The AFL have conceded the free kick paid against Gold Coast defender Mac Andrew to St Kilda’s Max King in the dying minutes of the Suns’ Saturday night loss, that allowed the Saints forward to snap the winning goal, was incorrect.

Andrew reacted furiously after being penalised for holding King close to goal, arguing that the pair were both holding each other.

King kicked truly from close range to give the Saints back the lead, with the goal proving the last score of the match as St Kilda won a low-scoring game by three points.

The incident was all the more controversial given the two previous AFL matches on Saturday afternoon had also been decided by debatable free kicks, with Hawthorn let in for Luke Breust’s winning goal late against GWS via a downfield free when Tom Green collected Hawks captain James Sicily, while West Coast were similarly punished after Elliot Yeo was called for holding the ball against North Melbourne’s Jy Simpkin.

On Sunday, the AFL confirmed the Andrew free kick was incorrectly paid, with the league reportedly informing the Suns of the error.

“Looking at the full context and with all the benefit of angles we have, we think the better call is no call,” the AFL’s head of officiating and former umpire Stephen McBurney told the Herald Sun

“We don’t think there was enough to constitute holding.”

According to reports, the umpire who paid the free kick will not be dropped for the error.

Speaking after the match, Suns coach Damien Hardwick lamented the ‘unwarranted’ free.

“It was clearly in my view, a free kick that was unwarranted,” Hardwick said of the decision.

“”It’s tough. Those guys are battling all day. I just think the umpire calls it, that’s his job, but unwarranted for mine.

“When two guys are going toe-to-toe, one’s grabbing, the other one’s grabbing, it’s like well, which way do you go?

“He’s [the umpire] probably only looking at one person trying to give away the free kick and it’s the defender. So that’s life.”

The AFL have ticked off both the Yeo and Sicily decisions.