North Melbourne were on the cusp of winning their third game of the season until a controversial free kick and 50m penalty cost them dearly in a three-point loss to Sydney at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
With interim coach Brett Ratten in charge following Alastair Clarkson's leave of absence, the Kangaroos led by as much as 16 points in the last quarter before the Swans clawed back the deficit.
However, with 50 seconds on the clock and leading by three points, North Melbourne were penalised for an interchange infringement and the resulting goal from Hayden McLean put Sydney in front by three points - as the margin held until the final siren.
The Sporting News explains why North Melbourne was hit with the costly penalty.
Why was an interchange infringement awarded against North Melbourne?
Each team is permitted 75 interchange rotations to use at their leisure throughout the game.
According to the interchange steward, who relayed the decision to the on-field umpires, North Melbourne made a 76th rotation, which triggered a free kick and 50m from where the ball was currently situated.
As the umpire was about to throw the ball up in Sydney's forward pocket - 15m out from goal - the free kick and 50m penalty saw Hayden McLean be given a shot from the goal line.
McLean kicked the goal from point-blank range to put the Swans up by three points and they survived the final 50 seconds to win the contest.
Dramatic scenes in the final moments with the Swans taking the lead.#AFLNorthSwans pic.twitter.com/Fp1uwl7tym
— AFL (@AFL) May 20, 2023
Has an interchange infringement of this type happened before?
No AFL team on record has been given an interchange infringement for using too many rotations in a single match.
However, there has been previous infringements involving players entering the field too early or not through the designated interchange gates.
What did North Melbourne interim coach Brett Ratten say about the decision?
Interim coach Brett Ratten cut a frustrated figure post-match but refused to blame the bizarre interchange bungle on the loss, instead ruing a number of wasted opportunities as the reason for his side's defeat.
"We'll review it and work out how we can do some things better, but we won't focus on that," he said.
"We had our chances...There's disappointment, you could see it on their faces. But we'll get into more winning positions if we keep up that style of footy.
"That's how we want to play. Our contest and pressure got us back into the game. It's been a big week, and the players' resilience to get up and perform at that level was really pleasing."
What the result means to North Melbourne and Sydney?
North Melbourne were on the verge of snapping a seven-game losing streak until the heartbreaking defeat.
It leaves them in 16th position on the AFL ladder, one win ahead of the two teams below them - Hawthorn and West Coast.
In contrast, Sydney used their good fortune to snap a four-game losing streak to rise to 12th on the standings.
