AFL finals week two 2021: All the news; call for investigation into alleged timekeeping error
The clock is running on how long it will take for an investigation to be launched into an alleged timekeeping error which some say threatens the integrity of this year’s finals series.
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The AFL has been urged to investigate an alleged timekeeping error that reshaped the AFL finals series.
The Brisbane Lions overtook the Western Bulldogs in fourth place on the ladder after timekeepers at the round 23 clash between the Lions and West Coast failed to drain 24 seconds from the clock in the final quarter.
The Lions scored seven points in the dying seconds to win the game by 38 points.
The slight percentage boost was enough to bump the Dogs from fourth place.
For 12 days the Herald Sun has sought a clarification from the AFL and confirmation whether timekeeping protocols would be strengthened for the finals.
Alliance for Gambling Reform advocate Tim Costello questioned whether the incident was related to sports betting.
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“That occurred to me as the reason they tried to bury it,” Alliance for Gambling Reform advocate Tim Costello said on Thursday.
“Here are clubs doing the right thing when it comes to gambling or playing the game, and here is the ruling body captured by sponsorship dollars that potentially have integrity issues.
“The AFL have a conflict of interest to explain.”
Confirmation of an error could open the finals to questions of integrity.
Brisbane will host the Dogs at the Gabba on Saturday night because they pinched fourth place.
The Lions have won their past nine matches at home by an average of 49 points and could be boosted by a capacity crowd in the semi-final.
The cutthroat match would have been played on neutral territory in either Perth or Tasmania if the Dogs had finished higher on the ladder.
The Dogs also would have had a crack at beating Melbourne in the qualifying final and heading straight to a preliminary final.
The Dogs beat Melbourne by 20 points in July.
In the Lions-Eagles game, field umpire Nick Brown raised his arm to signal time off in the final quarter as Jarrod Berry lined up for goal.
The timekeepers should’ve restarted the countdown clock, but it stayed frozen for at least 24 seconds.
Lincoln McCarthy’s hurried snap to score a point for the Lions with 18 seconds remaining followed by a Charlie Cameron goal after the siren relegated the Dogs to fifth on percentage.
Hawthorn champion Jordan Lewis said it was inexcusable.
“You can argue it cost Western Bulldogs a top-four spot because everything happened in that last 20 to 25 seconds,” Lewis told Fox Footy.
“The Western Bulldogs miss out on the top four. A simple error has cost the side a top four position.”
Dog down: Bevo rules out tall for rest of finals
Playing the “victor card” not the victim card could be the crucial approach the Western Bulldogs use to navigate more than 24 hours confined to a Brisbane hotel room before Saturday’s do-or-die semi-final clash with the Lions.
Ruckman Stefan Martin won’t play, and Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge ruled him out for the rest of the season as he struggles with a groin injury. Number one draft pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan also won’t play the Lions with minimal team changes likely.
Beveridge suggested a lockdown role on Brisbane star Lachie Neale, who had a finals record 46 possessions against Melbourne last week, was on the cards on Saturday.
“It’s an important tactical consideration,” Beveridge said, pointing to some second half-success last week in the wet against Essendon star Darcy Parish.
The Dogs premiership coach revealed the club was happy with the 7:20pm start and had negotiated a captain’s run training session at the Gabba on Friday afternoon after flying from Launceston where they have been based this week after an elimination final win over Essendon.
But that, and the players having lunch together on Saturday, are the only luxuries afforded the Dogs who will otherwise be “domiciled”in their rooms up until the time they leave for the game.
Beveridge said the strict quarantine rules had become a regular part of his team’s season which has already included road wins in Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast and last week in Launceston.
Having navigated the unusual build-up well before, albeit this time being for a final, he said doing it again was well within his team’s capabilities
“To at least be able to stretch the legs and have a bit of a shuffle (on Friday) … ticking that one off is critical,” Beveridge said on Thursday.
