It’s time for the AFL to introduce a score review bunker to fix current farce, writes Jon Ralph

Instead of focusing on AFLX or opening an office in China, the AFL should spend the cash on an NRL-style bunker for its score review system, writes Jon Ralph.

The AFL needs to introduce a score review bunker to avoid mistakes, writes Jon Ralph. Picture: Christopher Chan.

The AFL feasts on the short attention spans of its supporters to dodge responsibility for the issues that really matter.

Instead of publicly tackling the vast incompetency of its score review officials and the failure of its video system it just keeps its head down for a day or two.

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Then low and behold, Carlton’s latest coach sacking or Bucks v Malthouse 2.0 comes along so its officials don’t have to publicly discuss what they are doing about a growing crisis in its game.

Six major errors in the score review system since May last year shows the system is on balance a dud.

Those who would simply scrap it ignore the dozens of decisions it clarifies or overturns for goal umpires.

But in this case the question “what price the integrity of the competition” is far from rhetorical.

The AFL needs to introduce a score review bunker to avoid mistakes, writes Jon Ralph. Picture: Christopher Chan.

The league knows a NRL-style bunker would solve many of the issues with below-par score review officials and inconsistency from week to week because it has successfully trialled it before.

It just has to stump up the cash to install one as soon as possible.

We need to say it again — no point declaring $50 million AFL profits and allocating cash to future funds if the league can’t guarantee its own integrity.

What greater priority is there than actually judging whether the ball goes through for a goal or point?

Don’t concentrate on the history wars of the 1880s or the current AFL logo, fix a system liable to cost a team a Grand Final this year or next.

NRL fans don’t love their bunker system because it breaks the momentum of the game.

But it is inarguable that a team working nine games over every weekend would find greater consistency than the current approach.

Michael Walters matchwinning goal which was touched by Chris Mayne.

Especially when the league has trialled its bunker over six weeks in 2016 and found it to be a tremendous success only in need of the funding to implement it.

The league released its latest disastrous ruling just hours after the Brendon Bolton sacking so it released almost no publicity.

But consider its ramifications.

Just 24 hours after a disastrous goal review that cost the Pies a win over Fremantle, the score review official stuffed up again.

Not through some communications error or breakdown of 4K technology.

He just utterly failed to look at the angle that blatantly showed Marcus Bontempelli touching an Oscar Allen shot on goal.

If you had one job to look at every angle for a touched ball — and you had been reminded the previous day of the folly of not doing that — what are you doing in the job if you can’t execute that task?

It’s only the integrity of the game at stake.

But by all means concentrate on AFLX and permanent AFL offices in China instead of fixing the most basic fundamental that underpins every AFL game.