‘It hasn’t been the best week’: AFL makes change after ARC, tribunal controversy

Football operations boss Greg Swann has flagged a change to the AFL’s controversial review system, conceding it had been a rough week at league headquarters when tribunal and appeals board controversy was capped by fresh scrutiny of the league’s video review system.

Swann announced on Monday that the ARC would no longer overrule a goal umpire’s decision, unless the goal umpire had called for a review.

The change comes less than 24 hours after about 50 seconds, including 33 of play, were binned at Marvel Stadium, when Saints ruckman Rowan Marshall was deemed to have marked the ball before it had crossed the behind line midway through the second term.

A behind had initially been called without a score review, before play resumed, and carried on until the field umpire halted action on the wing after the ARC belatedly finished its review. The ball was then returned to where Marshall had marked, where he snapped a goal, prompting AFL great Matthew Lloyd to describe the incident as “one of the dumbest things he had seen in football”.

Swann said the delay had been a result of officials reviewing the mark frame by frame, with a further delay in consulting the field umpires. But, Swann said, the right call had ultimately been made.

He said the AFL was continuing to investigate upgraded technology and ball tracking to help with goal reviews, but insisted he wanted umpires “to be controllers of the game”.

There was a second ARC error on Sunday when replays showed the fingers of North Melbourne defender Griffin Logue bending back as the ball passed his outstretched hand, only for a GWS goal to stand despite being reviewed.

Swann admitted the wrong call had been made.

“You can see that it was touched, so that one was incorrect,” he said.

The AFL has been under enormous pressure following two contentious tribunal hearings last week, involving Port Adelaide star Zak Butters and St Kilda’s Lance Collard.

Butters was cleared of abusing an umpire after Port Adelaide successfully argued there had been a “miscarriage of justice” in the initial hearing – when AFL tribunal member Jason Johnson disconnected from his desktop in the middle of the hearing and rejoined on his phone from inside his car while driving to an appointment.

Asked about Johnson, Swann replied: “No, you’d think it would not happen again. I mean, he was very apologetic.”

In a separate case, the AFL removed its appeals board chairman Will Houghton, KC, just two days after the panel reduced Collard’s ban for saying the phrase “f—ing f—-t” during a VFL match from nine weeks to four weeks (with two games suspended). Collard claimed he said “maggot” in a match against Frankston late last month.

While revealing the reduced ban, Houghton stated that “it is commonplace that players can employ language from time to time which is racist, sexist or homophobic whilst on the field,” a statement vehemently rejected by the AFL and the AFL Players Association.

“Fair to say, it hasn’t been the best week … yeah, look, that was disappointing. Again, ‘Dills’ [AFL chief Andrew Dillon] has put on record that we didn’t agree with that [Houghton] decision. So, yeah, that was a difficult one,” Swann said.

Swann said the overall tribunal process was under review, potentially with a push to have less input from legal counsel.