“I’m not in agreeance with AFL" - St Kilda boss Ross Lyon criticizes the league over umpiring decision, urges clubs to move on
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has criticized the league body for weekly clarifications of umpiring mistakes. The Saints' boss has called for clubs, players, and coaches to accept the umpiring decisions and move on despite the effect on results.
St Kilda defeated Gold Coast in Round 13, but the match was marred by a controversial free-kick decision. Saints forward Max King was awarded a freekick after an off-the-ball holding by Mac Andrew. The resulting kick became the match-winning goal for Ross Lyon's side.
However, the AFL after the game through umpiring boss Stephen McBurney confirmed that the decision was wrong and should have been a "no call". This was the second time the league body admitted to an umpire error that directly affected the outcome of a game, after a no-call incident against Sam Draper in Essendon's three-point win over Adelaide in Round 6.
Coach Lyon disagreed with the AFL's latest act of pointing out a particular freekick for clarification because of its impact on the match while neglecting others. He added that players like Max King get mauled regularly, and the umpires fail to make a call with no clarification from the league body. He said (via Fox Footy):
"I just don’t understand how we emphasize one free kick and talk about that and the influence on the match. I don’t like that the AFL comes out and clarifies it. I’ve been to big finals and moved on. I just think, why is one free kick more important than another?
“We see Max King getting mauled all the time behind the ball and cuts and edits of our forwards getting mauled and we just ask for clarity and they say ‘we missed that one’ and if there’s one arm around the chest it’s a free kick, it doesn’t need to be two."
The St Kilda boss added that the AFL has gone too far in coming out to explain umpiring decisions. He admonished that when decisions are made, it ought to be accepted by all.
"I’m not in agreeance with the AFL trying to come out and rationalize and settle things down. How about there’s a decision made, and we all accept it and move on. I think it’s gone too far," he said.
Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick labels freekick as "unwarranted" in controversial loss to St Kilda
Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick labeled the match-winning freekick that resulted in his side's loss to St Kilda as "unwarranted".
The Suns suffered their sixth loss after a 58-41 defeat to the Saints. Max King kicked the winning goal after the umpire called a freekick against Mac Andrew for putting his hands around the St Kilda forward.
Hardwick questioned the umpire's decision, saying:
"It’s tough. Those guys are battling all day. I just think the umpire calls it, that’s his job, but unwarranted for mine. When two guys are going toe-to-toe, one’s grabbing, the other one’s grabbing, it’s like well, which way do you go?"
"He’s probably only looking at one person trying to give away the free kick and it’s the defender, so that’s life."
The Suns have a bye in Round 14, and will next play Fremantle Dockers on June 23. They are ninth in the standings with a 7-6 record.