It was the non-decision that had many footy fans hot under the collar and now the man at the centre of it, umpire 'Razor' Ray Chamberlain has admitted he made a blue. RE-CAP TUESDAY'S FOOTY NEWS.
Leading AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain has owned up to a missed free kick that would have seen North Melbourne not only avoid its lowest-ever score but also potentially change the course of its horror loss to Geelong at the weekend.
Chamberlain or 'Razor Ray' as he's known in the footy world, said he "got a bit stubborn" and was "belligerent" for not paying the free kick – saying Kangas captain Jack Ziebell's exaggeration had played a part in the umpire's non-call.Chamberlain said he was disappointed with himself after missing what, upon review, was a straightforward free kick.
The non-call proved costly as Geelong marched clear while North was restricted to 1.8 (14) – its lowest-ever score.Commentators Matthew Richardson said the Ziebell incident "had to be a free kick" while former Cats captain agreed on Channel 7, saying it was "clear as day".
“I don’t like paying free kicks when players put a little bit on it. It’s a free kick every day, there’s no question, it’s a missed free kick,” Chamberlain told SEN radio.
“If I reflect on that, it was my mentality there that was my error and that’s why I didn’t pay the free kick.“I’m disappointed in myself about that.”
The blue came in a pivotal moment of the clash with both sides struggling to hit the scoreboard.
With Geelong leading 12-11 in the second term, Ben Brown marked and drove the ball towards the top of the goal square.Cats defender Zach Tuohy made front-on contact with Ziebell, knocking him to the ground before the ball arrived, but play-on was called.
"It was the one (decision) I went home and watched,” Chamberlain said.
“My position’s pretty good, I identify (Jack) Ziebell out the back, the ball’s coming in deep and I see Tuohy and watch it all the way.
“You go, ‘How come you didn’t pay a free kick? You’ve seen it, he makes contact, why didn’t you pay it?’“If I’m honest, I think I got a bit stubborn, I think I got a little bit belligerent.”
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley took to social media to praise Chamberlain's honesty."Love this," Buckley tweeted.
"Kudos to this kind of openness and honesty. Builds trust and respect. Well done Razor."
RE-CAP ALL OF TUESDAY'S FOOTY TALKING POINTS VIA OUR BLOG BELOW.
– Mark Robinson
Essendon has parted ways with head of high performance manager Justin Crow.
He is the third member of the football department who won't be at the club in 2020.
The others departing are on-field performance coaches Rob Harding and Paul Corrigan.
– Mark Robinson
Essendon has parted ways with head of high performance manager Justin Crow.
He is the third member of the football department who won't be at the club in 2020.
The others departing are on-field performance coaches Rob Harding and Paul Corrigan.
Injury-plagued GWS veteran Brett Deledio will be sidelined until the finals and Giants spearhead Jeremy Cameron is also in doubt for a potential milestone game this week.
Cameron, who is scheduled to play his 150th game in Sunday’s home match with the Western Bulldogs, suffered a minor hamstring injury against Hawthorn last Friday.
Deledio’s latest injury is another blow for the 32-year-old, who comes off contract at the end of this season.
His injury record in recent years is inevitably casting doubt over whether he can play a 16th season in 2020.
“He’s taken it on the chin and he’s doing his rehab straight away,” said Giants coach Leon Cameron.
“He’s preparing to come back ready to go for a finals series.”
The coach added Coleman medal leader Cameron could still be available after scans cleared the goal scoring ace of serious damage.
“The scans barely showed anything. They (medical staff) are probably undecided about whether it’s just a cork or something very, very minor. He’ll train on Thursday and if he gets through we’ll play him.”
The Giants have encountered a spate of mid-to-late season soft tissue injuries with Josh Kelly, Jacob Hopper, Jeremy Finlayson, Harry Himmelberg and Sam Taylor also suffering setbacks.
