It was the flat footy that floated anywhere but the kicker's intended destination several times during the Melbourne and Port Adelaide game on Sunday at Adelaide Oval.
Melbourne midfielder Dom Tyson said a few of his teammates were adamant the footy had been flat as both teams sprayed kicks all over the park late in the game.
Eventually one football was replaced.
Tyson was happy to back his teammates' version as it might prove a handy excuse for some of the team's collective efforts.
"We certainly kicked the most tumble punts and forward punts I've seen in a while. It's a good excuse because we were kicking it poorly," Tyson said.
Flat or not, Tyson had the ball on a string during the game, accumulating 32 disposals and kicking two vital goals. He said he didn't notice that the air had gone out of the ball, making it as hard to kick as a rolled up newspaper.
"[A] few said it felt like an old footy, one of the training balls that you get every now and then that is a bit out of shape," Tyson said.
"I actually didn't notice it myself but I'll agree with it now because I kicked a couple of tumblers."
Melbourne coach Paul Roos acknowledged talk about the flat footy when asked about it in his post-match press conference on Sunday, referencing a Tyson kick that had gone awry.
"Was it after Dom Tyson kicked a floater? I just heard that in the rooms, actually, after, because we talked about a couple of kicks that our blokes executed. One of the boys said they changed the ball straight after that," Roos said.
"I remember thinking it was a shocking mongrel that came off the boot. We were roaring about that. I didn't realise that the T.W. [Sherrin] had gone flat."
One of Tyson's tumblers went through the goals and put Melbourne in front with just minutes to go. However the Demons couldn't hang on for a win, the fifth time this season it has led during the last quarter and lost.
Tyson said the team needed to show composure at times but conceded that in frenetic finishes everyone was capable of making mistakes.
"It's one that we let slip," Tyson said.
Tyson has been a good pick up for the Demons, who traded pick No.2, No.20 and No.72 in return for Tyson, pick No.9 (Christian Salem) and No.53 (eventually traded for Viv Michie).
The Giants did well, too, selecting Josh Kelly at No.2 and packaging up pick No.20 in a series of trades that allowed them to select key forward Cam McCarthy (No.14) and ruckman Rory Lobb (No.29).
Tyson said several of his former teammates at the Giants might excel if given an opportunity at a new club.
"I'm sure many, if given the opportunity to get home or wanted to get home and found a good place, they would play good footy," Tyson said.
