AFL umpire Matt Nicholls has admitted a free kick against Brent Harvey during the second quarter of Saturday night's game was 'unwarranted'.

The North veteran appeared to push Cat Allen Christensen with an open hand to the chest as the ball was about to be bounced in the middle.

Harvey was left shocked when a free kick was awarded to his opponent, with the subsequent play resulting in a Geelong goal.

“Prohibitive contact is where we deem the level of force unreasonable or unnecessary in the circumstance,” Nicholls explained on AFL.com.au.

“What you can see with this example is Harvey makes contact to the chest of Christensen. We don’t think that the level of force is excessive which would warrant a free kick, so in this case the free kick would be unwarranted.”

PRESS PLAY above to watch the incident and explanation | YouTube

Nicholls says the umpires generally take an alternative course of action in similar scenarios.

“It’s good to be proactive and just mention to Brent that we don’t want him to cross the line, and he risks giving away a free kick if he does… keep his hands to himself, don’t go high - but definitely don’t pay a free kick in that situation.”

An incident barely a minute earlier was also a talking point.

Harvey approached Christensen behind the play after receiving some close attention, making contact with the Cats' on-baller.

“We are not talking about prohibited contact in this situation, we are talking about high contact, so that’s a different kettle of fish.

“It’s (the free kick) paid by two umpires, so obviously both of them have seen that it warranted a free kick and have managed that situation effectively.”

Capping off an eventful few minutes, a free kick against Majak Daw in the Cats’ goal-square also caused controversy.

The AFL is confident the right decision was made.

“The contact is high, so it’s not prohibited contact, it’s a high contact free kick, and because of the fact it was in the goal-square we award a free kick, a 50 metre penalty applies and it’s a shot on the goal-line.”

PRESS PLAY above to watch all three incidents with explanations | YouTube