Scott sees the punch line in ARC's controversial call

Geelong coach Chris Scott has tried his best to downplay his reaction to Oliver Dempsey's controversial non-goal during Friday night's 14-point semi-final loss to Fremantle, saying sometimes he punches walls when he's happy.

Scott threw his arms up in the air in disbelief before giving the wall of the Optus Stadium coaching box a light punch when Dempsey's spectacular effort in the goalsquare was ruled to be a behind.

Instead of trying to mark Bailey Smith's rushed kick forward, Dempsey unleashed a bicycle-style kick over his shoulder while under the close attention of Matthew Johnson to volley through what looked to be a spectacular goal.

The goal umpire thought it had been touched, so it went to the AFL Review Centre for the final call.

Replays appeared to show the ball had hit Johnson's bicep before Dempsey's boot deflected the ball in, but the ARC declared the evidence wasn't sufficient, meaning the goal umpire's initial call of touch had to stand.

"I was surprised it was taking so long. It looked pretty clear to me," Scott said.

"But it's not for me to judge. From what I'm told, everyone has the same opinion that Ollie did."

A ridiculous goal ... DENIED by the ARC.And fair to say Chris Scott wasn't pleased with the call📺 Watch #AFLFreoCats on Ch.504 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/ROLEd3780U✍️ BLOG https://t.co/QP37FTcJZR🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/dG27GSxqBi pic.twitter.com/gAJKomzqTk— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) September 11, 2026

When asked about his punch of the wall, Scott gave an unexpected answer.

"Sometimes I punch the wall when I'm happy. Sometimes I punch the wall when I'm annoyed," he said.

"There were a few moments where we had momentum and for one reason or another we couldn't capitalise on it. That was probably one of them.

"There's some strange things in the game at the moment that are better off being spoken about in the cold light of day, probably in November, rather than September."

Had Dempsey's effort been paid a goal, Geelong would have closed the margin to eight points early in the final quarter.

The Cats still managed to kick four of the next five goals after that incident to snatch an eight-point lead, before the Luke Jackson-inspired Dockers hit back to secure the 18.12 (120) to 16.10 (106) win and book a spot in the preliminary final against Sydney.