Essendon have asked for formal clarity from the AFL over their response to Friday night’s post-siren goalpost incident.
Bombers chief executive Xavier Campbell suggested there was confusion about the mixed messaging coming out of AFL House.
Sydney defender Dane Rampe was fined on Tuesday for climbing the goalpost as Essendon midfielder David Myers unsuccessfully attempted to slot a match-winning goal from beyond the 50m arc.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan had earlier defended the decision not to award a free kick, which would have resulted in Myers taking his shot from the goal square and all but ensured Essendon snatched victory.
“With the decision Tuesday around the fine, (you say) ‘OK, well, this is confusing’,” Campbell told SEN radio on Thursday.
“To the point where we’ve written to the AFL yesterday seeking absolute formal clarity above and beyond the discussions that we had earlier in the week.
“We feel there needs to be greater clarity on something like this.”
Campbell insisted the Bombers’ weren’t making the request to excuse the five-point loss, their third on the trot.
Football operations boss Steve Hocking is expected to offer a written response sometime on Thursday in potentially the last chapter of a bizarre saga that has dragged on for six days.
The Bombers want to share the response with the football world to ensure league-wide understanding of the rule among players and umpires.
“Ultimately, I think that’s what you want to get to,” Campbell said.
“And I think we need to talk about the role of umpires in our game.
“Where we can take out that subjectivity, and I would think a rule like this one shouldn’t have subjectivity, it should be pretty straightforward, we should do that to make that role easier for them.”
Gee
Roar Rookie
It's too late now, The Grand Poobah of the AFL has decided the rules don't matter. Shut up and take it like St. Kilda and the other unimportant teams have been for decades.
anon
Roar Pro
Nice of Essendon to be suddenly concerned with someone breaking the rules...
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
Clarity??? Clarity only becomes an issue if you are expecting it to happen again. Is Essendon expecting this to happen again? Doubtful! Essendon are the 15th worst team for giving up frees and also 15th worst for free kick differential. They should forget this free and worry about all the other ones they give away.
dankswonderelixir
Guest
Essendon you lost the game due to a sub standard performance once again against a bottom placed side. Swans deserved to beat you as they played with more ticker and less passengers!!
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Birdman. "If I accept your premise, I must accept that Rampe UNINTENTIONALLY climbed the goal post which, as a result, shook" Not at all. He intentionally climbed the goal post which is not a breach of any rule. He climbed it for height and did not stand there shaking it ala Dustin Fletcher. This is the reason the rule is there: https://www.essendonfc.com.au/video/2013-08-01/fletchs-flashback-16-presented-by-bosch-hot-water-and-heating I'll say it one final time. The rule wording is wrong and needs amending. He did a stupid thing but not an illegal thing.
XI
Roar Guru
Wasn't "Formal Clarity" an album by the Cure?
Birdman
Roar Rookie
sorry Peter but your manifesto on Rampe's intent is plain wrong. If I accept your premise, I must accept that Rampe UNINTENTIONALLY climbed the goal post which, as a result, shook - and of course, none of that makes sense. We simply don't need to know what was in Rampe's mind, we just have to determine the outcome of his actions.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Good work Essendon. Although I don't agree that it was a free because Rampe was not intentionally shaking the post, good on the Bombers for forcing a public response from the Fawlty Towers mob running the competition at the minute. A good decision says the league boss but by the way here's a $1,000 fine for doing it. Talk about Gilligans Island.
Raimond
Roar Guru
Just give up.