from Bulldogs fans in the MCG stands – and a heartwarming reaction as Pies and Dogs players alike gathered to console the devastated 32-year old.
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Speaking after the match, though, Beveridge argued Membrey should have been called to play on by the umpires, having taken too long to take his kick.
“The clock had run out beforehand,” the 56-year old said in his post-match press conference.
“So technically, it should have been play on before the siren went. But it wasn’t called.
“That was an interesting thing at the end there.
“I don’t know what happened there, but it’s a pretty obvious one to call play on, isn’t it?”
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Beveridge said the Bulldogs wouldn’t be questioning the AFL or the umpiring department over the allegation, but was perplexed by none of the four umpires on the field spotting it.
“There are things like that happening all the time in game – I don’t know what happens,” he said.
