In a desperate finale to Friday night’s epic clash at Etihad Stadium – in scenes that looked more like a rugby union contest – Menzel was tackled high by Geelong defender Jared Rivers just 10 metres out from the Carlton goal.
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However umpire Ben Ryan did not award the free kick and as a result, Geelong held on for an ugly win.
Asked on Saturday whether it should have been paid Campbell said, yes.
“It was a free kick. The angle showed that Rivers got him over the shoulder," Campbell told Melbourne radio station SEN.
"Ben Ryan, who was the umpire, was unsighted. (Umpires coach Hayden Kennedy) is very strong on not guessing to pay the free kick.”
Campbell also believed a poor bounce that led to Geelong’s Josh Walker scoring a goal during the second term should have been recalled.
But Campbell did not feel Carlton should have been given a free kick late in the game as Geelong runner Nigel Lappin was pushed out of the way by Carlton’s Mitch Robinson.
In a scathing post-match assessment of the umpiring, Carlton coach Mick Malthouse declared Lappin had impeded Robinson’s run at the ball at a vital stage of the contest.
But Campbell didn’t see it that way.
“We would say it's not a free-kick," he said.
"From an umpiring point-of-view we don't think he (Lappin) impacted play because it was at a stoppage.”
Malthouse has good reason to be angry at the officiating after dubious calls cost Carlton the last two games.
Last week against Brisbane, the Blues were leading by 16 points midway through the last quarter only for four umpiring decisions – two particularly contentious – to go against them as Brisbane came home with a wet sail to win.
And, having seen it happen a second week in a row, Malthouse has said he’ll be seeking clarification with the AFL on Monday.
But despite Carlton’s complaints, Geelong may feel aggrieved at the umpiring too as several dubious late calls also went against the Cats, the worst being when Tom Hawkins was called to play on midway through his run-up as he aimed for a fifth goal.
When the umpire called him to play on, Hawkins lost his rhythm and sprayed the shot badly.
In better news for Carlton, though, former skipper Chris Judd made it through his first VFL match unscathed.
Judd played one WAFL match before making his debut for West Coast back in 2002 and this was his first appearance back in the twos since then as the dual Brownlow medallist steps up his return from a hamstring injury on Easter Sunday.
However, for all the good news about Judd getting through that game without a recurrence of his hamstring issue, Blues fans may wonder at what might have been had he been playing on Friday night.
"GET HIM IN THE MIDDLE!" @cjayfive cops the customary Gatorade shower to celebrate his first win as a Northern Blue! pic.twitter.com/xK2k7V8TGY
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) June 7, 2014