THE AFL umpiring department has given the all clear to the free kick paid to West Coast midfielder Luke Shuey in the final minute of the Eagles' thrilling extra-time win over Port Adelaide on Saturday night.
Port Adelaide was leading by four points with 17 seconds to go when umpire Chris Donlon awarded a free kick against Jared Polec for high contact on Shuey in the Eagles' forward 50.
The star Eagle kicked a goal after the siren to steal victory from the Power, earning his side a semi-final against Greater Western Sydney next Saturday night.
Despite claims Shuey drew the free kick by shrugging his shoulder, the League has stood by Donlon's decision, telling AFL.com.au on Sunday the correct call was made.
The AFL also emphasised the importance of viewing the incident in real time, and not slow motion on replay.
Five things we learned from Port Adelaide v West Coast
Earlier this year, the AFL tightened its interpretation on high contact, declaring if a tackle is reasonable and the ball carrier is responsible for the high contact via a "shrug, drop, arm lift or duck, play on should be called".
In its review of the Shuey decision on Sunday morning, the umpiring department did not view the Eagles' midfielder to have significantly contributed to the high contact.
