“Alright, move on, nothing to see here. Please disperse.”
Frank Drebin’s famous line from The Naked Gun came to mind in the aftermath of Saturday night’s Dockers and North Melbourne match and the chaotic and controversial scenes after the siren.
The game itself was another reminder of the beauty of live sport and its unpredictable nature.
Dockers players ask the umpires about the free kick.Credit:Getty Images
But less than 12 hours after the disputable timing of the final siren we were served with yet another reminder.
This one regarding the completely predictable nature of the AFL.
Daniel Howe’s kick to the boundary was centimetre perfect – probably millimetre – but deemed on the night to have still been in the field of play prior to the final siren sounding.
On Sunday morning, the AFL released the ARC vision and audio of the final seconds, stating it was proof the correct decision was made on the ground.
What is baffling to me and many is the ARC vision and audio appears different to what fans witnessed on televisions.
On screen, the ball seems to cross the boundary before the siren.
On the AFL’s ARC vision the siren sounds much earlier.
So which one is it?
Doubt was cast everywhere. However, one thing is certain: the Kangaroos deserved to win the game.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. They led from start to finish, Fremantle turning up for only 10 minutes of football.
But while the AFL predictably ticked off on Saturday night’s events, they’ve not been as proactive and public on the complete failing of procedure and protocols around Matt Taberner’s first quarter goal which was wiped on review.
The Fremantle forward juggled a mark on the goal line, snapping a goal.
Then after the mark had been awarded, set and goal converted, the umpires called for a review.
Replays showed Taberner had not completed the mark inside the goal line.
A point was given, the goal scrapped and so took vital seconds off the game clock.
There’s multiple problems.
The review should have been ordered prior to Taberner having his shot and, secondly, time kept running.
Both rather large talking points given the game was decided by a point in the final second.
Justin Longmuir certainly didn’t miss it.
“It looked different to the way they’ve done it in the past. I’ve seen them review that before the goal is kicked in the past. I’ll seek some clarification from the AFL.”
Yet, nowhere have I seen or heard anyone, any spokesperson or any statement suggesting the ARC’s review system was floored and incorrectly followed.
Mistakes happen. For all the criticism umpires get, players make ten times the errors.
But not the AFL. And admitting a flaw simply isn’t in their DNA.
It’s like those at League HQ are attempting their own slapstick humour, rivalling Leslie Nielsen’s bumbling cop Frank Drebin.
The AFL’s mindset of immediately defending the debatable, while side-stepping their slip-ups is the very stuff which infuriates fans.
A lack of consistency regularly displayed by the match review is another.
While conjecture over the countdown clock filled Optus Stadium last Saturday, you can certainly set your watch to the AFL’s outcome when conducting internal investigations.
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