'A major breach': AFL admits Carlton 'should have' been awarded 50m penalty after Hawthorn interchange blunder
The AFL has admitted Hawthorn should have been hit with a more severe penalty for an interchange mishap in their 20-point victory over Carlton on Thursday.
Just shy of half time, the Hawks were pinged with a 6-6-6 warning after fielding 19 players prior to a centre bounce.
Carlton's Adam Cerra had just booted a goal when the Hawks discovered the mishap, with winger Harry Morrison sprinting from the field back to the bench to fix the error.
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But the miscommunication did not go unnoticed as the Blues were awarded a free kick.
The on-field punishment was not awarded in line with a "major breach", but the AFL has since confirmed the punishment should have been greater.
"Hawthorn had 19 players on the field as the team were resetting for the bounce," a spokesperson from the AFL said.
Hawthorn are penalised for fielding 19 players against Carlton. Fox Footy
"Upon realising this, the AFL interchange official notified Hawthorn who took steps to rectify the error before play resumed.
"Upon review of the situation post-match, it is the view of the AFL that the AFL interchange official should have considered it a major breach, alerted the umpires and Carlton should have been awarded a free kick and the 50m penalty from the centre."
The statement from the league confirmed Hawthorn had been issued with a warning about the processes used for managing player rotations.
Sam Mitchell, senior coach of the Hawks looks on. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell insisted the error was a product of "miscommunication."
"The bench guys just said someone came off and then didn't realise someone had come on and no one had come on so he ran back on," Mitchell said in his press conference.
"It was just a miscommunication that obviously cost us a 6-6-6 warning and we then got another one.
"We need to be better than that - we need to be more organised - and the ripple effect of things like second rucks, those things cause us a bit of trouble.
"We need to get better in that area. We would hope that won't happen again."
Hawthorn will face the GWS Giants at UTAS Stadium on Saturday, March 29.
