A bizarre ARC ruling that awarded a mark to St Kilda well over a minute after the fact has sparked outrage across the AFL community.

The controversial, belated decision occurred during a match where the Saints were virtually unstoppable, thoroughly dismantling West Coast by over a hundred points at the MCG.

St Kilda well and truly romped over their visitors, giving their home fans a spectacular show with a final score of 22.11 (143) to 5.12 (42).

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The confusing sequence unfolded midway through the second quarter.

St Kilda’s Rowan Marshall appeared to take a mark near the boundary, but the on-field umpires initially did not pay it. Play continued as normal for a full 33 seconds before the ARC intervened from upstairs, abruptly halting the game and voiding all recent play.

After reviewing the incident for over a minute, the ARC reversed the on-field call and Marshall was sent back to the goal line and awarded a set shot from an angle, which eventuated in a goal.

The mark that was ruled in Saints' favour.

The mark that was ruled in Saints’ favour.  Fox Footy

“Seriously, a minute and a half to make a decision? Are you kidding me!” Ben Dixon said on the Fox Footy commentary.

“They should have 30-45 seconds, and it should be done – let it go.”

“It looked like it was controlled over the line. But to pull the play back?

“I can’t believe that. I know that’s a goal to St Kilda and they just creep away with a 21-point lead. But that’s embarrassing if you look at it.

“That was inconclusive. We lose a minute and a half of play.

“If you’re going to call it, you’ve got to call it. You’ve got at least 15 to 20 seconds to recognise that on the call out. “

“That is farcical … unless there’s some other angle that we’re missing, that is a mare of a decision,” Cameron Mooney added.

“For a ball that looked pretty much over the line, shouldn’t even be paid a mark.”

“That is as bizarre as we’ve ever seen AFL football played,” commentator Dwayne Russell said.

This latest incident comes at a time when the ARC is already facing intense scrutiny from fans and pundits alike.

The system was heavily criticised when the AFL’s ARC doctor incorrectly ordered Tom Edwards off the ground over a suspected concussion, further fuelling the debate around the centre’s accuracy and impact on the flow of the game.