“We’ve probably had two or three too many so we’ve got to make sure that’s right coming into the finals series and the last two games as well,” Cameron said.
In better news for the sixth-placed Giants, midfielders Kelly and Matt de Boer are both expected to return on Sunday after missing five and seven matches respectively.
Himmelberg is also slated to play after being out for one game, though Finlayson and Hopper are both another week away.
JUST IN: Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands will retire at the end of the season.
-LACHLAN GREY
The Brisbane of 2017 threw its rookies to the wolves but young Lion Alex Witherden believes that ‘sink or swim’ mentality is paying dividends ahead of the club’s sellout clash with Geelong.The likes of Witherden, Eric Hipwood, Jarrod Berry, and Hugh McCluggage have played key roles in busting Brisbane’s decade-long finals hoodoo and will complete a collective coming of age when Witherden runs out for his 50th senior game against the Cats.
All four cut their teeth during a Lions’ wooden spoon year that yielded just five wins but Witherden attributes the harsh lessons learned as the base for 2019’s meteoric rise and their own development as players.
“That’s the direction the club took in 2016 2017 just to try and get games into us younger guys so that was a big learning curve for us,” Witherden said.
“We were going out there against bigger harder bodies and we maybe at times weren’t ready to be playing AFL footy but I think it’s held us in really good stead.
“We’ve probably learned lessons quicker than maybe other people have because we were been exposed to those opportunities and now Hugh and Jarrod have played 50, Eric’s played 70-odd and I’m lucky enough to play my 50th this week, so I think that’s indicative of how the group has grown this year.”
Exactly how much growth will be determined on Saturday night when the Lions host the flag favourites in front of 35,000 fans.
-LAUREN WOOD
North Melbourne star Shaun Higgins has labelled reports he is embroiled in a contract stand-off as "baffling" and incorrect.
It was reported that the 31-year-old – who has won the Kangaroos' last two best and fairest awards – had only been offered a one-year extension to his deal at Arden Street that ends at the end of next year, but had hoped for two more years beyond 2020.
But the midfielder has today maintained that no such offer had even been discussed.
“Reports that came out last night in terms of me rejecting a two-year offer are factually incorrect," Higgins declared at the club's headquarters.
"I actually haven’t received anything from the football club so it’s a little bit baffling where that came from last night.
"I guess that’s part and parcel of the media.
“I’m contracted for next year if people have forgotten that.
"I haven’t received anything so there’s nothing for me to reject and there’s also nothing for me to accept at the moment.
“That’s it."
The 218-game player has also been linked with Geelong.
Higgins joined teammates Jack Ziebell and Ben Brown and coach Rhyce Shaw in recognising lifelong supporter Dorothy Forth, presenting the 87-year-old – who was in 2017 subjected to a horrific aggravated burglary in her home – with a signed North Melbourne jumper.
"It's an unbelievable story in horrendous circumstances," Higgins said.
But he was no match for her favourite player in Brown, who Forth's daughter Kerry joked was easily recognisable for the 87-year-old given his spiralling locks.
"Hopefully her getting around her favourite player in Browny … there's some light there for her," Higgins said
-TIM MICHELL
Chris Scott has revealed Geelong made a play for St Kilda star Jack Steven about five years ago as speculation mounts he will request a trade to the Cats at season’s end.
It comes after ex-Saints coach Alan Richardson said he pleaded with Steven not to leave the club when he asked to be traded last year.
Steven, from Lorne, has long been linked with a move to Geelong.
“We have always admired Jack. I don’t mind saying that, probably I reckon it was about five years ago we inquired about Jack,” Scott said on AFL 360.
“He was such an important player to St Kilda at the time that it couldn’t happen, but it’s a very different circumstance now.”
Steven took time away from football this year to deal with mental health issues, but returned to the senior team with three goals to inspire the Saints to a thrilling win over Fremantle on Sunday.
Scott was less than glowing of Steven's prospects next season.
