AFL siren controversy, 2006

The AFL siren controversy of 2006 (dubbed Sirengate) surrounded the conclusion and result of an Australian rules football match played on 30 April 2006 during Round 5 of the Australian Football League's 2006 season. The match was played between the St Kilda Saints and the Fremantle Dockers at Aurora Stadium (aka York Park) in Launceston, Tasmania. When the final siren sounded, Fremantle were leading by one point, but the umpires did not hear the siren and play continued for around twenty seconds, during which time St Kilda scored a point to tie the match. Four days after the match concluded, the AFL commission determined that the match should have been ended when the first siren sounded, stripped St Kilda of the final behind, and therefore the two competition points for a draw they prematurely received, and awarded the victory, and the full four points for a win, to Fremantle. It was only the second time in VFL/AFL history that the score and result of a game was changed on protest, with the first occurring 106 years previously.

Fixture and venue

The match was played between St Kilda and Fremantle at Aurora Stadium in Launceston, Tasmania. Both teams went into the match with two wins and two losses, and many media commentators had commented on the importance of the match to both teams.

The two teams had developed an intense rivalry in recent seasons, with a number of controversial games between the two teams ending in very close margins of victory. The previous match between the clubs, at Subiaco Oval had been highly controversial, with Fremantle coming from behind to win by 5 points after Justin Longmuir took a mark with seconds left in the match, then kicked a goal after the siren. Numerous contentious free kicks in the match had angered Saints fans, and the anger was intensified by the subsequent "Whispers in the Sky" controversy. The match before that, held at Aurora Stadium, was won by St Kilda by one behind, scored by Aaron Hamill in the final minute following a contentious holding the ball decision [http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2005/04/03/1112489346238.html] .

Aurora Stadium was not a regular venue for AFL matches, having previously hosted only 16 regular season AFL matches. Although officially a home game for St Kilda, the venue is over 400 kilometres from the club's home city of Melbourne, and St Kilda had previously played only six matches there for three wins and three losses. Fremantle had played there five times previously, losing each time.

The crowd numbered 15,282 (the maximum capacity and record attendance for the venue being around 20,000).

In previous matches, the low sound level of York Park's siren had been the topic of some discussion in the media, with some commentators calling for it to be replaced.

The Teams

t. Kilda Saints

Aussie rules team | title = St. Kilda Saints Line-Up
backpocket1 = Steven Baker
fullback = Max Hudghton
backpocket2 = Brett Voss
halfbackflank1 = Jason Gram
centrehalfback = Matt Maguire
halfbackflank2 = Samuel Fisher
wing1 = Xavier Clarke
centre = Luke Ball (captain)
wing2 = Troy Schwarze
halfforwardflank1 = Andrew Thompson
centrehalfforward = Nick Riewoldt
halfforwardflank2 = Robert Harvey
forwardpocket1 = Stephen Milne
fullforward = Fraser Gehrig
forwardpocket2 = Aaron Fiora
ruck = Jason Blake
ruckrover = Lenny Hayes
rover = Nick Dal Santo
interchange1 = Leigh Montagna
interchange2 = Andrew McQualter
interchange3 = Brendon Goddard
interchange4 = Allan Murray
interchange5 =
interchange6 =
coach = Grant Thomas

Fremantle Dockers

Aussie rules team | title = Fremantle Dockers Line-Up
backpocket1 = Paul Duffield
fullback = Michael Johnson
backpocket2 = Shane Parker
halfbackflank1 = Scott Thornton
centrehalfback = Antoni Grover
halfbackflank2 = Steven Dodd
wing1 = David Mundy
centre = Josh Carr
wing2 = Shaun McManus
halfforwardflank1 = Matthew Pavlich
centrehalfforward = Luke McPharlin
halfforwardflank2 = Des Headland
forwardpocket1 = Jeff Farmer
fullforward = Troy Cook
forwardpocket2 = Graham Polak
ruck = Aaron Sandilands
ruckrover = Byron Schammer
rover = Peter F. Bell (captain)
interchange1 = Matthew Carr
interchange2 = Ryan Crowley
interchange3 = Heath Black
interchange4 = Daniel Gilmore
interchange5 =
interchange6 =
coach = Chris Connolly

Brownlow votes:3. Matthew Pavlich2. Josh Carr1. Brett Voss

The match

Fremantle were leading by 27 points midway through the third quarter when St Kilda full forward Fraser Gehrig conceded five consecutive free kicks during a scuffle with a number of Fremantle defenders. Three of the free kicks were converted to consecutive fifty-metre penalties, with the result that Fremantle full-back Michael Johnson walked the length of the ground to kick a goal that gave Fremantle a 33 point lead.

