West Coast coach Adam Simpson says umpires had been right to penalise skipper Shannon Hurn for a deliberate rushed behind in Sunday’s 10-point AFL win over Adelaide.
Hurn was under intense pressure when he slapped the ball through for a rushed behind from 10m out.
But under the AFL’s rules, a player is only allowed to rush a behind when under pressure if it occurs within the length of the goal square.
Hurn was just outside of the square, with the resultant free kick gifting Taylor Walker a goal.
West Coast still held on to win, but the 54,994 crowd were livid at the decision and booed the umpires for every Crows rushed behind that went unpunished from that point.
Simpson loved the crowd’s intensity, but he backed the umpires’ decision.
“They (the fans) have our backs and we really appreciate that,” Simpson said.
“That was a free kick, though. Bring the noise, appeal it and appeal every one they do, but that was a free kick.”
West Coast (15-5) drop to third spot despite the win.
Brisbane’s 91-point triumph over Gold Coast earlier in the round means the Lions are 4.8 per cent ahead of the Eagles.
But with Brisbane (15-5) taking on ladder leaders Geelong (15-5) on Saturday, West Coast will guarantee themselves a top-two finish if they can win their final two games.
That won’t be an easy task, given they take on Richmond on Sunday at the MCG before hosting Hawthorn in their final regular-season match.
“Probably the biggest test in AFL, Richmond at the MCG,” Simpson said.
“We hit the ground running – we take them on.”
West Coast enjoyed an even spread from their forward line against the Crows.
Jack Darling, Oscar Allen and Jake Waterman booted three goals each, while fellow power forward Josh Kennedy kicked one.
Darling also registered three score assists and nine marks in another star display.