Carlton defender Nick Haynes has accepted blame for a controversial umpiring decision paid against him late in the Blues' thrilling two-point win over Richmond.
With Carlton leading by 14 points with less than two minutes remaining, Haynes was pinged for a deliberate rushed behind that ended up in a Tigers goal.
Richmond quickly kicked another goal, before winning the next centre clearance, to almost steal victory in the dying seconds.
After the free pick was paid, Haynes indicated the ARC (AFL review centre) should have looked at the incident.
Nick Haynes deliberately rushes a behind and Richmond stay alive!#AFLTigersBlues pic.twitter.com/EWnShVLx85
— AFL (@AFL) July 4, 2026
Replays appeared to show the 34-year-old taking the ball across the goal line, before it was brought back into play.
Haynes then casually took the ball back over the line for a behind, but the umpire awarded a deliberate free kick against him.
"I think if I took it over the first time I would have been sweet," Haynes explained to AAP.
"I think that hesitation just not taking it over put a bit of less pressure on me, so therefore they paid it.
"It could have gone either way, but I think I should have rushed it over that first time and then we wouldn't even be talking about it, so probably my fault."
Carlton escaped with a narrow win against Richmond for the second time this season, giving interim coach Josh Fraser a perfect 7-0 record since he took over following Michael Voss exiting the club.
The Blues infamously kept losing games under Voss when they were in winning positions, slumping to a 1-8 record.
Carlton have squared the ledger at 8-8 to be a genuine chance of featuring in the wildcard round and the traditional finals series.
Da da da da daaaaaa#Baggers #AFLTigersBlues pic.twitter.com/gRjKWX7h3q
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) July 4, 2026
"It's not pretty that time of the game when there's a small margin, but we seem to be embracing those moments a bit better maybe than what we have in the past," Fraser said of the final frantic minutes against the Tigers.
"Certainly, training them more."
Already without Jacob Weitering and Harry Dean, Carlton's defensive stocks were dealt another blow when Lewis Young was ruled out with concussion in the third term.
Forward Mitch McGovern was forced to go back into defence to help Haynes and Wade Dersken in the last quarter.
Fraser expects Dean to be available for next Saturday night's clash with Hawthorn after an unexplained cut to his hand ruled the Rising Star contender out of facing the Tigers.
"I'd like him to stay away from sharp objects for a little while," Fraser grinned.
"He's become pretty important to us.
"He's great character ... he looks like a Carlton footballer when he plays."
