The Swans received a $50,000 fine for their transgression but the AFL would not award North Melbourne an additional two points after it was concluded that Swan Jesse White apparently did not have any influence on the result.
Kangaroos chairman James Brayshaw was furious at AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson who stated that North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley "had the ability but chose not to call for a count pursuant to the Laws of the Game".
"The thing I railed against a bit last night was the AFL coming out and saying North Melbourne could have done something about it and they didn't," Brayshaw said.
"What we could have done, I think, would have been horrifically embarrassing to the competition, so surely they're not suggesting it would be a good thing to stop a game dead and request a head count.
"One of the things we're saying to them is, if we achieve nothing else out of making a protest, surely you're going to change this farcical rule that was probably put in the 20s, that is far from appropriate now."
Laidley concurred with Brayshaw saying that it would have been inappropriate to call for a head count saying that he "didn't want to be remembered as the Trevor Chappell of football".