AFL Sydney v Geelong: Umpires boss makes call on Jeremy Cameron mark
Geelong coach Chris Scott says the Cats must move on from the disappointing loss to Sydney but a concession from Dan Richardson may make it a little harder.
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AFL umpires boss Dan Richardson has conceded Jeremy Cameron should have been given the chance to take a dramatic shot to win Saturday night’s contest against Sydney.
But the AFL has backed in the decision not to penalise James Rowbottom for holding the ball as Joel Selwood tackled the Sydney onballer as the final siren sounded.
Richardson admitted that Cameron’s non-mark should have been paid, with the decision to call it play on incorrect.
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The umpire could be clearly heard calling play on as the ball was skied but by the time Cameron marked it had travelled longer than 15 metres.
The league ruled the ball travelled the required distance and should have been paid a mark.
Cameron would have had a difficult snap shot after the siren but could have still taken an around-the-corner snap shot instead of a set shot.
Did this travel 15 metres 🤔 pic.twitter.com/IRAzIIdqJS
— 7AFL (@7AFL) May 1, 2021
He would have had to start his run-up two metres closer to the fence and snapped while in line with the mark.
Richardson said he had called Geelong coach Chris Scott and left a message on Sunday morning but was yet to make direct contact about the decisions.
“It was the view of the umpire at the time the ball had not travelled 15 metres. Upon video review this morning we have deemed the ball travelled the required distance and should have been paid a mark. We support the non-holding the ball decision which occurred moments later,” he said.
“I just wanted to reinforce that being community umpiring week, we want to reinstate our support for the role umpires continue to play in all aspects of the game. I want to commend the umpires from last night for their professionalism they showed.”
The decision was one of a trio of incidents that also included Tom McCartin clearing the ball to the boundary from a stoppage with 37 seconds remaining in the contest Sydney won by two points.
McCartin should have been penalised for insufficient intent to keep the ball inside the boundary given the precedent of this year’s officiating.
Richardson supported the non-decision on Selwood’s tackle on Rowbottom, saying the siren sounded shortly before a decision could have been made.
Rowbottom did not seem to be trying to get the ball out while on the ground so would likely have been penalised with Selwood handed the ball directly in front of goal.
But the siren meant Rowbottom did not have enough time to be deemed holding the ball.
Scott says Cats won’t ‘wallow’ over howler
- Adrian Warren
Geelong coach Chris Scott says the Cats can’t afford to wallow in self pity after a painful loss to Sydney and a controversial late umpiring call, with a massive showdown against Richmond looming next Friday.
Scott’s team led for the vast majority of Saturday’s thriller at the SCG but conceded the last two goals with Tom Papley kicking the winning score with around a minute to go.
Geelong still had time to mount a meaningful attack and key forward Jeremy Cameron appeared to take a mark close to Geelong’s goal, only for an umpire to rule the ball had not travelled the required 15 metres.
“I’ve looked at the vision and it was clear it did, but it’s a different perspective for the umpire, you can’t go back and replay the vision, they are tough calls,” Scott said.
“There’s pressure on everyone.
“I suspect they will have a look at it and go ‘the Swans made some blues early, the Cats made some blues after that and we might have made some blues as well’.
“That’s the game, unfortunately.
“If Cameron had have that shot, he’s the best person to have, the left footer from that spot.
“He rarely misses from there.
“It’s unfair to cherry pick the last couple of minutes without looking at the overall game.
“I think the thing that will be difficult to swallow over the next couple of days is the fact we just had control of the game and we were outplaying them and we couldn’t put the nail in the coffin.”
Scott noted Geelong enjoyed massive advantages in disposals (+81), contested possessions (+35) and inside 50s (+26), but lamented their inability to execute consistently enough to finish ahead on the scoreboard.
“It’s really important to me and to us that we lose with good grace and that’s a challenge because it’s bitterly disappointing,” Scott said.
“When you play pretty well without really executing, I don’t think ‘let’s drop our bundle’.
“It’s a six-day break into the best team in the competition at the MCG on Friday night so we can’t afford to wallow in our self pity for too long.”
Geelong dropped to 4-3 the same mark as Richmond, who roared back into form with Friday’s pounding of the previously unbeaten Bulldogs.
Cameron recorded a second three-goal haul in as many games, but key forward partner Tom Hawkins struggled to impact on the game.
Gryan Miers kicked a single goal for the 10th-straight game, but couldn’t complete the match due to a lower leg issue.
“We think it’s a cork to his lower leg, so that’s the hope, the optimistic prognosis,” Scott said.
SWANS SINK CATS IN SCG THRILLER
– Marc McGowan
Sydney has staged a remarkable comeback from almost five goals down to upset Geelong by two points at the SCG after hitting the front with only 91 seconds left.
A controversial decision not to pay star Cats recruit Jeremy Cameron a mark in the last 10 seconds will be a talking point, as will the non-holding-the-ball call against Swan James Rowbottom on the siren.
Tom Papley gave Sydney the lead for good with a brilliant finish on his non-preferred left boot after the Swans surged the ball forward from their defensive 50 after a Will Hayward intercept mark.
That Hayward grab came shortly after he erroneously took advantage from a Callum Sinclair free kick inside 50 and failed to score.
Sydney trailed by 10 points 27 minutes into the final term, but a magnificent set-short strike from James Rowbottom paved the way for the thrilling finish.
Sydney needed only 39 inside 50s, compared to the Cats’ 65, to kick 14 goals and just as impressive as that incredible efficiency was the way it rallied from a 29-point deficit early in the second term.
The Swans twice went in front during the third quarter and never went away despite Geelong appearing to wrestle back control in the fourth term.
Sydney was the flavour of the month with a four-match winning streak to start the season that included cutting down Brisbane at the Gabba and reigning premier Richmond at the MCG.
The last of those was a narrow victory over Essendon, before consecutive defeats to the Giants and Suns – particularly the Gold Coast loss – left pundits questioning whether John Longmire’s side was the real deal.
Saturday night’s stirring performance against Geelong was the perfect response and leaves them in fourth spot with a 5-2 record on Saturday night.
A match-up with the unbeaten Demons at the MCG next weekend offers another chance for the Swans to prove their credentials.
Co-captain Luke Parker is on report for forceful front-on contact on Cat Brad Close in the second quarter, while hard-luck defender Lewis Melican sustained a right hamstring setback.
The Cats lost Gryan Miers (right ankle) before halftime and he was subbed out for Zach Guthrie.
Fox Footy experts Brad Johnson and Jordan Lewis were confident Parker would escape suspension, although Lewis said he may have approached Close in an “overly aggressive” manner.
“When a player is on the ground, there is a duty of care for the player coming in, because that could potentially be a serious head and neck injury, so we do have to be careful,” Lewis said.
“I didn’t think it was a reportable offence. Maybe a fine just to say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to be a bit more careful’.”
Originally published as AFL Sydney v Geelong: Umpires boss makes call on Jeremy Cameron mark
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