Only a few days ago, following his side’s loss to the Sydney Swans, North Melbourne coach Brad Scott called on the AFL to clarify the video review system with respect to inconclusive replays.
In the Kangaroos’ loss, Todd Goldstein was denied a goal after an incident was referred to the umpires upstairs in front of the television monitors. Goldstein’s kick was claimed to have been touched by the Swans’ defenders, yet the replays were unclear.
“You'd love the AFL to clarify - what's the rule? Is it the lesser score, is it advantage (to) the scoring team when it's inconclusive? They're making it up as they go along at the moment,” Scott said after the match at the SCG.
“Do you guys (media) know what the rule is - if it's inconclusive what do they do?
“Ask the umpires. But I know that when I ask the umpires I get nothing out of them.
“...I defy anyone to say that (Goldstein's disallowed goal) was conclusive.
“The goal umpire didn't call it touched. I was pretty sure he was ready to signal a goal and the field umpire ran in to make sure.”
Now, Nathan Buckley has joined the call for clarification after claiming his side was robbed of a goal in the ANZAC Day clash against Essendon on Wednesday.
In that instance, Tyson Goldsack looked to have toed a ball through for a goal, but the umpires were unsure if it was touched by Bomber Dustin Fletcher or hit the post.
"Goldy got his foot to it, it looked like it didn't hit the post and Fletcher didn't touch it, so isn't that a goal?" Buckley said.
"I wasn't rapt with that at the time and I probably won't be rapt with it now or in a week's time - and I would have been even less rapt with it if we had lost by less than a goal.
"It took a long time to work out we had to take the lesser of two because they couldn't conclusively say it was a goal.”
The Collingwood coach is also confused as to why the lesser score is always awarded if the video evidence is deemed ‘inconclusive’.
"I've heard umpires talk recently over the microphones saying 'the lesser' ... so we go to the point," Buckley said.
"I think it should go back to what the goal umpire's decision was initially. Back the goal umpire."
It goes back to Scott’s argument last Sunday in Sydney.
“We just haven't had it clarified,” Scott said.
“We have asked the question but it's not very clear to anyone at the moment.”
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