Umpire bosses to replay crucial seconds of Geelong-Bulldogs clash

[Scraggers]

Umpire bosses to replay crucial seconds of Geelong-Bulldogs clash

Jon Ralph | May 25, 2009

THE AFL umpiring department will scrutinise the last seconds of the Geelong-Bulldogs clash today to ensure proper procedure was followed. Bulldogs forward Brad Johnson tried to play on from a tight angle, but was called back before kicking for goal after the siren.

The AFL is confident the correct procedures were carried out, but will review the last seconds as a matter of course at its weekly meeting.

Johnson marked next to the boundary line with six seconds left, but did not play on immediately.

Only as umpire Matthew James called time-off to set the correct angle for Johnson's kick did he then decide to run on to his left foot.

He was called back, and with one second on the clock was warned by James not to play on in case the final siren sounded.

When he started his run towards goal the time clock started again, with Johnson taking his kick a fraction of a second after the siren sounded.

He ran fractionally off his line, but not enough for an umpire to call play-on, which would have prevented him from taking his kick.

The ball curved late and missed, the second time in a year Johnson had missed a post-siren shot at goal which would have won a game for the Bulldogs.

An AFL spokesman said yesterday the umpires would carry out their weekly review meeting with the Johnson incident one of several incidents to be perused.

"When time-on is called no play can happen, so Johnson has to be called back so the umpire can set the mark," he said.

The umpiring department will also consider the deliberate rushed behind awarded against Fremantle's Steven Dodd against North Melbourne.

Dodd was under little or no pressure as he slapped the ball over the line.

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey was undecided on the decision by umpire Stephen McBurney, which resulted in a goal to Aaron Edwards.

Asked whether the incident should have resulted in a free kick, Harvey said: "I think it's terribly hard to judge, that's all - that's my opinion on it.

"It is very hard when you're fatigued and you're in the game, to know what's going on around you."

[aker39]

Umpire bosses to replay crucial seconds of Geelong-Bulldogs clash

Jon Ralph | May 25, 2009


Only as umpire Matthew James called time-off to set the correct angle for Johnson's kick did he then decide to run on to his left foot.

Umpires have split seconds to make decisions.

The journo had all weekend to get his story right and he couldn't.

Shaun Ryan was the umpire involved.

[ledge]

maybe they should go back about a minute and review the holding on against Aker?

[Scraggers]

maybe they should go back about a minute and review the holding on against Aker?

They could start at the first quarter with the three free kicks given to Geelong, that wouldn't have rated a mention in the last quarter

[Sockeye Salmon]

I had a look at the video last night and the umpire was clearly right in not allowing Johnno to play on and clearly wrong in not paying a free to Aker.

I'm sure Gieshen will only review those decisions that he knows in advance were right, that way he can say "we have been proved to be 99.9836% correct over all decisions this year."

[aker39]

I had a look at the video last night and the umpire was clearly right in not allowing Johnno to play on and clearly wrong in not paying a free to Aker.

and clearly wrong in awarding the 50m to Ablett (sling tackle)

and clearly wrong for not paying a free to Gia (Selwood)

[Bulldog4life]

maybe they should go back about a minute and review the holding on against Aker?

Good point. I could see the pull on Aker's jumper from level 3.

[Happy Days]

A lot of bloody good this will do us. Will they give us the points when the realise they stuffed up? No they won't, so what's the point?

[LostDoggy]

Compare the hold on Aker with the free's to Geelong in the first quarter. I'd like to see consistency throughout the whole game. People say they like the umpires to put away the whistle in a tight game nearing the end, but shouldn't they be consistent with their umpiring throughout a whole game?

[Born & Bred]

Arkie, you are absolutely spot on.

The soft free kicks which resulted in goals in the first quarter were umpired differently in the second half.

[AndrewP6]

all those stupid decisions, and they want to review the LAST ONE? Or is that the only one they want to admit to screwing up? Idiots.

[LostDoggy]

It seems as though the media don't really talk much about it either. One Week At A Time, and now On The Couch never even mentioned it. If Collingwood got the raw end of the deal EVERYONE hears about it.

[KT31]

Although we could have have a better crack from the umpie's,we still lost the game by letting them get so far in front and playing catch up footy.

[bornadog]

I was watching a reply of the Winners (Fox Sports), and noticed a stat they had up in the 3rd qrt, Geelong 17 frees to 7. The match ended up 19 to 11, so basically Geelong only had 2 more frees from mid third quarter to the end of the game and we got 4. That is really a joke, all of a sudden the umpires just let it go.

[bornadog]

I was watching a reply of the Winners (Fox Sports), and noticed a stat they had up in the 3rd qrt, Geelong 17 frees to 7. The match ended up 19 to 11, so basically Geelong only had 2 more frees from mid third quarter to the end of the game and we got 4. That is really a joke, all of a sudden the umpires just let it go. Meanwhile 4 goals were kicked by Geelong from direct frees, including three in the first quarter, plus the Harbrow one in the pocket where Stokes dragged him through the points and he just kept holding on to the ball.