No, that’s very clearly for when the ball is in play. Otherwise…Page 56 of the AFL rules: Laws of the game 2022
Rule 18.3 (Other)
A field Umpire shall award a Free Kick against a Player who:
(a) Throws the football;
(b) hands the football to another Player;
It might have been technically correct, but... If you read through most of the free kick rules, a lot of them allow for umpire discretion or as they call it “In the Spirit of the game”.
This was not in the spirit of the game.
Period.
Is it a free against if I throw the ball back to the umpire at a ball up?
Is my teammate has a free, is it a reversal if I hand it to him?
If my opponent has a free and I throw it to him on the full, is it a 50m penalty against me?
That interpretation is pure nonsense and channel 7 should be ridiculed for promoting it.