AFLW score review not worth the investment ahead of grand final: Nicole Livingstone

There will be no score review system for the AFLW grand final and the league has pushed back on claims it would be worth putting in at all.

Outgoing AFLW boss Nicole Livingstone does not believe goal line technology would be worth the investment. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Goal line review technology in the AFLW is not worth paying for given the amount of decisions it would affect in a season, outgoing AFLW boss Nicole Livingstone says.

The AFLW grand final will go ahead on Sunday without any score review system, despite a growing chorus of calls for it to be added to the season’s showpiece game.

North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker said last weekend the league should look at introducing some form of review soon, while Hot Spot inventor Warren Brennan told this masthead earlier this week he could install the right technology at Ikon Park for free by Sunday.

Not having a review system in place for the grand final was deemed not a “big issue” by Livingstone, who will step down as general manager of the AFLW after Sunday’s match.

Geelong players were adamant an early goal in its four-point loss to Brisbane in Saturday’s preliminary final was touched, while a number of other questionable decisions have passed through this season.

But Livingstone said the cost of the technology didn’t match the amount it would be used, despite the AFL forking out to install the ARC for reviews of goals in male matches.

“I don’t think it’s a big issue (not having it in the grand final), we haven’t had it the whole season and I think if we were realistic about 99 games this year and how many decisions potentially would have gone to an ARC or a review, it is probably 10 across 99 games,” she told RSN.

“I think our investment into women’s football needs to be really well considered and I’m not sure that goal review technology for that small amount of decisions is the right thing to be investing in, but again, somebody else gets to make that decision moving forward.”

Icon Park’s 13,000 capacity sold out quickly ahead of Sunday’s decider between North Melbourne and Brisbane but Livingstone pushed back on the idea the game should have been moved to a bigger stadium.

The league steered away from big stadiums this season in a bit to prioritise atmosphere at games.

“I think atmosphere is really important at all our matches, including the grand final,” Livingstone said.

“If you took the 15,000 or 20,000 to a much bigger stadium you would not have the same atmosphere for a grand final. I think for 2023, Princes Park, Ikon, is the right venue for us and of course, North Melbourne won the right to host as well.”

Geelong were adamant an early Brisbane goal in their four-point loss was touched. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

Sports tech expert ‘wouldn’t even charge’ AFLW to prevent disaster

– Lauren Wood

The creator of Hot Spot has offered up use of goal review technology at no charge to the AFL for this weekend’s AFL Women’s grand final.

There has been calls for the league to introduce a goal review system in the wake of Saturday night’s tight preliminary final in Brisbane, after the Lions’ opening goal from Courtney Hodder would have been a candidate for review after it was potentially touched and with no goal line technology in play in AFLW.

The AFL says it has no plans to utilise further technology systems in this Sunday’s premiership decider at Ikon Park, but sports technology expert Warren Brennan — who invented Hot Spot and runs Snicko and ball-tracking technology for Fox Cricket — says he has the required technology on hand and would not be hampered by the quick turnaround.

“I wouldn’t even charge them for this — there’s no money that would even need to change hands,” he said on Monday.

“It’s all about getting there and doing it and showing them that this is going to change things dramatically.

“It is ready. It’s there. I’ve got eight of these cameras sitting in the basement doing nothing.

“If they made a decision today, we could probably start setting up tomorrow. We’d need a little bit of help from the facilities provider, but the rest of that stuff, I reckon we could do pretty easily.”

Touched? A few Cats thought so on Saturday night. Picture: Getty Images

But while his offer stands, he didn’t anticipate it being taken up.

“It’d be lovely to be able to do that for them and help and have people that really appreciate it being done for them,” he said.

Brennan said his company had worked with the league to run trials in the women’s game before, but so far no further review avenue had been pursued.

There is no use of goal technology in the women’s competition, where games are played at “heartland” grounds rather than stadiums.

Some men’s games including those played in Cairns and the Northern Territory are also not subject to added technology systems.

Goalposts at the ground would have to be replaced before Sunday to allow the technology to be utilised.

The AFL’s ARC review hub will be manned on Sunday as is required for concussion protocols, but Brennan said any goal technology could be managed from Ikon Park itself if required.

The Roos will host Brisbane in the AFLW grand final on Sunday. Picture: Getty Images

“The cricket does it all on-site,” he said.

“For a one-off or a final, it doesn’t mean you have to do it the perfect way (or in the ARC). You could actually bring somebody on site to sit next to me and they can make the decision right then and there.”

Brennan’s system requires four cameras per set of goalposts that he said would provide images five times faster than the current system, with blur impediments largely removed after years of developing the technology in cricket.

But he said the AFL had been thus far unwilling to heavily pursue the path.

Former AFLW coach Daniel Harford told this masthead on Sunday that the league had to introduce a goal review system if it was to be “fair dinkum”.

“They should do it for the grand final,” he said.

“We understand the restrictions because of the level of investment and some of the venues where games are hosted. But they should do it for a grand final, and in fact all finals, really.

“It just makes sense.”

Outgoing women’s football boss Nicole Livingstone said knowledge of the ground would be pivotal and while her inclination was to stick with the technology-free status quo, she would “pass the phone number onto Rob Pickering, our head of IT” ahead of Sunday’s decider.