A wild finish saw Essendon snare four points from the Crows at Adelaide Oval in controversial circumstances that will be debated for days.
The Bombers had 19 more inside 50s and won both clearances and contested possessions but in the dying minutes of an eventual three-point win, the game hung in the balance.
Matthew Nicks’ side dominated territory late in the fourth term and had the final four shots on goal. Repeat entries to their forward 50 gave the Crows a chance, but they were unable to capitalize.
But Adelaide fans – as the players did – will no doubt feel aggrieved at two umpiring calls that went against the home side in the final minute.
What an absolutely wild ending to Friday night footy!
— AFL (@AFL) April 19, 2024
Enjoy the last two minutes of Adelaide v Essendon thanks to OMO Australia. pic.twitter.com/JLNqXP35f4
With 41 seconds to go, key forward Taylor Walker is denied a high contact free kick after collecting the ball and lowering his shoulder into Bomber defender Ben McKay.
High contact is clear on replay and while Walker looks to bend at the knees, SEN’s Gerard Whateley believes the Crows were robbed of a shot at goal.
“The exaggeration probably costs him the free kick. There’s high contact but he wreathes his head backwards,” he said on AFL Nation.
“I think the Walker one is a missed free kick. Walker’s role in that, you can debate it in the aftermath.”
Walker had already kicked a goal and finished as one of Adelaide’s best, also laying an impressive five tackles inside 50.
WHAT A FINISH.
— 7AFL (@7AFL) April 19, 2024
Adelaide appeal for holding the ball, they don't get the call, and Essendon win by three points 😮#AFLCrowsDons pic.twitter.com/jfboUacY7p
Following that, Dons ruckman Sam Draper found himself lying on top of the footy in what ended up to be the final play of the game, with several Crows players screaming for a holding-the-ball free kick.
Their pleas fell on deaf ears as Essendon players celebrated the arrival of the siren. Draper is on his knees as the ball bobbles around a contest before falling flat on top of the footy. Two Crows players immediately swarm on top to ensure the ball doesn’t come out.
The laws of the game state: “A field Umpire shall award a Free Kick against a Player who dives on top of or drags the football underneath their body and fails to immediately knock clear or Correctly Dispose of the football when Legally Tackled.”
But Whateley suggested that given the arbitrary nature of how Draper came to be on top of the ball, he was comfortable with a ball-up decision.
“I don’t feel like Draper did enough to be paid holding the ball, he certainly didn’t pull it in… he landed on top of it, I think it’s a bit different to hauling it in,” Whateley explained.
Adelaide premiership captain Mark Bickley added: “I think you can make a case both ways.”
Seven commentator Luke Hodge disagreed.
“It’s a free kick anyway you look at it… they made the wrong decision and Tex Walker should have been having a shot for goal,” he remarked.
Draper appeared to poke fun at the decision when celebrating with teammates post-game, again diving onto the Adelaide Oval field and spreading his arms.
The man of the moment Sam Draper watches those last few seconds back...#AFLCrowsDons pic.twitter.com/UVlGMFkkZ9
— 7AFL (@7AFL) April 19, 2024
“I can’t breathe. Mate that was intense… I think I got pushed (onto the footy), or my legs gave way, I don’t know either one,” the cult figure told Seven with a laugh.
“What else can I do?”
Teammate Nick Martin was another who saw the funny side.
“Oh my goodness! I have no idea what he was doing laying on the football,” he said on ABC Radio about the non-free kick and Draper.
Essendon coach Scott bore a massive smirk when talking about the decision in his post-match press conference.
“There were a lot of the decisions, holding the ball for and against throughout the night,” he told reporters.
“We’ll obviously focus on the one in the last couple of seconds but I can show you a couple of others if you like.”
Draper had early given away a costly 50-metre penalty in the second term that injected some momentum into a struggling Adelaide outfit.
Essendon secured its fourth win of the season by finding a way to hang on, improving their ledger to 4-2 after Round 6.
Adelaide, meanwhile, remains one of the biggest disappointments so far in 2024 and is 1-5.