Tom Lynch was denied the match-winning goal against the Brisbane Lions ‘because he didn’t CELEBRATE hard enough’ as the AFL’s video review system is slammed as a circus
- The forward kicked what fans thought was a winning goal against Brisbane
- The video review adjudicated that it was a behind and the Tiger lost the match
- It means Richmond’s season is now over after a late Brisbane Lions goal
- Now experts have been left puzzled by revelations that Lynch’s reaction played a role in the video referee decision that cost the Tigers their season
AFL analysts are lining up to attack the competition’s video review system after it was revealed player reactions influence decisions – which potentially cost Richmond their season.
Tigers players were left filthy after forward Tom Lynch was denied a crucial goal in the dying minutes of their elimination final against Brisbane at the Gabba on Thursday night.
While the on-field umpire’s call was goal, it was overturned by the video review system based on the opinion the ball would have hit the post if it extended further into the air.
It has now been revealed that player reactions are used as evidence by the video review system, meaning Lynch’s lukewarm reaction to his kick for goal might have cost his side victory.
Lynch did not immediately celebrate the goal attempt which worked against Richmond
AFL reporter Tom Browne confirmed on Channel 7 that player reactions are a metric used in the video review process.
‘I was told tonight from a reliable source that they do look at the player reaction as a guide and then look at the evidence,’ he said.
Former St Kilda player and coach Grant Thomas labelled the video review system a ‘circus’ following the incident.
‘We have an umpire and technology system. Umpire makes the call, then it’s either supported or overturned by the tech system. If ARC can’t decide, it’s umpires call … simple. If we are then going to player reactions in an elimination final, that’s a circus right there. Amateur hour.’
Leigh Matthews famously won the threepeat of AFL premierships with the Brisbane Lions but even the champion player and coach admitted the decision to overrule Lynch’s goal was ‘disturbing’ and should not have happened.
‘It’s a bit disturbing to be honest, because you want it to be definitive, don’t you … sometimes you hope the score review officer has got better vision than we have or more conclusive vision than we have,’ he said.
‘To me, no, it wasn’t conclusive and therefore overturning the goal umpire was just a gigantic decision.’
Veteran commentator and analyst Gerard Whately said the issue exposed multiple problems with the review system.
‘I think we set oursleves up with a system that has inherent failures in it,’ he said.
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