Hawthorn supporters threw cups and bottles at umpires walking off the ground after Brisbane won a preliminary final 131-122, a match settled by a free kick in the final seconds.

Hugh McCluggage's tackle on Jarman Impey inside 50 produced the Brisbane free kick that was converted for the win, ending Hawthorn's bid for a first grand final appearance since 2015. Impey had an arm free in the tackle and was playing for a ball-up and a stoppage that would have run more time off the clock. The umpire ruled holding the ball, giving McCluggage the shot with seconds remaining. Kai Lohmann kicked one final goal after the siren.

Jason Dunstall, calling the match for Fox Footy, backed the decision. "There's the hero moment. He stands him up in the tackle, you've got to make an effort to get rid of it, it's the right call," Dunstall said. "Then the ability to go back and kick the winning goal is extraordinary."

Garry Lyon agreed on the Fox broadcast. "One of the bravest umpiring calls I've ever seen and it was on the money," Lyon said. "This is going to be the most talked about umpiring call of the century."

As the umpires left the field they were forced to dodge the incoming debris, and pointed out offenders on their way off. "Hawthorn fans have pelted the ground with bottles in the uproar of it all," Gerard Whateley told Fox Footy.

Former umpires defended the ruling. Ray Chamberlain praised the braveness of the call, and Matt Head tweeted: "100 per cent correct. Well called by the umpire". Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy condemned the crowd's response. "This is crap. The free kick was there every day of the week," Healy told SEN.

Thirty-nine goals were kicked and the lead changed hands multiple times in a chaotic final quarter. Nick Watson kicked six goals, Kai Lohmann five, Jack Gunston five and Mitch Lewis four.

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell declined to rule directly on the Impey decision and instead listed other fourth-quarter calls he questioned. "I haven't re-watched it. Maybe (it was the right call). There were a few … there were a couple in key moments of the game. I'm sure the umpires will assess how they performed in key moments," Mitchell told reporters. "The Mitch Lewis out of bounds one, the Dayne Zorko free kick, but not for me to say (if the Impey one was) correct."

Mitchell also addressed supporters throwing litter at umpires. "When you're in the stands, you need to continue to feel that emotion, but we shouldn't be throwing things on the field," he said. "But the passion is why we're here. I hope for the majority it was felt responsibly."

Hawthorn captain James Sicily and veteran defender Tom Barrass approached one of the umpires involved after the game.

Source: CNN Lite