AFL UMPIRES manager Jeff Gieschen says Ray Chamberlain made the correct decision when he elected not to pay a free kick to Carlton's Andrew Walker in the last 90 seconds of the Blues' three-point loss to West Coast on Saturday night.
Walker and West Coast captain Darren Glass became entangled in a marking contest within 10m of Carlton's goal, and Glass appeared to reach back and wrap an arm around Walker's waist.
Walker raised his arms in protest, but Chamberlain did not believe a holding infringement had occurred.
League umpires manager Jeff Gieschen reviewed various video angles of the incident on Monday morning before deciding the right call was made.
"The tell-tale sign that it's not a hold is that the back of Glass's forearm and the back of his open palm make contact with Walker," Gieschen told afl.com.au.
"If there's a hold there, it's generally with a clenched round-arm or a clenched fist.
"Yes, you can see contact with the back of the forearm on the back of the Carlton player, but it's certainly not a hold.
"For a free kick to be paid, there's got to be a hold in that situation.
"We agree with the umpire that 'play on' was the best call."
Carlton coach Brett Ratten was fuming about the decision after the match.
"I don't even have to say it," Ratten said. "Anyway, you can't do anything about it. I won't even comment any further."
Gieschen says he understands why the Blues boss, who had just overseen his third narrow finals loss in three seasons, reacted the way he did.
"Losing a game when you've played so well all night, and given yourself the opportunity to win, is always hard to take," Gieschen said.
"In this case it was the dying seconds of the game, the ball was pumped in long there, and you look for every reason you can to win the game.
"Unfortunately for Carlton, in this case it was just a coming together of two bodies.
"I understand the raw emotion around it, but we've got to look at it purely from an umpiring perspective.
"Was it legal? Was it illegal? In this case it certainly wasn't illegal."
