Hawthorn captain James Sicily and veteran defender Tom Barrass have both copped hefty fines for a demonstrative exchange with AFL umpire Hayden Meyer.
Sicily has been fined $10,000, while Barrass has had a $5000 hit to his back pocket.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: James Sicily gives umpire an ear-full after final siren
The Hawks lost one of the greatest preliminary finals in VFL/AFL history to Brisbane at the MCG on Saturday night after two contentious but ultimately correct umpiring calls in the dying stages of the game.
Hawthorn led by three points with just over a minute left on the clock when they got a clearance on the wing as Jack Ginnivan dribbled a ball about 50 metres along the boundary towards the Hawks’ half-forward line.
Realising that the ball was heading out of bounds, which would have incurred a last-disposal free kick, Hawks big man Mitch Lewis dived out to the Sherrin and got a touch on it just before it crossed the boundary line in an attempt to force a throw-in.
But the AFL clarified to all clubs early this year that just getting a touch on the ball without genuinely trying to take possession before it crosses the boundary line will be deemed as deliberate out of bounds.
Umpire Brett Rosebury was right on the spot and paid a correct free kick to hand Brisbane skipper Harris Andrews the ball.
Then, less than a minute of game time later, Lions midfielder Hugh McCluggage tackled Hawks defender Jarman Impey 25 metres out from goal directly in front.
Impey had one arm free and umpire Hayden Meyer didn’t buy his faux attempt to get rid of it, blowing his whistle to pay one of the gutsiest holding the ball free kicks of all time.
Former AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain said Meyer was spot on the money.
“He gets possession, the ball is not pinned, there’s an arm free, he’s got to make an attempt to get rid of it,” Chamberlain said on ABC.
“The rule is reasonable time. He gave him a week in the context of this game.
“Umpires have also got to demonstrate courage. That’s what he’s paid to do, and he delivered.”
The livid Hawthorn crowd erupted into a cacophony of boos and jeers as McCluggage kicked the go-ahead goal with just seconds left on the clock.
Brisbane got the next centre clearance and Kai Lohmann kicked another goal after the siren to rub salt into the Hawthorn wounds.
In fan-filmed vision, Barrass can be seen running towards Meyer after the siren to remonstrate as Sicily joins in and gives the umpire a mouthful.
Jack Ginnivan also walked demonstratively towards another umpire and exchanged words with the umpires, who then had bottles thrown at them from Hawks fans as they left the MCG on Saturday night.
Speaking to SEN after the game, Lions veteran Dayne Zorko lauded Meyer’s brave call.
“Every day of the week, that’s been holding the ball. If you’ve got an arm free, you’ve got to get rid of it,” he said.
“He held onto it for about three seconds — if he just kicked it on his boot, it would have been play-on.
“But he held it there; unfortunately (for Hawthorn), it’s holding the ball every day of the week. We got a memo about that earlier in the year.”
Star midfielder Josh Dunkley added: “They say if you’ve got an arm free, as players … you’ve got to try and attempt to get rid of the ball.
“That’s what we know as players, and I’m sure there’s probably going to be plenty of debate about it, but from where I was standing in the middle of the ground, it looked like he had an arm free and he wasn’t trying.”
Shattered Hawks coach Sam Mitchell tried not to get drawn on the contentious calls during his post-match presser.
“I am sure the umpires will assess how they performed in that game in key moments,” Mitchell told reporters.
“Mitch Lewis out of bounds. The Zorko free kick. But it’s not for me to say.”
Mitchell said he did not know about Sicily, Barrass and Ginnivan going to the umpires, but he was aware of the bottles being thrown onto the ground.
“At the end of the game, part of me wanted to break down in tears, part of me wanted to scream with rage, part of me wanted to throw chairs, you don’t know how to react,” he said.
“So when you’re in the stand, you need to continue to be feeling that emotion, because that’s why we love it, but how it manifests itself — we shouldn’t be throwing things on the field and doing those types of things.
“But the passion in the stand and the passion of the game is why we love it so much. So I hope that for the vast majority it was felt responsibly.”
Meek was near Impey when the free was paid.
“It’s heartbreaking ... excuse the profanity, you can edit that one out. We pour our heart and soul into this,” Meek said.
“I was standing right next to him — I will be replaying that one for a while.
“I just feel like I probably could have jumped on and knocked the ball out or done a ‘stacks-on’ — something ... it’s hard, in the dying moments.”
Mitchell spoke of grief and added it was too soon to think beyond what had just happened.
“I think we’re in a mourning phase. What’s the first part, is it anger? I think I’m still half in anger, probably sense it in my body language,” he said.
“What else, what’s after anger? I don’t know, last is acceptance and — I nearly said a bad word — I’m a long way from acceptance right now.
“I will sit in anger for a bit longer, I’m sure all the players will too.”
Before they left the MCG for the last time this season, Mitchell brought his players into a tight group.
“It was just ‘remember this’. There’s nothing more raw than that five minutes straight after the siren, when it hurts the most,” Meek said of Mitchell’s message.
“Remember the burn and the outrage and how frustrating it is - because that will be our fuel. We have a big pre-season ahead.”
Mitchell spoke of his great pride in the Hawks, who staged an outstanding comeback in the final quarter.
But in the end, it came to nothing.
“If you want to strive for great things, you will open yourself up for all sorts of emotion, the greatest of joy, and the deepest of pain,” he said.
With AAP
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