Video ‘system’ a crock

In the wake of the epic Anzac Day game, debutante Barcodes coach Nathan Buckley chose to comment on the goal line video referral ‘system’, but his claim that the AFL have changed their process is simply incorrect.

 

From the start, where a video referral has been made, an inconclusive video has resulted in the lesser scoring result. As we noted two days ago, this underlying process results in the completely whacky premise that the lesser result is chosen not because there is any conclusive evidence that it is correct, but because there is no conclusive evidence that it is not correct.

 

An AFL spokesman quoted in the story on Buckley’s comments suggests that an inconclusive video goes back to what the umpire considered was the correct decision at the time. This is a lovely theory, but we can’t recall a single instance we’ve seen where it has happened [we acknowledge that we haven’t seen every game]. On any number of occasions, goal umpires about to signal a score have been halted by field umpires, boundary umpires have been consulted and a video referral made. An inconclusive video results in the lesser option, regardless of the goal umpire’s initial inclination.

 

We’d like a reference to any instance of an inconclusive video referral resulting in a decision to award a goal as originally decided by a goal umpire, but we don’t think it has happened.

 

The further the season goes, the more obvious it is that this video referral ‘system’ is ill-considered, immature and under-resourced. It’s a crock!