“We’ve been able to organise for the players to at least have lunch together, that’s the biggest luxury we have been afforded, if you can call it a luxury. Other than that we are confined to three floors in the hotel.
“Our players have been extremely resilient, when you go away, and this year we know that your lead-up is compromised as far as your accommodations and your freedoms and so you can turn that into a real positive.
“You can play the victim card or you can play the victor card. I think we’ve been able to stay positive and galvanise a little bit on the road as well, this is another opportunity.
“We go this one this week and hope there’s another couple in the air and on the road challenges to come.”
Beveridge conceded the Bulldogs “squandered” their top four spot over the last month of the regular season because they “weren’t as focused as we had benne” on doing the things required to win.
But the second-half demolition of the Bombers, kicking eight goals to none, a week after narrowly losing to potential preliminary final opponents Port Adelaide, had reminded the Bulldogs players what they were capable of.
“It was a huge boost considering the pressure publicly and internally we found ourselves under,” Beveridge said.
“We worked extremely hard to get ourselves into a position and then we squandered it in the last month or so. We didn’t shy away from that.
“You do search for some stimulus, show the odd video and remind our players of some of the really good stuff against genuinely tough opposition. Coming out of the (Essendon) game there were plenty of highlights for us to leverage off.”
Covid forces VFL to abandon finals series
Victoria’s extended lockdown has forced the VFL to scrap finals plans, with the league notifying its 22 clubs on Wednesday that there would be no premiership awarded this year.
Footscray will be recognised only as the minor premier after going undefeated from 10 matches, while there will be no JJ Liston Trophy awarded to the VFL’s best-and-fairest player after an uneven spread of games were played across clubs.
GWS and Frankston each lined up for 11 matches this season, but all other clubs got on the park for either nine or 10 matches.
The competition had announced in mid-August that it intended to begin a top-eight finals series on September 4.
However, ongoing lockdowns in Victoria and NSW and Queensland’s state border closure made that impossible to follow through on.
Sydney-based GWS Giants and Gold Cost-based Southport Sharks had both finished in the top eight in the fist season of he east coast competition, along with six Victorian clubs.
A revised top-four finals series was later drawn up which was to begin with preliminary finals on September 11.
However, those plans were also quashed after Victorian premier Daniel Andrews announced on Wednesday that heavy lockdown restrictions would remain in place until at least October.
“All levels of the game across Australia have been impacted by the health pandemic this year and it has been another challenging year for everyone connected to football,” AFL Head of State League Competitions Tristian Salter said.
“We acknowledge this is very disappointing news for the players, coaches, officials, volunteers and fans of the VFL and commend every VFL club, who has worked tirelessly to ensure a united approach.
“We have explored many scenarios as to how we could still proceed in Victoria and interstate over the last few weeks, but it ultimately provided too great a challenge for all involved.”
Due to the part-time nature of the competition, the VFL was unable to obtain approvals from state governments to continue playing through lockdowns as the AFL and other major sporting codes have.
The VFLW is still hoping to play its Grand Final between Collingwood and Geelong at some stage this year, but a date is yet to be set.
STORY BEHIND BEVO’S BAILEY MASTERSTROKE
A pre-season gut-feel swap by Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge helped turn Bailey Dale into an All-Australian and provided his team with a launching pad towards another premiership.
After managing just nine games in 2020 as a floater, Beveridge switched Dale to defence for the final quarter of a pre-season practice match against Hawthorn this year.
He took to the new position like a duck to water and six months later, the 25-year-old was an All-Australian and a key man in a finals campaign ahead of the Dogs’ do-or-die clash against Brisbane this weekend.
“It came about very late in the pre-season. Bevo whacked me down there and the next week against Melbourne he stuck with me, and it sort of just flowed on from there,” Dale said ahead of Saturday night‘s semi-final showdown with the Lions.
“We had a little chat previous to that about where I was at and where I would be playing this year.
“He sort of said half-forward and wing again, but if the opportunity arises we might try something different. It did and it’s been a good change.”
