Dons to seek answers from AFL after players 'bewildered' by ...

Essendon coach Brad Scott will seek clarification from the umpiring department after two crucial decisions went against the Bombers late in their 11-point defeat to Gold Coast on Sunday night.

Jayden Laverde was caught out by one of footy’s most touch-and-go rules when the Essendon defender incorrectly returned the ball to Brayden Fiorini instead of Touk Miller.

Only moments earlier Laverde intercepted a Miller pass inside 50 and Essendon looked to rebound through Jye Caldwell before he was taken in a double Suns tackle.

Miller was awarded the holding the ball free kick but Laverde, unaware whose kick it was, instead passed the ball to the closest Suns player, Fiorini.

Miller was subsequently marched to near the top of the goal square and kicked the match winner with just under two minutes to play.

“I think Jayden just threw it to the player he thought whose free kick it was,” Scott said.

“But again, umpiring is really hard because people say use common sense, but they also want the umpires to umpire to the letter of the law, so I don’t get too concerned about that (decision).”

But the Bombers boss did say he would ask for clarification on the deliberate out of bounds rules interpretation, after Nick Hind’s kick off the ground earlier in the quarter was paid a Suns free kick for insufficient intent.

Scott said his players were left “bewildered” by the call, which came after Hind kicked the ball up field while running towards the boundary line under pressure from a Suns opponent.

“I think if you kick the ball off the ground the umpires tend to pay deliberate out of bounds, so we just need to clarify that so I can let our players know because they looked a bit bewildered (by) a couple of those deliberates (decisions),” Scott said.

But he refused to use the umpiring as an excuse for the Bombers’ first defeat since round five.

“I didn’t think the umpiring had any bearing on the game tonight,” Scott said.

“Whichever team prevailed deserved to win.

“I thought this round they (the umpires) had a really big challenge in that there were some changes (to interpretations) and I think they umpires are in an incredibly difficult position. They’re doing a good job.”

Compounding the defeat was an apparent hip injury to spearhead Kyle Langford, who was subbed out of the game in the third quarter.

It was only the second time this season Langford had been held goalless in a game.

Scott was unsure on the severity of the injury though did not seem too concerned about his key forward’s availability ahead of the Sunday night blockbuster against Carlton.

“It sounds like a hip pointer. A cork in his hip, but it’s difficult to clarify,” the coach said.

“It doesn’t sound too serious but it was a question of function and he couldn’t function.”

Veteran ruckman Todd Goldstein was a late out on Sunday night with a sore ankle but should be fit in time to face the Blues.