Richmond coach Damien Hardwick says the umpires got it wrong when they awarded Essendon a free kick for a deliberate rushed behind during the AFL’s Dreamtime at the ‘G game.

The ambiguous rule was thrust back into the spotlight when Tigers defender Jayden Short was penalised during Saturday night’s clash at the MCG.

With the Tigers two points ahead late in the first half, Short guided James Stewart’s bouncing long-bomb over the Essendon goalline, only to be pinged for a deliberate rushed behind.

Replays showed Short was hard done by, with Bombers forward Josh Green – who slotted the resulting free kick – chasing him all the way into the goal square.

The decision handed the Bombers a narrow halftime lead before the Tigers regrouped to claim a 11.15 (81) to 10.6 (66) victory.

Hardwick was diplomatic when asked about the incident after the game but took a different view to Bombers coach John Worsfold.

“I think they made a mistake,” Hardwick said.

“They’ve got a tough gig. They’ve got 85,000 people yelling one way or the other. I guarantee you, I’d rather be playing than umpiring. They do a pretty good job.

“I’m probably not there to judge, I’ll let them clarify that. As long as we’ve got a fair understanding of what the rule is, that’ll be fine.”

The decision had a clear influence on the rest of the game, with Essendon’s Andrew McGrath giving away a goal during the third quarter when he opted not to risk rushing a behind.

Worsfold admitted he would haven’t hesitated to punch the ball over the line back in his playing days but said times had changed and players had to adapt to the rules.

“If you rush it from inside the goal square, you have to be under (immediate) physical pressure – which means a hand on you, I’d assume, not perceived pressure,” he said.

“That’s the rule. We should have rushed one maybe in the third quarter under physical pressure and we didn’t. The boys got nervous – once they saw one paid, they start to query whether they can rush it or not.

“We’ll clarify it with our players exactly what the rule is.”

The deliberate rushed behind rule came under scrutiny in round two when Western Bulldogs forward Liam Picken benefited from a decision against Sydney’s Callum Mills.

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson has called for the league to eliminate ambiguity by penalising any player who deliberately rushes the ball over the line, regardless of pressure.