'It would have been overturned': McLachlan admits Crows were ...
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The AFL have blamed human error for the goal line mistake that cost Adelaide a potential match-winning goal in their match against Sydney on Saturday night and doomed the Crows chances of making finals.
The Crows lost the match to Sydney by one point after the goal umpire deemed a kick for goal from Adelaide midfielder Ben Keays had hit the post rather than referring the decision to the score reviewer in the AFL Review Centre (ARC). There was 71 seconds remaining in the game at the time.
Replays showed the ball had missed the post and AFL Edge technology, which was available, was not used. Instead, Sydney defender Jake Lloyd immediately brought the ball back into play and ran down the remaining time.
AFL chief executive officer Gillon McLachlan said the game’s result would stand, but conceded the decision would have been overturned and declared a goal if it had been reviewed to the ARC. McLachlan said the AFL took accountability for the mistake, and said the umpire would not officiate in the AFL for the rest of this season.
“It was a goal umpiring decision that should have been reviewed and that was a mistake. I want to say conclusively that if the decision had been reviewed it would have been overturned and it would have been a goal,” McLachlan said.
“It’s a human error that happens repeatedly through games across the course of the year, but this is an error that, given the context and the moment, was of great consequence and I want to acknowledge there was a mistake and take accountability for the mistake on behalf of the league.”
The AFL says this kick late in the game should have been awarded a goal to Adelaide against Sydney.Credit: Fox Footy
If the goal had been allowed and the Crows managed to hold on to their four-point lead they would have had to beat West Coast in the final round to give themselves a chance of making finals.
However the loss – their fifth by a one-goal margin or less this season – rules them out of the finals race and leaves nine teams in the hunt for a finals spot, with five teams certain of their position going into the final round.
McLachlan said he had reached out to the goal umpire who made the call, with his health and wellbeing paramount, but confirmed the man would be relieved of AFL duty this season.
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“He is obviously dealing with the issue and is taking personal accountability for that mistake,” McLachlan said.
He defended the technology in place for score review decisions, saying the correct decision would have been reached had the officiating umpires referred the decision to the ARC.
“Ultimately, the mistake could have been reviewed and wasn’t. It could have been changed, and I think that is a challenging piece of that,” McLachlan said.
He said the decision not to review was often made if a goal umpire is definitive in their decision. McLachlan said the goal umpire thought there was a noise and deflection, but the replays showed that was not the case.
“If it had been reviewed it would have been overturned and it would have been a goal,” McLachlan said.
Ben Keays appeared to have kicked the go-ahead goal, but the goal umpire said it hit the post.
Crows coach Matthew Nicks said after the game his club would put trust in “the process” the AFL would go through. He did not definitively say if the club would protest the result, despite the dire consequences of the loss on their finals’ hopes.
“My understanding is that we [umpires] review those moments, especially at the end of games,” Nicks said.
“We just put our trust in the process now. As a footy club, as a coach, that’s all we can do.”
Ben Keays celebrating what he thought was a goal, before it was called as a behind.Credit: Getty
The Swans’ win had major implications for the finals race as the loss ends Adelaide’s slim finals hopes and takes the Swans to 50 points and a likely spot in the finals – they still need to beat Melbourne in the final round to be sure of a place.
If Sydney had lost, St Kilda (52 points) would have been locked into the top eight and GWS Giants (48 points) would have remained ahead of the Swans going into the final round.
The Western Bulldogs (44 points), who play bottom side West Coast Eagles on Sunday, will also end the round on 48 points if, as expected, they beat the Eagles.
A Crows win would have seen them on 44 points, with a very slim chance of winning by enough in the final round to make the eight on percentage.
“This is the AFL’s worst nightmare,” Fox Footy commentator Cam Mooney said.
“On the eve of what has been one of the great finishes to a season, we’ve just got a big bungle.”
Swans coach John Longmire told journalists in Adelaide he hadn’t seen a replay of the Keays shot.
“Does it?” Longmire said looking surprised when told the replays appeared to show the ball hadn’t hit the post.
Isaac Heeney celebrates Sydney’s win on the siren.Credit: AFL Photos
He also said his side did “a lot right” in the game to lead by 32 points going into the last term.
He said he had not discussed the Keays shot with the Swans players nearest to the post.
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“No. We just talked about the last quarter in its entirety,” Longmire said.
“We went through those things, why they had a few scoring shots, there were a few things we didn’t get right.”
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