THE AFL has conceded it made the wrong call by not awarding Brisbane forward Zac Bailey a free kick in Geelong's heart-stopping one-point win over the Lions on Friday night.  

Bailey brought down Cats opponent Mark Blicavs in a tackle on the Lions' goal line with less than 30 seconds on the clock. 

However, Blicavs was stripped of the ball and failed to possess it correctly in a call AFL umpires boss Dan Richardson admitted on Saturday should've been deemed holding the ball. 

"The umpire at the time called play-on and, upon review, we acknowledge that it was a missed free kick on this occasion," Richardson said. 

"By attempting to evade the player with the ball (Blicavs) had prior opportunity and as a result the call should've been holding the ball. 

"As Chris (Fagan) has alluded to it doesn't determine the outcome of a game, one decision. There's many moments that impact the outcome of any game."

Richardson confirmed the controlling umpire for last night's decision, Rob O'Gorman, wouldn't be sanctioned for the mistake.

CATS v LIONS Full match coverage and stats

Injured Lions players took to social media after the match to voice their opinions, with Cam Rayner saying "got to be kidding me" and Darcy Gardiner tweeting "just throw it. No worries".

Leading by two points at the time, the Cats were able to rush the ball through for a behind immediately following Bailey's tackle to hold on for a famous win. 

The Cats had trailed the match just moments earlier before recruit Isaac Smith became an instant hero for his new club's fans by kicking the match-winner deep in attack. 

The AFL is also expected to look at Chris Scott's quarter-time exchange with senior Lions players on Friday when it meets for its football review on Monday.