St Kilda coach Grant Thomas responded by benching the angry Gehrig. Shortly afterwards he benched tall forward Nick Riewoldt, replacing the forward line with smaller targets in Stephen Milne and Brett Voss. St Kilda then kicked seven of the next nine goals to move to within one point of the Dockers with less than a minute to play in the final quarter. This momentum shift came at a point where Fremantle were "killing the clock", and with eight minutes remaining took to chipping the ball around to prevent St Kilda scoring. They were aiming to defend rather than attack, and this let St Kilda back into the match.

corecard

AFLScorecard2006
team1 = AFL StK
team1 abbr = St. Kilda
team1 q1 = 2.5.(17)
team1 q2 = 6.7.(43)
team1 q3 = 9.9.(63)
team1 total = 13.15.(93)
team2 = AFL Fre
team2 abbr = Fremantle
team2 q1 = 5.2.(32)
team2 q2 = 10.5.(65)
team2 q3 = 12.7.(79)
team2 total = 14.10.(94)
venue = Aurora Stadium, Launceston, Tasmania
date = April 30, 2006 – 1:10PM AEST
attendance = 15,282
umpires = Vozzo, Kennedy, Nicholls
team1 goals = 3: Fraser Gehrig
2: Stephen Milne
1: Brett Voss, Jason Blake, Nick Dal Santo, Leigh Montagna, Allan Murray, Nick Riewoldt
team2 goals = 6: Matthew Pavlich
3: Jeff Farmer
2: Luke McPharlin
1: Daniel Gilmore, Des Headland, Michael Johnson
team1 best = Blake, Dal Santo, Ball, Fisher, Voss, Harvey
team2 best = Pavlich, Johnson, Farmer, Bell, J.Carr
reports = St. Kilda: Gehrig for striking J.Carr in the first quarter, Hudghton for spitting at McPharlin in the first quarter, Hayes for attempting to strike Dodd in the first quarter
Fremantle: Farmer for striking Harvey in the first quarter
injuries = St. Kilda: Hudghton (hand)
Fremantle: McManus (leg)
time =

Reports

Several reports were made during the clash all during a spiteful first quarter. Three Saints and one Docker were cited.

*Max Hudghton was reported for spitting at Luke McPharlin in the first quarter.
*Fraser Gehrig was reported for striking Josh Carr in the first quarter.
*Jeff Farmer was reported for striking Robert Harvey in the first quarter.
*Lenny Hayes was reported for attempting to strike Steven Dodd in the first quarter.

Final minute controversy

With 37 seconds remaining in the game, St Kilda's Leigh Montagna scored a goal to bring the Saints within one point of Fremantle. Following the centre bounce St Kilda moved the ball into their forward line where a pack formed about 45 metres from goal and a ball-up was called by the umpire with eight seconds remaining.

Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) knocked the ball across the field and another pack formed as the official time-keeper's clock reached 0:00 (the time-keeper's clock is displayed on the television broadcast). The umpire, Matthew Nicholls, signalled his intention to bounce the ball to restart play, oblivious to the siren which was barely audible over the vocal crowd. A number of Fremantle players, particularly Scott Thornton, appeared to have either heard the siren or reacted to other players hearing the siren.

At this point the Fremantle players began to celebrate what they thought was a one-point victory. Nicholls, however, did not hear the siren and refused to listen to the claims of Fremantle players, particularly Byron Schammer, that the siren had sounded. He also did not confer with the other two umpires as to whether the siren had sounded. Nicholls bounced the ball to restart play and the Fremantle players, who believed the game to be over, defended the stoppage poorly.

The ball was cleared to St Kilda defender Steven Baker, who kicked a behind from about 35 metres out to tie the game. While this kick was in motion the time-keeper sounded the siren again and, this time, it was heard by one of the other field umpires, Hayden Kennedy. The rules of Australian football allow for kicks for goal to be counted if they are in the air when the umpire hears the siren.

Fremantle's Daniel Gilmore chased down Baker and managed to bump him just after the kick. Confusion reigned at this point. The three field umpires and goal umpire conferred to discuss the result. Nicholls ruled that Baker's shot had been within game time and that Gilmore's bump was illegal and a free kick was awarded. This meant that Baker was given the option of letting the point stand or cancelling the point and shooting for goal again.

A number of Fremantle players, particularly Des Headland, overheard Nicholls stating that the point would not stand and again began to celebrate in the belief that they had been awarded the match. At this time Fremantle coach Chris Connolly and CEO Cameron Schwab had stormed onto the ground. Saints' captain Lenny Hayes yelled at Connolly to leave the ground and former teammate Heath Black stepped in to separate the two.

Baker elected to take another shot at goal but again kicked a behind. After Baker's behind the two goal umpires then compared their score sheets and signalled that the scores on the scoreboard were correct and that the match was a draw.

It later emerged that the time keeper had believed that the first siren had been acknowledged when he saw the Fremantle players celebrating the win and the umpire calling for the ball. He then began to do paperwork, paying no attention to the continuing match, and was not made aware that play was continuing until a spectator got his attention by striking his window with an empty beer can. He then sounded the siren a second time.

Coincidentally, later that afternoon in Melbourne, another AFL game between Essendon and Hawthorn finished in near identical circumstances, with Hawthorn winning by one point. The siren sounded with the umpire calling for a ball-up about 40 metres from the Essendon goal, but in this case the louder MCG siren was heard by the umpires and no further play was allowed.

Relevant rules

The relevant clauses of the official AFL rules are::"10.4.1 The timekeepers shall sound the siren to signal the end of a quarter until a field umpire acknowledges that the siren has been heard and brings play to an end."and:"10.4.2 Play in each quarter shall come to an end when any one of the field umpires hears the signal."

