The AFL’s score review system is under fire once again after a comical decision in the first quarter of Brisbane’s clash against Collingwood.
The Lions’ first goal — off the boot of Cam Rayner — was bizarrely sent upstairs to see whether the ball hit the post.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Rayner’s bizarre score review.
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Replays showed the ball clearly went through, much to the frustration of the Channel 7 commentators.
“Ohh come on,” Brian Taylor said.
While the clock is stopped during the review, the ball also remains in the umpire’s hands in the goalsquare and players wait for the decision.
Hawthorn great Luke Hodge suggested they should just do the review while the ball is going back to the middle — as they do anyway.
“This is why the ball should be going back to the middle,” he said.
“When the ball goes back, every goal gets reviewed, that’s what should be done. So we just wasted 30 seconds.”
Minutes later and Jamie Elliott snapped a goal for the Magpies, only for the goal umpire at the other end to send the decision upstairs.
This one was a lot closer with the Ultra Edge technology needed to give the goal the all clear.
Two reviews inside 10 minutes followed on from last week when the first quarter of Adelaide’s clash against Geelong went for 37 minutes.
“There was way too much of this (last) Friday night in Adelaide,” James Brayshaw said on Channel 7.
“And those first two, certainly the Rayner goal, I don’t know how you’re sending that up?”
Taylor added: “Petrified of making mistakes.”
There was also another review early in the third quarter with Brody Mihocek’s mark allowed to stand despite replays appearing not to show whether he fully controlled it.
It appears the umpires are worried about a potentially disastrous mistake like last year’s blunder in Adelaide’s loss to Sydney where no review was called on a decision that arguably cost Adelaide a spot in the finals.
Last week’s numerous score reviews were discussed on Talking Footy this week, as you can see below.
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