“We can look at that last incident, but the fact is we were 30 points ahead. It’s easy to watch the last game, but we should have slowed the game down… At the end of the day, everyone will be watching the last game and the what if, but if you’re 30 points ahead, you probably shouldn’t lose.”
According to Rule 19.1, “after the award of a mark or free kick to a player, a penalty of 50 meters is awarded to the opposing team who delays or hinders play, or behaves in an unsportsmanlike manner”.
The AFL in a statement supported the umpire’s decision not to award Warner a 50-meter penalty.
“The AFL confirms that last night’s decision late in the game not to pay a 50-yard penalty was correct,” the statement said.
“The free kick to Richmond’s Prestia was paid correctly” [by the non-controlling umpire in the centre of the ground] and almost immediately after the free kick was paid, the siren sounded.
“The umpires then made the right call by failing to award a 50m penalty against Swans player Warner, given the immediacy of the free charge, the siren going off and the ball being kicked into the crowd. It’s the same discretion often used on the ground when referees don’t believe a player heard the whistle and kicked the ball.”
O’Keefe said the constant confusion about rules and interpretations was harmful.
“There is no sense of the game or sense of the game or common sense. The problem is that the rules and interpretation have changed so many times… the game is overdone. It’s ridiculous. There is no sense of the game, there is no common sense,” O’Keefe told ABC radio.
Richmond’s players are appealing a 50-meter penalty, but it was not awarded.Credit:Getty Images
“It just got so confusing, it choked the flow of the players, it choked the game.
“You’re going to lose fans, and you’re going to lose players, and you’re going to lose umpires.”
Franklin will miss the Melbourne match in the MCG after being offered a one-match suspension.
He could try to overturn the suspension on appeal if the Swans were able to determine that there was insufficient power after the match review officer determined his strike was intentional, high and low.
However, the club could accept the decision if they play against the Demons for their mid-season farewell, giving the veteran in form a chance to brush up for the second half of the season.
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Franklin was the match winner on Friday night with five goals as he helped the Swans close a 31-point deficit to keep Sydney in power. They have now won seven of their first 11 matches, with their match against the defending Prime Ministers in Round 12 an uphill task.
The referee’s decision divided opinion, with AFL legend Leigh Matthews saying the match was over as soon as the siren went off.
“The referee’s whistle and the siren were almost simultaneously, so once the siren goes off, the game is over. So I thought what happened should have happened and happened. It was not a 50 meter penalty. The umpire must believe that the player is wasting time on purpose,” Matthews told 3AW.
Tigers ruckman Toby Nankervis was fined $3,000 for rough behavior against Sydney’s Luke Parker.
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