The AFL Commission has made the momentous decision to overturn the result of a match for the first time in more than a century, but the soft-siren drama may not be over yet.

After an AFL Commission meeting which lasted more than four hours on Wednesday night - longer than the game itself - Sunday's Fremantle-St Kilda match at Launceston's Aurora Stadium was stunningly amended to a one-point Fremantle victory.

But St Kilda has not given up hope of the initial drawn result being reinstated, with Saints president Rod Butterss saying the club would decide on Thursday whether to launch a court challenge.

AFL chairman Ron Evans said the commission considered both the laws of the game and the objectives of fair play and sportsmanship in reaching its decision.

"The AFL Commission has determined that a correct interpretation of the relevant rules and interpretations is that the match concluded immediately after the siren was first sounded to end the match in the final quarter," Evans said.

"The effect of this interpretation is that the Fremantle Football Club won the match."

Relieved Fremantle president Rick Hart said while technical aspects of the rules were central to the case, the club had always been confident it had the moral upper ground.

"We had enormous support publicly from football followers wide and far that gave us their opinion," he said.

"That led us to believe that we were certainly morally able to expect a victory."

It is the first time the result of a VFL/AFL match has been subsequently altered since 1900, when St Kilda was the beneficiary of a protest, having a draw with Melbourne turned into a one-point victory.

The key issue in Wednesday night's hearing was which of two parts of the rule dictating the end of a match took precedence.

The rule states that a match does not end until the umpire hears the siren and raises his arms, but it also states that the timekeeper must sound the siren until that occurs.

AFL chief executive and commission member Andrew Demetriou said the failure of the timekeeper to uphold one part of the rule made it impossible for the umpire to carry out the other.

"That's what we relied on," Demetriou said.

"Our (quarters) are 20 minutes plus time-on, there is no more.

"The fact is our timekeeper did not discharge his duties in accordance with the rules and by not doing that the umpire didn't get an opportunity to raise his arms, because he didn't hold the siren down."

However, the Saints argued that decision will create a "grey area" in every future AFL game, whenever a team scores between the timekeeper sounding the final siren and the umpire hearing it.

"We fear that today's decision may have far-reaching consequences and lead to uncertainty and ambiguity in decision-making at all levels of football," St Kilda president Rod Butterss said.

"It is quite possible for the first time in over 120 years of playing our great game that the sole decision maker will no longer be just the umpire.

"At this stage we have not taken a decision on whether or not we will seek to review today's decision."

The club will decide on Thursday whether to instigate legal action.

Evans said while that decision was up to the Saints, he was confident the correct outcome was reached and it would not set an unworkable precedent.

"We think this is a unique set of circumstances," he said.

The AFL admitted the fiasco was of its own making, with Evans offering an unreserved apology to the clubs, players and supporters.

The commission also took steps to ensure it was not repeated, ordering several measures be taken before the upcoming round.

They include checking all AFL venues to ensure sirens meet minimum decibel requirements, identifying technology to ensure umpires are alerted immediately when the siren sounds and reminding all timekeepers of their obligations.

But there will be no rule changes, with Demetriou saying the current system was sound.

"We just want people to do their job properly," he said.

The timekeeper who officiated in Sunday's match, Max Harvey, will be stood down indefinitely.

Fremantle now leapfrogs St Kilda to sixth position on the ladder, with three wins and two losses, while the Saints slide to eighth place behind the Dockers and Geelong.

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