“It seems like football next year is a fair way off Jack, even though he played really well on the weekend,” Scott said.
But Richmond coach Damien Hardwick, also on the 360 panel, wondered if he wasn't trying to drive the price down on the midfield hard nut.
Scott said he welcomed the stance taken by St Kilda to hold onto the four-time best-and-fairest winner when he wanted out.
“I think the era that we have stumbled into where players think they can request a trade and clubs have to acquiesce is not right,” he said.
“He asked, he wanted to go home for family reasons, they said no. There should be more of it.”
-LACHLAN GREY
The Brisbane of 2017 threw its rookies to the wolves but young Lion Alex Witherden believes that ‘sink or swim’ mentality is paying dividends ahead of the club’s sellout clash with Geelong.The likes of Witherden, Eric Hipwood, Jarrod Berry, and Hugh McCluggage have played key roles in busting Brisbane’s decade-long finals hoodoo and will complete a collective coming of age when Witherden runs out for his 50th senior game against the Cats.
All four cut their teeth during a Lions’ wooden spoon year that yielded just five wins but Witherden attributes the harsh lessons learned as the base for 2019’s meteoric rise and their own development as players.
“That’s the direction the club took in 2016 2017 just to try and get games into us younger guys so that was a big learning curve for us,” Witherden said.
“We were going out there against bigger harder bodies and we maybe at times weren’t ready to be playing AFL footy but I think it’s held us in really good stead.
“We’ve probably learned lessons quicker than maybe other people have because we were been exposed to those opportunities and now Hugh and Jarrod have played 50, Eric’s played 70-odd and I’m lucky enough to play my 50th this week, so I think that’s indicative of how the group has grown this year.”
Exactly how much growth will be determined on Saturday night when the Lions host the flag favourites in front of 35,000 fans.
Experienced defender Matt Suckling has re-signed with the Western Bulldogs.
The 31-year-old, who played in two premierships at Hawthorn before joining the Dogs at the end of 2015, has signed a one-year deal.
“Matt’s having another consistent year and it’s pleasing to lock him in for 2020,” Bulldogs recruiting manager Sam Power said.
“Over the past four seasons, he’s become an influential member of our playing group and has had a significant impact on and off the field.
“Matt has played a variety of roles this year. He’s spent time down back where his elite kicking skills help to set the game up, and has also pushed forward at times and had an impact.
“He’s now one of the more senior players on our list, and his experience and leadership on the field and around the Club continues to be really important for our young group.”
Suckling has played 16 games this year, averaging 20 disposals and booting nine goals.
-CHRIS CAVANAGH
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says Jarryd Roughead’s ability to overcome adversity will be his enduring memory of the former Hawks’ captain.
Roughead missed 2016 with a cancer battle as well as numerous serious injuries during his 282-game AFL career.
“The thing that strikes me the most about him is the way he’s been able to come back from a hell of a lot of adversity,” Clarkson said.
“The cancer one is obvious and that was life-threatening and one that touched the hearts of us all.
“I can remember him being involved in a train wreck marking collision at Etihad Stadium against Carlton (in Round 17, 2015) where he damaged his PCL, continued to play, the tough nut, but required surgery. All PCL’s, as many players would know, are buggers of injuries to manage. That was a serious injury.
“He snapped an Achilles, which for any player let alone a big fella, is a really serious injury.
“He’s just so tough and resilient and that was such a great example to the rest of his teammates. He never complained, he just got on with it. He played sore a lot and no one ever knew, not even me. Sometimes the physios would know but half the time he wouldn’t tell them either.
“He’s just very, very selfless and put the team ahead of himself so often throughout his footy career.”
Indigenous All Stars midfielder Tim Kelly admitted he’s fallen out of love with football in the last two years amid stalled contract talks with West Coast.
With just three weeks until Opening Round, how long is your club’s injury list? Check out who is fit, who’s not and when they will return.