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GWS won't blame score review for upset

GWS coach Leon Cameron has refused to blame the latest AFL score review controversy for his side's stunning six-point upset loss to Essendon.

Many will, however, after replays appeared to show Shaun McKernan's goal that levelled the scores with just over two minutes remaining at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night was touched off the boot.

Brisbane Lions legend and Fox Footy commentator Jonathan Brown was gobsmacked by the score reviewer's inability to identify that a finger on Adam Kennedy's left hand was bent back by the ball.

"We picked it up in ten seconds ... that is a critical point in the game and that drew Essendon level," Brown said on the telecast.

"This is the biggest embarrassment in our game since Meat Loaf sang before the grand final."

Kennedy immediately ran around waving his hand in the air in a vain attempt to convince umpires he had touched the ball.

While no review was called for from the ground, each goal is looked at by the video reviewer, but play was allowed to restart with the score standing.

Cameron coached from the bench and had not seen vision of the incident when he spoke to reporters after Cale Hooker's late winner consigned the Giants to a 12.5 (77) to 10.11 (71) loss.

But he wasn't having a dodgy score review thrown up as a reason for the loss after his side led by 19 points in the last quarter.

"If we sit here and say that a score review cost us then we're not putting our hand up (for the loss)," Cameron said.

"We gave up a three-goal lead ... I think that's the area we've got to hone in on.

"I understand a few of these situations have popped up throughout the year, but with 10 minutes to go in the third quarter we peppered the goals and had an opportunity to put a bigger break on them.

"We always knew they'd keep coming, then you skip out to three goals up and with half a quarter to go we should be able to find a way.

"So I don't think as a club we're going to sit here and say that we lost the game because of that.

"We lost the game because we needed to be a little bit harder and smarter for longer."

The AFL has conceded fans are losing faith in the score review system following a run of glaring errors, with that frustration compounded by revelations AFL staff with no experience are used in the score reviewer roles and paid $250 a game.

The league is working on a centralised bunker system for next season that will oversee all matches.