The skills of the players in this intense, classic preliminary final between Hawthorn and the Brisbane Lions were the real highlight but when three free kicks are paid in the final 61 seconds and the lead changes those umpiring decisions will be examined and reviewed in fine detail.
asserted
decisions → pay → detail
Football writers Peter Ryan, Marc McGowan and former AFL grand final umpire “Razor” Ray Chamberlain took a close look at the final three free kicks to the Brisbane Lions and whether they were justified.
1. Lewis shows insufficient intent (62 seconds remaining)
Peter Ryan says: The only query is whether a free kick would be paid in the first minute of a game, but beyond that, there is no doubt it was a free kick.
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it → take → that
The AFL clarified the rule after round two this season in a memo to clubs, which basically said a token effort to touch the ball before it went out of bounds would be insufficient intent.
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it → clarify → bounds
Mitch Lewis would have got away with it if he’d either grabbed the ball and momentum took him out or made a genuine attempt to keep the ball in play (which is difficult as he would have risked missing the ball).
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he → get → ball
It’s a fair call.
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It → ’ → ?
And remember Lewis hardly fumbled all match.
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Lewis → remember → ?
Marc McGowan says: Lewis wasn’t trying to keep the ball in play.
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Lewis → say → play
AFL headquarters made it clear early in the season that simply attempting to touch the ball to avoid a “lasso” free kick would no longer suffice, so as harsh as this seems, the umpire made the correct call.
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umpire → make → call
Ray Chamberlain says: The action of Lewis is all that matters when it comes to insufficient intent, but for context, Jack Ginnivan kicks an end-over-end grubber along the boundary line.
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Ginnivan → say → line
If it goes out of bounds without being touched it is a last-disposal free kick.
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it → go → bounds
Lewis has to show sufficient intent to keep the ball in play.
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Lewis → have → play
Has the Lewis’ action demonstrated sufficient intent to keep the ball in play?
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action → demonstrate → play
The umpire made the correct call.
asserted
umpire → make → call
2. Zorko cops high contact (53 seconds remaining)
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seconds → cop → contact
Peter Ryan says: Tiggy touch wood, but high contact was made and many of those are paid or not paid during a season depending on what the umpire sees.
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umpire → say → what
Josh Weddle’s arms made contact with Dayne Zorko above the shoulder, so it is a free kick.
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it → make → shoulder
Marc McGowan says: Glancing blow or not, it is crystal clear that Josh Weddle made high contact to Dayne Zorko while coming from the opposite direction as the veteran Lion spun around.
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Lion → say → direction
Would there be any controversy if Zorko had done this to Weddle?
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Zorko → do → Weddle
Ray Chamberlain says: There is certainly high contact.
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Chamberlain → say → ?
He is not decapitated by any stretch, but you can’t make high contact.
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you → decapitate → contact
He has flicked him across the face.
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He → flick → face
It is going to get paid.
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It → go → ?
Impey caught holding the ball
Peter Ryan says: Great decision by the umpire.
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Ryan → catch → umpire
When Jarman Impey takes possession of the ball, he has both arms free momentarily.
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arms → take → ball
It gives him a second where he could have handballed or kicked the ball, but he decided to do neither.
uncertain
he → give → neither
After holding Impey for about a second around the waist, he then latched on to his hand, so the Hawks’ defender couldn’t handball either, making kicking Impey’s only option.
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kicking → hold → hand
The Hawk just froze and hoped the umpire would not be brave enough to pay holding the ball.
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umpire → freeze → ball
Four seconds lapsed between taking possession and the decision being made.
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seconds → lapse → possession
Marc McGowan says: Hugh McCluggage was brilliant, and Jarman Impey was not.
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Impey → say → ?
You can also effectively forget whether Impey had an initial opportunity with both arms available.
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arms → forget → opportunity
McCluggage executed a tackle as players are taught – pin one arm, and remove half the options.
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players → execute → options
In this scenario, Impey needed to be saved by a third party instantly coming in, or he had to attempt to get a kick away far earlier than he did.
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he → need → kick
The risk was he would drop the ball and not get a foot to it, but Impey’s feigned efforts to dispose the ball were never going to be enough.
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efforts → drop → ball
Ray Chamberlain says: The law has to line up before any decision is made with the umpire correctly assessing there was no prior opportunity, a legal tackle had been laid and the ball had not been pinned.
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ball → say → ?
But then there is what I call “a cadence piece” which is a question of how long do you give the player [to dispose of the ball].
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you → be → ball
If it is pinned and he can’t dispose of the ball or he is unable to make a genuine attempt, then you can call for a ball up, but if not, as is the case here, then it is free kick against Impey for holding the ball.
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it → pin → ball
Mitch Lewis’ forward-50 hanger with three-and-a-half minutes to go, which would have gone down in club folklore if they won, followed Gunston shoving Harris Andrews in the back, forcefully enough that he could not contest the ball.
uncertain
he → go → ball
Gunston’s arms were extended as he did it, so he was lucky not to cost Lewis his brilliant mark.
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he → extend → mark
There was another with about two-and-a-half minutes left.
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minutes → be → ?
After Harry Morrison’s shocking turnover to Zac Bailey, which was a clear mark, Ginnivan wrenched the ball off Bailey then handballed over his head.
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Ginnivan → wrench → head
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
