‘Irrelevant’: Richmond coach Damien Hardwick fumes at last-minute 50m penalty controversy

The final moments of Friday’s blockbuster clash were shrouded in controversy, and Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has had his say.

Damien Hardwick and Chad Warner.

Were the Richmond Tigers robbed of a last-minute shot at goal?

The Swans claimed a thrilling six-point victory at the SCG on Friday evening in what’s been touted as the game of the year, but a late umpiring controversy sparked plenty of debate within the footy community.

When the full-time siren sounded, Sydney’s Chad Warner booted the ball into the crowd in elation to end the Round 11 contest – or so he thought.

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In the fraction of a second before the siren, the umpires blew a free for holding and were contemplating paying Richmond a 50m penalty for time-wasting on Warner’s behalf.

The 50 would’ve given the Tigers an opportunity to equalise and secure a draw.

“He’s kicked the ball overt the fence it should be 50!” Channel 7 commentator Brian Taylor cried.

“There’s no excuses that he doesn’t know.”

The officials ultimately decided not to award the fifty because Warner “couldn’t hear the whistle”.

“He couldn’t have hear the free kick. It’s just common sense,” umpire John Howorth told the baffled Tigers players.

Warner explained to Channel 7 after the match he “obviously didn‘t know it was a free kick”.

“Otherwise I wouldn’t have done that,” he added.

Errol Gulden and Chad Warner of the Swans celebrate. Photo by Cameron Spencer/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Speaking to reporters in the post-match press conference, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick admitted he was unsure what the correct ruling would have been.

“It’s not my job, there are people on the ground who make those decisions,” he said.

“It’s irrelevant. You can look at that last incident but the fact of the matter is that we were up by 33 points. It’s easy to look at the last play but we should have iced the game (by then).

“Seventy-five per cent of the time I thought we were pretty good, 25 per cent lapse – especially in the third quarter – there were some things we thought we could have done a bit better.

“Everyone will always look at the last play and the what-ifs, but the fact of the matter is, if you‘re 33 points up, you shouldn’t lose.

“It would be remiss of me to say we‘ll give up five free-kick goals again, two from 50m penalties and a few downfield. We just kill ourselves at various stages and we expect better. It’s disappointing to lose a game like this through ill-discipline.”

However, Hardwick later posted to Twitter: “Common sense. Sorry what?”

The late 50m penalty incident divided opinion online, but the league ticked off the umpire’s decision on Saturday morning.

“The AFL confirms the decision late in last night’s match to not pay a 50m penalty was correct,” the AFL said in a statement.

“The free kick to Richmond player Prestia was correctly paid by the non controlling umpire in the centre of the ground] and almost immediately after the free kick was paid, the siren sounded.

“The umpires then made the correct call in not applying a 50m penalty against Swans player Warner, given the immediacy of the free being paid, the siren sounding and the ball being kicked into the crowd.”

That’s a disgrace.
You can’t pick and choose when the rules apply. #AFLSwansTigers

— Hayley Wildes (@wildes_hayley) May 27, 2022

Such a great game. Disappointing ends with an umpiring controversy. I'm all for umps making the call but not smart from Warner. Bloody lucky to get away with it.

— peter ryan (@petryan) May 27, 2022

anyone who genuinely thinks a 50m penalty should have been paid at the end there must be real fun at parties #aflswanstigers

— Vince Rugari (@VinceRugari) May 27, 2022

Lance Franklin inspired the come-from-behind win with five goals to help the Swans keep in touch with the AFL’s heavyweights.

But the veteran forward could find himself in hot water with the match review officer after lashing out at former Richmond captain Trent Cotchin in the second quarter, striking him with an open hand to the head.

The Swans will face the ladder-leading Melbourne Demons next weekend and can ill-afford to have their marquee forward watching from the sidelines.

“He did some pretty special things. At big moments, he was able to put his hand up and do some things that only very few players can do,” Sydney coach John Longmire told reporters after the victory.

“He was 1v2 and a couple of times he was able to break even those contests and he was able to hit the scoreboard with accurate kicking, he played well.

“Just disappointed it was a free kick away, it was the second one we‘d done. We’d had a couple of chances to go forward and have a shot at goal, twice, and that was our second one, so that was what I was disappointed about.”

The Swans are yet to defeat a current top eight side this season and could be in for a lean month ahead with clashes against Port Adelaide, Carlton and Geelong on the horizon.

– with Jasper Bruce, NCA NewsWire

Originally published as ‘Irrelevant’: Richmond coach Damien Hardwick fumes at last-minute 50m penalty controversy