Were the Dogs denied last chance through umpiring blunder?

THE Western Bulldogs slumped to a third consecutive loss to Port Adelaide on Friday night, but Dogs fans woke up on Saturday morning thinking what could’ve been.

Luke Beveridge’s found themselves behind for much of Friday night’s contest but got on a roll in the final term with two consecutive goals, the first time they’d managed that feat since the first quarter.

A Cody Weightman snap later look set to narrow the margin to eight points with four minutes to play and hand the home side all the momentum.

But a free kick was paid against Bulldogs substitute Oskar Baker for a block on the goal line, and from there Port Adelaide was destined to record its tenth straight win.

The Dogs had been outplayed for the majority of Friday night, but Gerard Whateley said he believes they were cruelly denied a last spin of the dice.

“Port was going to win anyway, but that was the Dogs’ last hope,” Whateley told AFL Nation post-game.

“That ball does go through for a goal, that free kick never gets paid, it brings the margin back to less than two goals.

“I think it’s inexplicable that free kick got paid, I don’t think it meets any marker.

“And it’s never paid! It wasn’t egregious, it wasn’t a drag around the neck or a flat push in the back, it was a shoulder-to-shoulder contest to clear the way for the ball to finish its path.

“I just don’t understand how it got paid.”

Whateley also can’t accept the defence that the incident was in a marking contest, thus deserving of a free kick.

“I don’t think they’ve got that out. I think the ball is through for a goal, I think it’s a straight up and down error,” he said.

Ken Hinkley’s side kicked the final three goals of the game to record a 22-point win.

But just as crucially, the Bulldogs’ could now fall out of the top eight as early as Saturday night as a consequence.

– SEB MOTTRAM/ SEN