The right call was made: AFL ticks off on time wasting free kick

THE AFL says umpire Matthew Nicholls was right to penalise Collingwood’s Lachie Sullivan for time wasting in the draw against Fremantle, pointing to two crackdowns on the rule in as many seasons.

Sullivan’s decision to pass the ball to teammate Nick Daicos and not field umpire Matthew Nicholls with six minutes left saw Fremantle kick a crucial goal in a late-game charge that eventually tied the game.

“I’m looking forward to what the AFL tell us about that because I wasn’t aware that was a free kick, but maybe clearly it is because they don’t pay things that aren’t there,” McRae said post-match.

Under a combination of existing laws, 19.2 (f) and 18.13 (d), an umpire shall award a free kick against a player who engages in time wasting.

An AFL memo sent to clubs before the 2022 season warning of “tighter interpretations” of deliberate time delay tactics, stating a warning would no longer be given to players who employed it.

As recently as before last year’s finals series, the league also told clubs it was aware of a growing number of players who were not giving the ball back to the umpire when a stoppage was called.

Clubs were instructed by the AFL that if they are in possession of the ball when the umpire calls for a ball up to either leave the ball on the ground or give it directly to the umpire, but not to another player.

In penalising Sullivan on Friday night, microphones picked up Nicholls telling Collingwood players: “Fremantle free kick. You gave the ball to him. You have to give it to me. He handed it to a teammate. He’s not allowed to do that.”