TUOHY: DON’T WRITE OFF TOBY-LESS GIANTS
Geelong is bracing for a “dangerous” GWS outfit on Friday night, even without star playmaker Toby Greene.
Veteran Cat Zach Tuohy, who will return for the knockout final after a stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, has compared the Giants at their best to the premiership-winning Richmond sides of the past few years.
Tuohy suffered the hamstring blow in Geelong’s 19-point loss to GWS in Round 21 but he saw enough during his time on the ground to know the threat they pose at their very best.
“When they get going they are hard to stop and they are a little bit Richmond-esque in terms of how they play, and obviously we saw how dangerous they can be just a few weeks ago,” he said.
Tuohy will replace compatriot Mark O’Connor (hamstring) for Friday’s clash and the Cats could look at bringing in big man Esava Ratugolea to add more potency up forward..
Tuohy said while all sides tinkered with their game plan to suit their opponents, the best teams have faith in their own systems to get the job done
LIONS PAIR PASS FITNESS TESTS
Brisbane is looking to rush back two key players from injuries in a bid to overcome the fallout from last week’s disappointing loss to Melbourne.
Experienced defender Ryan Lester has overcome a hamstring concern which ruled him out of last weekend’s qualifying final game, while the versatile Callum Ah Chee will return from a groin issue.
Both offer plenty of depth for a Lions squad dealing with the absence of key forward Dan McStay, who has been ruled out under the AFL’s concussion protocols.
Brisbane’s high-performance manager Damien Austin said Lester and Ah Chee were free to play this weekend after fitness tests earlier this week.
“They are both available for selection,” Austin said.
“They have been through some solid sessions and pulled up fine, so we will make them available.”
Meanwhile, more than 20,000 tickets were snapped up in less than 24 hours for Saturday’s semi final clash at the Gabba as the game looks set to become a full house.
The do-or-die match between the Lions and the Bulldogs is on track to see around 35,000 fans pack the stands of the Gabba in what will be the final AFL game in Brisbane for the season.
WHY BRISBANE HOTEL LOCKDOWN WON’T WORRY DOGS
Defender Alex Keath has dismissed concerns about the Western Bulldogs having to spend a full day locked in a hotel before their night-time clash against Brisbane at The Gabba.
The AFL on Tuesday locked in a 7.20pm start time for the 1st Semi-Final, denying the Bulldogs’ request for a daytime match.
The winner will have to fly to Adelaide for a preliminary final against Port Adelaide on the following Saturday night.
“We’ve been over to Perth a couple of times in the middle of the year and had a very similar set-up there,” Keath said.
“It’s not ideal but you can get up and move around the hotel, keep yourself going through the day.
“A few sleepy heads like to have a bit of a nap in the arvo anyway before a night game.
“It will be fine, I’m just grateful to have another opportunity and another crack at a big final.”
The Bulldogs will be based in Launceston this week, following Sunday’s 49-point victory over Essendon and will fly to Brisbane on Friday.
The Dogs beat Brisbane by 19 points in Round 4 this season.
The Lions are coming off a loss after going down against a strong Melbourne side in the second qualifying final and are hoping to end an 18-year premiership drought.
CAMERON READY FOR GIANT SHOWDOWN
- Lachie Young
Geelong forward Jeremy Cameron says he has exchanged messages with GWS assistant and former Cats great Steve Johnson, as well as ex-teammates, as he prepares to face his former side for the first time on Friday night.
The Giants defeated arch rivals Sydney last week to book their spot in the semi-final, setting up a showdown with the Coleman medallist in the process.
Cameron, who missed the Round 21 clash against GWS with injury, said he was keen to put in a ‘big performance’ as Geelong looks to book its spot in a third consecutive preliminary final.
“I had a cheeky message from Stevie J via Instagram and I thought that would be coming,” Cameron said.
