AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has revealed he’s comfortable with the controversial call that went against Collingwood in the preliminary final against Brisbane, but admitted a free kick could easily have been paid. Collingwood fans were crying foul when Jamie Eliott didn’t receive a free after Brandon Starcevich clattered into him in a marking contest.
At that stage the Lions were only up by 12 points, and Elliott would have had a shot from right in front to make it a one-goal game. Instead, Brisbane kicked a string of goals and went on to win by 29 points.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has finally delivered his verdict on the Collingwood and Brisbane controversy. Image: Getty/Channel 7
The AFL world is completely divided over whether the call was correct or not, but the slight majority seem to believe it was either front-on contact or chopping the arm. On Fox Footy on Monday night, Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick was divided, but GWS coach Adam Kinglsey was adamant it was a free kick.
Earlier this week, Jon Ralph of the Herald Sun reported that the AFL was unwilling to weigh in with a definitive call. But the issue was put to Dillon on AFL 360 on Tuesday night.
“I reckon you can look at it replay after replay and maybe have a different conversation,” Dillon said. “We think the umpire from the position he was in, he made a call that was certainly the right call.” When asked if the same call would be made in Saturday’s grand final he responded: “I think if you’ve got the umpire in that position with that happening, absolutely.”
Garry Lyon put it to Dillon that “98 times out of 100” this year, the same situation has been called a free kick. Dillon admitted: “I don’t know where the ones happen exactly like that where he did get the ball. We’re watching it now and in super slow-mo. I’m going to say on the night, I straight away thought that would be one that would normally be paid – but we were comfortable with where it landed.”
Collingwood coach concedes call didn’t cost them
Speaking straight after the game, Collingwood coach Craig McRae conceded Brisbane were the better team anyway. “It looked like that (front-on contract), yeah it did,” he said before adding: “No guarantee he kicks the goal, though, is it? This is the world I live in. I never make excuses. I don’t want our fans to see a coach that leads our group through excuses because it just doesn’t get you anywhere.
“I think losers make excuses. We don’t. We’re winners, and we didn’t win today. Clearly beaten by a better team. I think they would have beaten us anyway, the way they were playing. So you could say what if and if only, but it’s not the space we live in.”
Jamie Elliott was stunned he didn’t get the call. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
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McRae said his team “didn’t control the things we could control well”. He added: “We had great momentum going into half-time, and we just let it slip real quick, and this is against really good opposition. They make three grand finals in a row. Really well coached. (Chris Fagan’s) had a great year again and they got a few out, and it just shows the depth of their belief in their system, and today was just a bit better than us.”
A poll of over 4000 Yahoo readers shows the vast majority believe it was a fair spoil.