The AFL's ARC (AFL Review Centre) intervened to effectively hand St Kilda a goal in their emphatic victory over West Coast on Sunday, despite play having continued for nearly a minute after the initial decision was made.
With the controversy fresh in mind and time clearly no obstacle for overturning decisions, The West Australian takes a light-hearted look back at five moments from years gone by that could now be subject to review, despite being decades old.
Was Sampi held in the epic 2005 grand final?
Decisions made by field umpires do not yet fall within the ARC's jurisdiction, but as the ball was moved from one end of the ground to the other on Sunday, the minds of West Coast fans surely flashed back to the conclusion of the memorable 2005 grand final.
Eagles forward Ashley Sampi was clearly held by Tadgh Kennelly as star Swan Leo Barry came across and took one of the most famous marks in the game's history to secure the premiership for Sydney.
Kennelly later admitted to the infringement years later, joking on The Front Bar that he had "assaulted" the high-flying forward, having watched Sampi's 2004 Mark of the Year in his hotel room the night before.
Any lingering ill will has surely been eased by West Coast winning the flag the following year, but the moment remains arguably the greatest umpiring controversy in the club's history and one that would have been ripe for review.
Fremantle's second Sirengate
The introduction of the last disposal out of bounds rule this season has expanded the ARC's scope from the goal line to the entire boundary.
If that change had come a few years earlier, Fremantle's loss to North Melbourne in 2023, which left the Dockers at 0-2, may have turned out very differently.
Kangaroo Daniel Howe's desperate clearing kick from defence in the game's final stages was set to be penalised with a deliberate out of bounds decision, as confirmed by exchanges between the umpires captured on their microphones.
But the siren sounded as the ball bobbled over the boundary line, and it was determined that the game was over, despite a plea from Dockers captain Alex Pearce to send the decision to the ARC.
The call that cost the Crows a finals spot
The introduction of the score review system in 2012 has not completely eliminated the 'howler' from the game, including one infamous call that effectively cost Adelaide a finals spot in 2023.
Ben Keays appeared to have snapped a goal to give the Crows a very late lead in a late-season clash with Sydney, only for the goal umpire to erroneously assert that his snap had clipped the post and not call for a review.
The Swans quickly got the ball back into play, and the rules at the time did not allow the game to be rolled back to change the call, as they evidently do now.
Rocca's phantom point
Ask any Collingwood fan about their enduring memories from the 2002 grand final, and the vast majority will point to one controversial moment involving Anthony Rocca.
The Magpies star appeared to have thumped home his fifth goal in the final quarter of an epic season decider, but the goal umpire determined that the ball had travelled over the behind post and signalled a point.
Collingwood went on to lose the game to Brisbane by nine points, and Rocca, along with tens of thousands of fans who claim to have been at the game, remain steadfast in their view that the call was an error.
Tomahawk gets away with one
His 2011 breakout on the big stage was still two years away, but Tom Hawkins managed to kick two goals on the last day of the 2009 season, including one that was given in error.
After smothering Zac Dawson, the young Geelong full-forward snapped a quick kick that went down as a goal, with replays later showing that the ball had, in fact, clipped the post.
The game's final margin was 12 points, but it had stood at only six until Max Rooke added another goal for the Cats after the siren.
