More questions have emerged over the frantic finish to Carlton’s two-point win over Richmond on Saturday night, as 13 seconds appeared to incorrectly tick down on the clock in the final two minutes.
The potential timekeeping issue occurred when Blues defender Nick Haynes appealed to the umpire after conceding a controversial deliberate rushed behind with two minutes and one second left in the game.
The clock had stopped when the free kick was paid, but the Foxtel broadcast showed the seconds ticking down again as Haynes spoke to the umpire – and before he returned the ball to Richmond for the free kick.
In all, 13 seconds ran down before Mykelti Lefau was handed the footy, and the clock stopped at 1:38 remaining after Lefau kicked the goal. The match finished with the ball locked in Richmond’s forward line, but the Tigers ran out of time to kick another goal. They were denied a potential holding the ball free kick in the dying seconds, too, when Ben Ainsworth was adjudged not to have had prior opportunity despite taking steps into a tackle.
But the Tigers were allowed the shot at goal when Haynes was penalised for deliberately carrying the ball across the behind line.
There was just over two minutes left on the clock at the time, and the Blues led by 14 points, but the umpire awarded a free kick to Richmond, apparently ruling, under law 18.10, that Haynes had sufficient “time and space to dispose of the ball”.
But the footage from the goal line appeared to show that Haynes had already carried the ball over the line while under pressure, though the goal umpire did not call a behind.
Haynes then stepped behind the goal post, apparently to bring the ball back in from the behind, before the umpire called the free kick.
Despite Haynes motioning for the umpires to call for a video review, Lefau took the free kick for Richmond just a few metres out from goal, scoring a major that cut the margin to just eight points as Blues fans voiced their dissent.
The AFL’s review centre cannot overturn a free kick and, after a change in the rules following the round seven clash between St Kilda and West Coast, is not able to recall the ball once play restarts. But it can review whether the ball has crossed the line, which is what appeared to happen before the incident that led to free kick against Haynes. The AFL declined to comment on the deliberate decision or whether the umpire should have called for time off.
Calling the game for Fox Footy, commentator Dwayne Russell’s immediate reaction was that Haynes had conceded a point fairly.
“Haynes; clever enough to drag that through,” Russell said before he and his fellow broadcasters erupted when the free kick was paid.
But Haynes took responsibility for conceding the free kick after the game.
“I think if I took it over the first time I would have been sweet,” he said.
“I think that hesitation just not taking it over put a bit of less pressure on me, so therefore they paid it.
“It could have gone either way, but I think I should have rushed it over that first time and then we wouldn’t even be talking about it, so probably my fault.”
with AAP
