AFL umpires’ manager Jeff Gieschen says eight of the nine decisions for deliberate out-of-bounds paid during the controversial West Coast-Geelong game were correct.
Gieschen denies the umpires were instructed to focus on the rule during last Friday night’s round-20 game in Perth, despite the average free-kicks for deliberate out-of-bounds until last Friday standing at less than one per game.
“After quality assessing with the umpires’ coaches, eight of those nine free kicks were all correct, all clear-cut,” Gieschen told reporters on Monday.
“For walking the ball out like (West Coast’s Darren) Glass did, for knocking it out like (West Coast’s Shannon) Hurn did, for kicking it up the boundary line like (West Coast’s Daniel) Kerr did. They were all there.
“There was one that wasn’t warranted, and that was the (West Coast defender) Eric Mackenzie one where he tripped and fell and slid along the ground with the ball under his body.
“It was just momentum that made him go across the line rather than deliberately trying to put it out.”
West Coast fans were loud and furious during the match and Eagles’ coach John Worsfold could be seen putting his head in his hands in dismay at some of the decisions.
Geelong coach Chris Scott said the umpires shouldn’t be blamed.
“I felt desperately for the umpires because I reckon they were doing what they were told,” Scott said.
“Someone’s told them to do that and as a competition I think we should get to the bottom of who that is.
“You want to be really clear on what the rules are and you just can’t change the rules mid-year.”
West Coast midfielder Andrew Embley also said he felt the umpires were hot on the rule.
“I hadn’t been involved in a game where they were paying as many deliberate out of bounds as they did on the weekend,” he said.
Gieschen said there was no instruction to reinterpret the rule.
“Every game throws up different circumstances and the umpires can only umpire what’s out there,” he said.
“There was a lot of play going up and down the boundary area.”
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