I think the right decision has been made for the disputed AFL game between St Kilda and Fremantle last weekend. Freo was eventually awarded the points, even though the rules have always been that the game is over only when the umpire hears the siren and signals the end of the game. If it takes a few seconds for the sound of the siren to register with the umpire before he blows time, and during this time a team scores, then that score has always counted.
There have been many instances of this in the past, usually as a ball is kicked in the dying seconds of a game. In this case, the siren blower was in error and did not continue to blow the siren until the umpire signals the end of the game. The game went on, and Fremantle scored a behind to put them in front.
Everyone who knows the full story should acknowledge that Fremantle deserved to win and rightly the powers that be agreed. Too many times we look to the rules and regulations to decide on right and wrong – maybe we should be doing what we think is right, even if the rules don’t always agree with what we think.
My opinion has nothing to do with the fact that I was once a Fremantle supporter!
Related Pages: Australian Rules Football
