The Roar
The Roar

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Innocent or Gwilty - did the umps deny Essendon a goal?

Umpire contact is to be outlawed. (Lachlan Cunningham)
11th July, 2015
10

Essendon’s first score of the match against Melbourne looked like a goal, felt like a goal, heck, it probably even smelled like a goal, but when it was sent by to the video review the umpires determined no, no it wasn’t.

With both teams yet to score, the Bombers were progressing down the wing when they found former Saint James Gwilt.

Gwilt unloaded the ball from 50m out and it sailed through the goals, but wily Melbourne defender Lynden Dunn looked to have gotten a hand to it.

With the decision sent up the video review, the footage seemed to make it pretty clear that Dunn had not managed to make contact with the ball until it had already crossed over the line.

Eddie McGuire was more than happy to call it a goal in the commentary box before the umpire’s decision was announced.

Despite this, the mystifying answer came back – confirm behind.

What makes it even more bizarre is that the goal umpire’s original call was for a goal.

This mean that, for the video review umpire to have called it a behind, they have to be 100% certain from the footage that it was a behind.

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Who knows what footage they were watching, because they might be the only person in the world to think that wasn’t a goal.

What’s your call – has the video review cost Gwilt and the Bombers a goal?

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