“I have spoken to a couple of the other boys as well. Clearly they had a really big game against the Swans and we watched that, it was intense and great to watch.
“I clearly missed (the game against GWS) three or four weeks ago because I was coming back from a hamstring injury so I am just excited to be going back out there and I am keen for a big performance.
“It is going to be very interesting, I am sure there are going to be a few words said out on the field but it is all part of it and adds to the excitement. It is going to be good fun and they are going to want to come firing, they have had a really good month of footy so it is going to be a really good game.”
Following a disappointing effort against Port Adelaide last week, Cameron said the Cats had adopted a ‘train the way you want to play’ approach to try to be better prepared for the pressure of finals footy.
“We dropped marks, we fumbled, and we weren’t as clean as we would like to be, so we need to sharpen up on that,” he said.
“That is a little thing, a bit of a mindset thing as well, but if you improve on that it is amazing how everything else seems to flow off the back of it.”
DEES VETERAN ‘ABSOLUTELY READY’ TO STEP IN
- Russell Gould
Melbourne veteran Nathan Jones would “absolutely” deliver if recalled to the premiership favourites as he approaches a last-gasp chance at an elusive AFL title according to teammate Angus Brayshaw.
Jones, a former club captain, has played just eight matches this season and only one since Round 7, due to a combination of injuries and an embarrassment of riches for the Demons who finished as minor premiers before winning through to the preliminary final.
Coach Simon Goodwin left the door open for Jones, who has played 302 games for the Demons but just five finals across 16 seasons, to return declaring he was “right in selection calculations”.
Jones also made the emotional decision to stay in Perth rather than return to Melbourne where his wife, Jerri, is due to give birth to twins in the middle of September.
He has been dominant in recent weeks in match simulation, without being able to play games, and Brayshaw declared Jones was having a “profound” impact on the group through his actions.
“The sentimentality thing, I’ve heard that, but people who say he would be given a game as a sub would really discredit the amount of work he has done,” Brayshaw said on Tuesday.
“I have never seen anyone devote themselves more totally to playing great AFL football than what Nathan Jones has done this year. If he gets a game, sub or not, he will have 100 per cent earned it.
“Jonesy has absolutely earned everything he has got. Goody has always picked the best team, that’s not going to change now.
“I can imagine he would be under an incredible amount of stress and for him to come and devote himself to the team the way he has ... he wants to play and is working his backside off to give himself the best chance.”
Brayshaw said the Demons had been doing their best to “disengage” from footy in their Perth hub with another 10 days before their preliminary final showdown against either Geelong or Greater Western Sydney.
Basketball, swimming and studying have been keys for Brayshaw, who “nailed” an exam on Tuesday morning in their Joondalup compound.
Brisbane’s huge blow ahead of do-or-die clash
- Chris Honnery
Lions forward Charlie Cameron concedes the loss of Dan McStay is a “huge” blow for Brisbane ahead of this weekend’s do-or-die clash with the Western Bulldogs but remains confident in the club’s depth to fill the role.
McStay will likely sit out Saturday’s semi final at the Gabba after suffering a concussion in last weekend’s game.
The injury has left coach Chris Fagan and the match committee with somewhat of a selection headache around who comes in for the 195cm key-forward.
Cameron suggested youngster Connor Ballenden could come in as a like-for-like replacement as the club.
“This week, with Dan out, we’ll have Connor Ballenden and a few others around there who are hoping to get into the side this weekend,” Cameron said.
“We want him to just play a role. Whoever comes in to fill Dan’s role, we want them to just fill a role and compete, and compete in the forward line.”
Cameron managed to kick five goals in last weekend’s qualifying final loss to Melbourne and dismissed concerns there was added pressure with McStay out of the forward line.
“I’ve just got to rely on my other forwards out there, Joey (Daniher), Linc (McCarthy), Tommy Fullarton, Nakia (Cockatoo) and Zac Bailey,” he said.
“If everyone tries to buy in, we can go a long way.”
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