Geelong coach Chris Scott questioned the AFL’s score review system after a controversial mistake robbed the Cats of a crucial first-quarter goal in Friday night’s thriller at the MCG – declaring the technology existed for a purpose and should have been used.
The flashpoint was when an Ollie Dempsey disposal was called a rushed behind by goal umpire (and former Richmond, Port Adelaide and Melbourne player) David Rodan, for what would have been the first goal of the game.
Play restarted immediately, preventing the AFL review centre (ARC) from intervening under the AFL’s recently amended score review protocols.
Last month, after more than 30 seconds of play were scrubbed from a game between the Saints and the Eagles after an incident involving Rowan Marshall in which he was deemed to have taken a mark before the ball crossed the behind line, the AFL changed the rules around ARC reviews.
AFL football boss Greg Swann – citing the lengthy delay to that game (nearly a minute all-up) – announced that the ARC would no longer overrule a goal umpire’s decision, unless the goal umpire had called for a review.
The non-goal proved significant in a contest eventually won by Carlton by just four points over the Cats – 12.16 (88) to 12.12 (84) – after overturning a 20-point deficit in front of more than 60,000 fans.
Scott stopped short of launching an attack on the AFL, but made it clear he believed the system had failed.
“The goal umpire got knocked over. I’d probably disagree in principle with the idea that someone’s sitting in the ARC, and they can’t see [it],” Scott said.
“The technology is there for the howler, and someone within the ARC should have seen that was a howler within seconds.”
While Scott acknowledged the decision could not be overturned under the current rules, he questioned whether the process, itself, remained fit for purpose.
“From the outset I thought it was worthy of a review,” he said.
The veteran coach suggested the incident was particularly frustrating because the issue seemed obvious in real time.
“It’s surprising [it wasn’t picked up in real time], but I’m easily surprised with this stuff,” he said.
“I guess the surprising part is we’ve seen some games this year … I’m not a huge fan of all the theatrics around the score review [system]. It seems to take a long time a lot, sometimes when it’s just so obvious that you don’t need a review.
“The umpires shouldn’t believe the players, probably, but for what it’s worth, we are quite strong with our players – don’t lie … if you claim you touched it, and you didn’t, don’t say it. If you know even Ollie Dempsey casually, when he says it’s a goal, it’s a goal.”
Scott was asked about the AFL’s role in the incident, given the recent changes to the rule.
“There are some things I’d like to have my opinion heard on – that’s so far down the list. I’m not sure they need my help,” he said.
“That whole department should be held to high standards but, honestly, I’m not going to spend a second more thinking about it.
“I hope you can tell, it’s the rub of the green sort of stuff in my opinion. I completely accept that the AFL should spend some time on their processes. We’ll let them do that, and we’ll move on.
“How long did the game go for? Let’s say 110 minutes.
“The last 109 minutes will be our focus in review.”
Despite his frustration, Scott resisted the temptation to pin the defeat solely on the controversial decision, repeatedly redirecting attention towards Carlton’s performance.
“You guys will talk about it more,” he said.
“I don’t think I really have that much more to add.
“I thought they [the Blues] were really sharp.”
Scott pointed to Carlton’s dominance around stoppage and the Blues’ dramatic improvement under caretaker coach Josh Fraser.
After conceding four of the game’s first five goals, Carlton took control around the contest and repeatedly punished Geelong in transition, with Jagga Smith and Will Hayward among the architects of the comeback, while skipper Patrick Cripps slotted the sealer.
Scott conceded the Blues’ stoppage work had been difficult to contain.
“Stoppage work is a real strength of theirs,” he said.
“The contested ball is a real strength, and if you sort of take them on at that area, you’d want to be pretty good, yourself.
“I didn’t think we played horribly – we just didn’t have the spark that we had in previous weeks, and they were really good.”
The loss leaves Geelong still firmly in the premiership conversation but ended a strong run of form heading into a challenging stretch of the season.
The fallout from the ARC controversy, however, is likely to linger.
Scott’s central point was simple: Given the AFL has invested in technology designed to eliminate obvious mistakes, it should be empowered to correct them.
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Sam McClure is an award-winning AFL journalist and broadcaster.Connect via X or email.