The AFL umpires are in the spotlight after making three questionable calls during the epic battle between Adelaide and Hawthorn on Friday night.

There was outrage on the field when Izak Rankine was handed a 50-metre penalty and gifted a goal after James Sicily encroached on the mark.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: AFL umpires in spotlight for three ‘contentious’ calls.

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The problem with the penalty was that all the players thought the call was play-on, including Rankine, because the ball had been touched before Rankine was awarded the mark.

At the other end of the ground, there was also frustration after Hawthorn took advantage of a free kick — only for Mitch Lewis to soccer the ball into the post — much to the fury of Mark Keane.

The play was called back, Keane gestured to the scoreboard and gave away a 50-metre penalty, and Hawthorn was also handed the easiest of goals.

While it appears those two decisions were just unfortunate mistakes in the 14-point thriller, another decision from the whistleblowers has left experts and fans totally mystified.

And that decision was to stop play early in the final quarter when Hawthorn gun Will Day suffered a cramp.

Seven commentator and Richmond great Matthew Richardson could not understand what the umpires were thinking, saying the rule was brought in for “concussion situations”.

“That’s an advantage to the opposition ...” Richardson said.

“He was nowhere near that ball-up. He was 50 metres away with cramp ...

“Now that’s just bad luck if you get cramp.”

Expert commentator Kane Cornes was just as puzzled and said this could be a loophole for clubs which could be “exploited”.

“Will Day was 60 metres off the ball, cramping. Now what are we doing? What are we doing stopping the game for a player with cramp?” Cornes asked.

“Football is about the toughest, hardest, fittest team wins, and we are giving a team an advantage because one of their players is underprepared and can’t get through (the game).

“So what happens if this is a big final, and a player decides to do this strategically? They need to make a rotation, for example ... well, we can’t get a rotation so let’s just fake someone with cramp, and we know that the umpires will stop (the play).

“(Then) we can get the rotation, and then we can also organise our defence, or our extra, our spare behind the ball, and we can slow the momentum of the game.

“This is so open for exploitation it is not funny.

“This is a loophole that’s got to be solved this week. I get it; if a player’s got a head knock and he’s in the vicinity of the footy, stop the game. Understand that.

“But we’re not stopping the game for cramp, are we, at a critical stage of (the game)?

“This has gone too far, and one that the AFL needs to address, and I would assume address this week.”

Cornes called the three calls contentious and believed the umpires got it “wrong”.

Channel 7 reporter Xander McGuire said Day struggled with his calves all night.

“My understanding is Will Day is actually on half training loads at the moment,” McGuire said.

“So you will rarely see Day on the track on Mondays and Tuesdays at the moment (as he) recovers from those stress related injuries.”

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell was asked about Day’s condition after the game.

“I don’t have an answer yet,” Mitchell said.

“He was cramping, he had ice on most parts of his lower body, as plenty of the players do, so unsure just yet.”

Meanwhile, Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan is set to be fined after he was spotted on camera giving fans the finger at the end of the game.

The AFL has been hot on players flipping the bird this year, and the cheeky forward will most certainly be sanctioned for his middle-finger salute.

However, Ginnivan is seemingly not bothered by the pending fine.

“Best coin spent,” he said on social media after the game.