Footy fans have been left scratching their heads over an usual sight at the MCG on Thursday night.
As the action between Carlton and Richmond unfolded on the field, fans on social media were left baffled by the fact one section of the boundary line was not curved but rather a dead-straight line.
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While it may seem like an odd thing to be worrying about while the opening game of the season at the MCG takes place, fans just couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
Comments flooded in after an image of the straight boundary line was uploaded to Reddit, with many onlookers left in disbelief over how something like this could have happened.
One user wrote: “This is actually bothering me.”
Another added: “Oh my!”
Theories over why the section of the boundary was straight instead of curved were floated by fans.
One fan wrote: “Look at the fence, it’s running parallel to it. I’m sure there has to be a minimum clearance between boundary line and fence for players to be able to pull up in time.”
Another added: “It seems to me that instead of using some point central to the oval, they’ve just followed the contour of where the artificial turn joins the real turf 2m in.”
While another jokingly floated the theory the league is shifting away from oval grounds: “First phase in converting the oval field to a rectangular pitch.”
One theory floated at least had some merit, AFL regulations do indeed stipulate a minimum distance of around 4m between the fence and boundary line is required to ensure adequate run off for player safety.
However it remains unclear if that is the actual reason for the straight boundary line.
News.com.au has contacted the MCG in an attempt to get an explanation over the matter.
It wasn’t the only point of contention on Thursday night as the umpires came under heavy scrutiny over several questionable decisions.
Carlton finished over the top of Richmond to secure the 12.14 (86) to 12.9 (81) win and make it to straight wins to start the season after they beat Brisbane by one point last week.
A fourth quarter Tom de Koning goal drew the ire of footy legends after Richmond’s Liam Baker gave away a 50m penalty.
The incident occurred at the back of the centre square and the umpire brought De Koning all the way to the 50m arc, and he slotted the set shot for a goal.
Fox Footy’s Jason Dunstall described the 50m penalty itself and the distance given by the umpire as “generous”.
Brian Taylor said on Channel 7: “It should be three metres that side of the square. That is a massive 50. It brings him within distance.”
Matthew Richardson said: “Gee it’s a harsh one isn’t it.”
AFL Hall of Famer Wayne Carey also spotted moments where the Blues appeared to be on the lucky side of contentious calls.
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, Carey used laughing emojis when writing: “Everyone wants blues to win including umpires”.
The umpires also put the whistle away in the dying stages as the ball pinballed between players inside Richmond’s forward 50 as they searched for a matchwinning goal and Carlton tried to keep it in tight.
Fox Footy’s Max Laughton wrote on X: “This new trend of ‘you’re not gonna get called for HTB (holding the ball) in the final minute even when you give them a million chances to call it’ is really something hey.”
But both sides benefited from questionable umpiring calls. A pair of soft free kicks gifted Richmond spearhead Tom Lynch two straightforward goals to help the Tigers stay in touch with Carlton early.
Lynch was awarded a free kick when De Koning was judged to have pushed him in the back in a ruck contest.
Former Carlton player Daniel Gorringe tweeted: “That Lynch TDK free kick might be the worst call of all time.”
The umpiring decisions evened themselves out as the game went on, but the contentious calls show just how subjective it is to adjudicate a game of AFL.
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