A PERPLEXED Essendon has gone back to the AFL seeking formal clarity on the handling of the Dane Rampe incident, which saw the Swans co-captain climb and shake a goalpost in the Bombers' five-point loss.

Last Friday night, as Dons midfielder David Myers lined up for an after-the-siren set shot that would have given his side a much-needed victory, the Swans defender scaled a goalpost in an illegal act.

BARRETT Rampe call shows there's 'too much grey' in rules

That decision was ticked off by AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan the following day.

Essendon spoke to AFL football operations manager Steve Hocking on Monday and Tuesday, but after Rampe was slapped with a suspended $1000 fine for the incident that saw no free kick paid, felt compelled to send a written communication to the AFL.

Bombers CEO Xavier Campbell stressed to Melbourne radio station SEN on Thursday the incident didn't excuse the loss, but did need to be clarified.

"I think (Hocking) generally does a pretty great job with the football department and what he's trying to do there," Campbell said.

"It got to the point there, with the decision Tuesday around the fine, where we've written to the AFL yesterday seeking absolute formal clarity above and beyond the discussions we've had earlier in the week, because we dealt with this.

"We feel the need for there to be greater clarity on something like this."

Essendon expects a written response on Thursday.