The AFL will reportedly review a controversial non-call that went against Collingwood in their three-point loss to Adelaide on Saturday night. And reports have emerged that Crows player Izak Rankine could come under AFL investigation just a week out from the finals.
Collingwood fans were left fuming over a number of calls that didn’t go their way as they lost for the fourth time in their last five games. Crows star Isaac Cumming has admitted Ben Keays got away with a blatant throw when Cumming kicked a pivotal goal in the third quarter.
Riley Thilthorpe (L) got away with kicking the ball away as Adelaide held on to beat Collingwood. Image: Getty
And there was high controversy when Riley Thilthorpe wasn’t pinged for kicking the ball away with less than a minute remaining in the game. With just seconds to play, Thilthorpe kicked the ball away well after the umpire’s whistle had blown, and fans and commentators were left in disbelief he wasn’t pinged for time-wasting.
The clock was stopped after the ball went out of bounds, meaning there wasn’t any time-wasting per se. But Thilthorpe’s actions were technically in breach of the rules.
On Sunday night, leading reporter Jon Ralph revealed the AFL will “look at” the incident in its weekly umpiring review. Whether it leads to any favourable outcomes for Collingwood is highly unlikely.
Speaking in commentary at the time, Jason Dunstall said: “How he (Thilthorpe) gets away with this … I don’t know how all the umpires miss this. This is time-wasting. He’s punched it out of bounds to start with, then he’s looking at it and toes it off the ground. It’s not by accident. There are umpires all around him and they don’t pay it.”
On 3AW radio, Matthew Richardson said: “This was a case of the umpiring forgetting the rule.” While on the AFL Footy Show, Damien Barrett added: “That is a free kick to Collingwood every day of the week.”
Crows players celebrate after their thrilling win over the Magpies. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
As for the Keays throw, Cumming said after the game: “Oh my days it was a throw. I actually thought when he threw it to me mid-air I was like, ‘Oh my god it’s going to get called back’. But he disguised it pretty well, Keyser.”
Reports Izak Rankine could face AFL investigation
Meanwhile, several media outlets have reported that Rankine may be in trouble for an alleged comment to a Collingwood opponent. Rankine was among the Crows’ best against the Magpies, kicking a goal late in the second term that gave them the lead for the first time in the match.
There’s been no official confirmation from the AFL or either club as to whether Rankine is under investigation. If a probe was to find him guilty of misconduct and he was suspended, it would be a significant blow to Adelaide’s hopes of winning the flag.
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The Crows are now guaranteed of a top-two finish and home qualifying final, which will be their first finals appearance since they lost the 2017 grand final to Richmond. They’ll play North Melbourne next Saturday at Marvel Stadium in their last game before the finals.
Rankine has played 22 games this season, but is yet to play in a finals campaign. The 22-year-old started his AFL career with three seasons at Gold Coast before the Adelaide native was traded to the Crows after the 2022 season.
with AAP