ADELAIDE captain Jordan Dawson should have been awarded a free kick in the dying seconds of the Crows' two-point loss to Collingwood, the AFL has conceded.
The League's head of umpiring, Dan Richardson, said in a statement on Monday afternoon that the call had been missed by the field umpires, who had a "restricted view of the contest".
The Crows were overrun in the last quarter of a pulsating contest at the MCG on Sunday, leaving them clinging to eighth spot on the ladder.
Controversy erupted in the desperate final moments, with Dawson denied a set shot to win the game after high contact from Collingwood's Jamie Elliott.
Crows ruckman Reilly O'Brien had driven the ball inside 50, where it was gathered by Dawson, who was immediately crashed into by Elliott.
The ball fell free and the Magpies cleared the danger to hang on for the win – their third consecutive victory over Adelaide by less than a kick.
Dawson sustained a cut lip in the incident and was shown on the television broadcast approaching an umpire to voice his concerns.
"Watching it back, it was obviously a clear free kick, but it's hard in the heat of the game to notice that," O'Brien told Network Ten on Monday.
"'Daws' had a pretty fat lip with a lot of blood coming out post-game, so he certainly got some contact, but you can't really blame it on individual umpiring decisions.
"There's a lot throughout the game that go either way. We had our chances and just weren't able to capitalise late and get ahead."
If awarded the free kick, Dawson would have had a kick after the siren to win the game for the Crows.
The 26-year-old star famously converted in similar circumstances to snatch victory for Adelaide against fierce rivals Port Adelaide in round three last year.
