Score review controversy overshadows Essendon’s win over GWS

The AFL’s umpiring department has ticked off the controversial score review officers’ decision to award a match-tying goal to Essendon in its clash with GWS as AFL greats, players and the league’s CEO weigh in.

Was it touched? It appears so.

The AFL’s umpiring department has backed in the score reviewers’ controversial decision from late in Thursday night’s clash between Essendon and GWS.

According to an AFL spokesman, the vision was not conclusive enough to overturn the decision of a goal to Shaun McKernan, which tied the scores with just over two minutes to go in a match eventually won by the Bombers by six points.

“The AFL Football Operations Department has today determined that at the time of the review, the score review official deemed the vision was not conclusive beyond reasonable doubt,” the spokesperson said.

WATCH THE INCIDENT IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE

GWS coach Leon Cameron refused to blame the score review for his side’s loss but Brisbane’s Mitch Robinson declared fans deserve better from a professional competition.

“Publicly, players won’t make excuses and mention the score review was a factor in a loss or close result. But surely the clubs and fans deserve a better system in a billion dollar industry …,” he tweeted.

Publicly, players won’t make excuses and mention the score review was a factor in a loss or close result. But surely the clubs and fans deserve a better system in a billion dollar industry....

— Mitch Robinson (@MitchRobinson05) June 28, 2019

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan said on Friday he was comfortable the correct process had been undertaken when McKernan was awarded the crucial late goal, despite it appearing to be touched by Giant Adam Kennedy.

McLachlan said the goal reviewer had access to the best vision and the time to make a decision but couldn’t rule “beyond reasonable doubt” GWS defender Adam Kennedy had touched the ball.

He made clear in the interview he wouldn’t give his personal opinion on whether the ball was tocuhed.

The goal reviewer could have asked for the centre bounce to be held up while he reviewed different angles of McKernan’s kick.

McLachlan said there were now only four reviewers who had been trained again during the week on what was needed to overturn a decision.

Was it touched? It appears so.

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But he said the reviewer didn’t believe there was enough evidence to overturn the decision.

“They reviewed for 40 seconds. And they had to make a decision about was it beyond reasonable doubt. They made the decision it wasn’t touched beyond reasonable doubt,” he told 3AW.

“I am comfortable with the way the system worked last night.”

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick took a swipe at the score review on Friday morning.

“As much as I thought it was a good idea at the time I just think what the AFL should do is go to the key stakeholders in the game, which are the AFL clubs, and figure out what we want to do, do we want to fully invest or let’s not have it at all,” he said.

“Let’s just make a call one way or the other, we either do it properly or not at all like the previous 175 years and let the goal umpire make the decision.

“I’m not a big fan of looking at fingertips moving backwards and all that sort of stuff.

“We don’t challenge touched around the ground, do we? It was originally for goal-line technology and once it starts creeping out into other things it becomes harder and harder and we just haven’t got the technology to deal with that at the moment. If it stays at the goal-line that’s probably easier. I’d love to challenge a couple of other decisions up the ground but the reality is, let’s not go too far.”

Adam Kennedy said he touched the ball. Picture: Getty Images

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The AFL has no plans to scrap the score review system.

But the Herald Sun understands the league could attempt to bring in its NRL-style bunker system for the finals series.

Despite calls to scrap the system completely, the league is steadfast that it over rules too many incorrect decisions to remove.

Whether the AFL will have its bunker system working by the finals, not Round 1 next year, is something it’s football department is investigating.

The Herald Sun revealed this month the league conducted a six-week live trial that went smoothly several years ago but did not introduce the system because of costs.

Melbourne great Garry Lyon said an NRL-style video review bunker cannot happen soon enough after lashing the current system as amatuerish.

Lyon insisted Kennedy’s finger “definitely” bent back after viewing a replay.

“This is embarrassing,” Lyon said on SEN radio.

“Fix the system. Get a bunker system where you get absolute experts.

“… I love the AFL, I love the competition, I’m invested … but I don’t want to be sitting here on a Friday saying how embarrassing it is and how amateur hour it is.

“(The AFL) needs someone to come on to say ‘last night was another black stain on our system, rest assured we’re doing everything we can (to fix it). It’s probably going to be too late this year but next year we’ll have a much better system.

“At least you’ve come on and told our audience this is what is happening.”

The incident led to Brisbane great Jonathan Brown labelling it “the biggest embarrassment to the AFL since Meatloaf”.

The ‘Loaf, of course, produced that infamously bad performance on Grand Final day in 2011 that has become part of AFL folklore.

Cameron didn’t believe the decision cost the Giants the match.

“I was down on the boundary and I only just found out about it then about three or minutes ago,” he said.

“I couldn’t say that mate (that it cost us the game).

“If we’re going to sit here and say the score review’s cost us or something else cost us, then we are not putting our hand up.

“We gave up a three-goal lead and I think that’s the area we’ve got to hone in on.”

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North Melbourne great and Seven commentator Wayne Carey was convinced it was touched, meaning the Bombers would still have been battling from five points behind with two minutes on the clock.

“The Giants are saying this is touched, so this will be reviewed,” Carey said.

“His fingers go back.”

The Dons would go on to win the match by six points, thanks to a late goal from Cale Hooker.

Former Don Jobe Watson said there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the goal.

“It’s difficult. Normally the players are a pretty good tell,” Watson said.

“You can see the way Kennedy has reacted.

“It’s difficult to know … but certainly, the way that Kennedy reacted afterwards, it looks like there’s been a deviation of the finger, (but) the ball went pretty straight.

“Kennedy ran to the goal umpire and said, ‘I have touched it’ there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn it.”

The scariest thing is that it was no kid reviewing that goal. After the weeks of controversy they would have had their best man on the job on Thursday Night Footy. And they still buggered it up pic.twitter.com/74rOqvxiVq

— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) June 27, 2019

McKernan celebrates the match-changing goal. Picture: Getty Images