‘Incredibly unlucky’: AFL concedes wrong call made in Pittonet ruck penalty

“You know, when you’re looking at the ball, you’re looking at your opponent, that fine line is hard not to cross on occasions.

“So I think there’s got to be some wriggle room where, yeah, you might give a couple up, but it’s not deliberate.”

The league indicated on Thursday that “play on” would have been the correct call.

Fox Footy commentator Jason Dunstall was critical of the Pittonet decision.

The Blues ruckman had left the ground soon after De Koning and his foot landed over the line on the way down as he attempted to catch the ball. De Koning also crossed the line in midair.

“Now, I reckon that is incredibly unlucky,” Dunstall said.

“What he is basically doing is getting out of the way because De Koning is about to jump into him. But De Koning doesn’t get anywhere near the footy.

“So I think that is one they will look at and probably go, ‘Well, maybe that is not the right decision’. All Pittonet did, in the end, was go where the ball dropped.”

Former Adelaide and Geelong forward Josh Jenkins also weighed into the debate on social media, posting on X: “This is comical. And will get worse as we go.”

In a later incident, Geelong forward Shannon Neale hobbled from the ground clutching at his right leg after banging knees with Pittonet at a centre bounce.

It was reminiscent of a spate of PCL injuries that led to ruck rules being changed at the start of the 2005 season, even though Geelong insisted Neale had merely hurt his shin.

“No concerns. We expect him to be fine. He just got a bit of a knock on his shin,” Geelong assistant coach James Kelly said of Neale’s injury.

“He’s a bit unlucky. There’s probably about 10 centimetres that isn’t covered by the shin guard, and he just got a knock above that. We expect he’ll be fine.”

Kelly said the new ruck rules might force some clubs to rethink who they sent into the centre square this year.

“I know that there are teams that don’t like to put key forwards in there. We’re generally not one of those. The flexibility within our team is something we value,” Kelly said.

“I can’t speak for other teams, but I think for us we value the flexibility, and we like having guys in there that can jump and can run.”

The moment: Top-end draft pick Smith made the entire night his break-out moment. He racked up 37 disposals against the subdued Cats, and will make his debut against Sydney next Thursday. As well as finding plenty of the pill, he spent a lot of time at centre bounces alongside Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh. “I am really pleased for Jagga. His skill set is going to make us a better team,” Hansen said after the game. “His ability to be use his fast feet in traffic, have composure to put a teammate in a better position, hit targets, take the game forward – for us, he’s the link player between the midfield and the forward line, which a lot of the teams in today’s footy just value so highly.”

The eye-catchers: Sorry to make this all about the green shoots, but the 5000-odd Blues fans at Ikon Park would have been rubbing their eyes in disbelief late in the second quarter when 2025 No.3 draft pick Harry Dean leapt sideways into a pack, threw his hands up late and plucked the ball from the air. If he didn’t have reddish hair, and it wasn’t 2026, you would swear that the slightly hunch-backed No.35 was his father and dual Carlton premiership player Peter Dean.

For the Cats, it was a welcome return for onballer Tanner Bruhn, who missed all of last year because of a court case. All charges against Bruhn and friend Patrick Sinnott were dropped in November. He found the ball early and finished the game with 27 disposals. Hawthorn recruit James Worpel was serviceable, while Max Holmes showed why he is one of the game’s premier players with his customary run and dash.

The injuries: Carlton expect key defender Jacob Weitering to return for a tantalising opening round clash against former teammate Charlie Curnow next week. Weitering appeared on Fox Footy at half-time and said he was feeling much better after suffering broken ribs from a heavy knock during the State Of Origin clash in Perth. “It was very fortunate, the injury that sort of came of it,” Weitering said. “The scans came back clear, and then we came back on the Monday morning, and there was something in there. I wasn’t feeling the best for a few days, but [I] certainly feel much better now.”

Carlton fans breathed a sigh of relief after mega-signing Sam Walsh reappeared on the ground in the opening quarter. Earlier, he grabbed at his lower back after a seemingly innocuous tackle from Bruhn and was taken to the rooms as a precaution. The Blues later explained he was winded. He showed no signs of discomfort in the final term when dashing from the centre square to nail a goal.

Geelong’s forward stocks tumbled when Neale hobbled from the ground. He is a watch for the week ahead.

Absent: Weitering sat on the sidelines, but Hansen said the Blues were confident he would be right next week, and expected he would go straight to Curnow. “It’s a logical match-up, isn’t it?” he said. The Blues were also without Adam Cerra (hamstring), Blake Acres (shoulder) and Nic Newman (playing reserves).

Kelly is hopeful Jeremy Cameron can overcome a quad issue before next week. The Cats play the Suns on the Gold Coast.

“As far as I know, he should be fine,” Kelly said. He also expected Bailey Smith would return from a calf complaint, but did not have a timeline on when Gryan Miers (thumb) would be back. The Cats were also without Rhys Stanley (managed), Jack Bowes (managed) and Tyson Stengle (returning from personal leave).

What the coaches said

Hansen on Carlton’s ball movement: “That last kick is just so critical in footy. Certainly the personnel we’ve got, the availability of some players that were already here, and the work we’ve put into it, hopefully, all is the combination of a lot of things that helps us be better in our front half and increase our efficiency.”

Kelly said Geelong focused on interchange rotations. “We had a bit of a priority with getting enough game time into a few players,” he said.

“I think we’re pretty close to the rotation tab we would have next week, which is good. Didn’t love the way we started.”

The verdict

The Blues have a pulse. They are setting up for quick ball movement off half-back through Oliver Florent, Zac Williams and Adam Saad. But it’s the next kick that will tell all when the pressure ramps up next week. The inclusion of Smith and a fit-and-firing Walsh helps. But they only played a Geelong side idling in second gear. The forward line – Harry McKay, Brodie Kemp and a raft of small forwards – will demand better ball use.

Geelong’s improvement in the bid to catch Brisbane could come from their midfield. Bruhn and Worpel are not match winners but provide needed depth. Holmes continues to excel and might emerge as a Brownlow Medal hope. The new ruck rules will suit the lighter frame of De Koning. Their forward line will be better served if veteran pair Cameron and Patrick Dangerfield stay injury free.

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