The AFL has reportedly ticked off the “unfair advantage” Carlton gained in Sunday’s AFLW clash where they were able to use their club gym while rivals GWS were forced to take shelter in a flooded change room.

With lightning strikes registered within a 10-kilometre radius of IKON Park, play was stopped in the Blues-Giants clash during the third quarter.

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All players and staff were cleared from the field and bench as a result – but where the two teams took shelter became a moment of controversy.

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Blues players were filmed inside their new state-of-the-art gym, keeping warm on exercise bikes and other fitness equipment.

Wild weather saw play stopped at IKON Park.Source: Getty ImagesThe Blues were able to stay indoors and warm using their gym equipment.Source: FOX SPORTS

The Giants meantime were left “sitting still” as ground staff had to pump out water before the team could even re-enter the field more than half an hour later.

“It seems a little bit unfair that (Carlton) get access to those facilities – there’s definitely not those facilities in the GWS rooms currently,” commentator Kate McCarthy said.

“Let’s just play devils advocate for a minute … you’ve got one team utilizing any equipment they would like in an indoor warm-up facility … Then you’ve got another team that just has access to their change rooms which has actually flooded.

“That is a huge competitive advantage.

“If you’re able to keep your players warm as opposed to players just sitting down in their change rooms.

“I think that’s something that needs to be looked into.

“It is a genuine unfair advantage.

“I think it’s nothing Carlton have done wrong if they haven’t been told that they have to go to their change room or told to stay in their change room.

Water had to be pumped from the GWS players’ race.Source: FOX SPORTS

“I just think if one team has access to those facilities, the other team has to have access to similar facilities.”

At the time, the Giants were goalless when they were forced from the field and trailed by 65 points against a Carlton side playing for finals.

GWS would go on to kick five goals to two after the weather break, but McCarthy believes the discrepancy in facilities would have been a bigger issue had the Giants still been contenders.

“If this meant more, this game and was closer, there would be a huge talking point coming out for that regard,” she said.

“If you’re the opposition coach, I don’t think you’d be super happy seeing pictures of the opposition utilizing that sort of stuff (gym) when you don’t have that yourself.”

GWS coach Cameron Bernasconi later said he “didn’t realise” the Blues had been able to stay warm on equipment in their gym.

But refused to use that as an excuse.

“It is what it is,” he said.

“It’s a pretty unique situation … I thought the girls managed really well.”

The flooding into the GWS rooms.Source: FOX SPORTS

AFLW reporter Nat Edwards said it was known that the old change rooms at IKON Park “often flood”, joking she had to “swim out” of the Giants rooms where cameras couldn’t go due to safety issues.

“You need a rubber raft, a set of waders and a snorkel down there,” fellow commentator Alister Nicholson joked.

“Imagine if this game was tighter and there was more on the line for the Giants.

“The fact the Carlton players were able to go into their gym … while the Giants had to go down to the really substandard, you’d have to say, rooms here at Carlton on the broadcast side of the ground. The old part of the ground which actually flooded.

“You do wonder whether there is an obligation that both teams would have to go to their change rooms rather than a secondary facility.”

Carlton would go on to claim a 46-point win to all but lock themselves in for finals with one game left to play.

Dangerous conditions a ‘Safety Issue’ | 02:01