AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain has admitted he should have awarded a free kick against Geelong’s Zach Tuohy for an illegal block on North Melbourne skipper Jack Ziebell.
Tuohy impeded Ziebell as he set to launch himself at the football inside the Kangaroos attacking 50. Chamberlain waved play on to the dismay of the Roos veteran.
The experienced umpire revealed he was guilty of being stubborn when adjudicating the incident.
“It’s an error for starters. It was the one I went home and watched,” Chamberlain told SEN’s Whateley.
“My position’s pretty good, I identify (Jack) Ziebell out the back, the ball’s coming in deep and I see Tuohy and watch it all the way.
“You go: ‘How come you didn’t pay a free kick?’ You’ve seen it, he makes contact, why didn’t you pay it? If I’m honest, I think I got a bit stubborn, I think I got a little bit belligerent.
Free kick? 🤔#AFLCatsNorth pic.twitter.com/I4LfaVayHH
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“I don’t like paying free kicks when players put a little bit on it. It’s a free kick every day, there’s no question, it’s a missed free kick.
“If I reflect on that, it was my mentality there that was my error and that’s why I didn’t pay the free kick. I’m disappointed in myself about that.”
The non-free kick cost Ziebell a chance to add to North Melbourne’s score late in the second quarter.
Rhyce Shaw’s side failed to score another goal for the night, finishing on a paltry 1.8.(14) – the club’s lowest score in their history.