Most commentators agree that the timekeepers erred with respect to Rule 10.4.1; that is, the siren did not continue to sound until it was formally acknowledged by an umpire. Acknowledgement of the siren requires any one of the three field umpires to raise both arms into the air and blow the whistle. There remains some doubt as to whether any of the three umpires did hear the siren, but in any event, none chose to bring play to an end as required by Rule 10.4.2. This rule is well known by football fans and clearly states that the umpires are the sole judge of when a quarter ends. However, generally this is in terms of a split second decision as to whether a mark or kick occurred before or after the siren sounded, rather than the 25 seconds difference in this case.

Aftermath

Initial Result

Immediately after the match, Fremantle lodged an official protest, claiming to have won the game by a point. The AFL agreed to conduct a full investigation, and did not rule out overturning the result and awarding the match to Fremantle. However, the AFL still released the official round results that listed the result of the match as a draw.

Betting

As a result of the official results being issued on Sunday afternoon, most betting agencies paid out on a draw. Some smaller agencies also announced (before the AFL awarded the victory to Fremantle) that they would voluntarily pay out for the Fremantle win as a goodwill gesture. The largest sports bookmaker in Australia, TAB Sportsbet, however, refused to alter from the original decision, even after the AFL revised the official result, claiming that their conditions of betting clearly state that they pay based on the league's official AFL match results sheet, as received by fax shortly after each game. [http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,19018611-23211,00.html]

Media coverage and analysis

As the goal umpires were signalling that the scores were correct, Nine Network reporter Michael Roberts interviewed Chris Connolly on the ground. Connolly was adamant that the siren had gone and said that the emergency umpire had thought Hayden Kennedy had heard the siren, so the game had finished before the final ball-up. He said "The right thing has got to be done... I'm sure the AFL will make the right decision".

A few minutes later in the changerooms, Roberts conducted an interview with St Kilda coach Grant Thomas who acknowledged that the Saints had played poorly and were happy to escape with a tie.

In his post-match conference, Connolly stubbornly described the match as "a great win by the boys", and stated that "the Fremantle Football Club will leave no stone unturned for our 35000 supporters to get these four points".

Over the next few days, the incident received widespread coverage in the Australian sports media, with the Australian Football League website describing the match as "one of the most controversial matches of the modern era". "The West Australian" and Nine Network's The Footy Show dubbed the incident Sirengate, the -gate suffix being a reference to the Watergate scandal.

Media analysis of the incident hinged on the interpretation of the relevant rules. Rule 10.4.2 implies that the match does not automatically end when the siren sounds, but rather continues until the umpire hears the siren and signals the end of the game. This would lead to the conclusion that the result must stand as a draw. However, Rule 10.4.1 requires the time-keeper to sound the siren continuously until an umpire acknowledges the siren and calls an end to play. This rule was not correctly observed by the time keeper. This leads to an argument that the match was not brought to an end according to the rules of the game, and that the outcome of the game was determined not within the playing arena but rather by external governance matters that are the responsibility of the AFL: the quality of match facilities and the performance of time-keeping duties. This line of argument leads to the view that natural justice required the game to be awarded to Fremantle.

Investigation and ruling

The AFL football operations department commenced an investigation of the conclusion of this match, to be conducted by AFL Investigations Officers Allan Roberts and Bill Kneebone. After interviewing the umpires, timekeepers, AFL match manager and a spectator and reviewing the television replay they concluded that "It would appear that the timekeeper(s) have not complied with (Law 10.4.1 End of Quarter)." [http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=262773]

During a four hour hearing on Wednesday 3 May, the AFL Commission heard submissions from representatives of both teams and the AFL investigating officer. The result of the hearing was that Fremantle was awarded victory and four competition points, with the official final score reading St Kilda - 13.15.93, Fremantle - 14.10.94. On May 4, St Kilda ruled out a legal challenge to the outcome, ending any further uncertainty.

The commission stressed that this decision was in response to a unique set of circumstances external to the game, rather than overruling an on-field umpiring decision; hence no precedent was set for the overturning of results decided by controversial umpiring decisions, errors by goal umpires, "etc". The key factor was that the timekeeper had not fulfilled his duties by failing to sound the siren continuously until the umpires acknowledged the end of the game. This prevented the umpires from being able to end the game at the correct time [http://www.theage.com.au/realfooty/news/afl/afl-awards-points-to-fremantle/2006/05/03/1146335789527.html] .

An upgrade of the York Park siren was implemented by grounds manager, former Western Bulldogs player, Robert Groenewegen, in May 2006, in anticipation of the Round 12 game at the venue.

Chris Connolly on the arena

A secondary point for discussion was Chris Connolly's angry march onto the ground. According to the rules of the game, the coach is not allowed onto the playing arena during the game. Because Connolly had walked onto the ground before the umpires had officially ended the game (after Steven Baker's secondary kick), he had contravened the rule, which would usually result in a fine and a "please explain" from the AFL, but no other penalty. Commentators had pointed out that a fine was not mandatory, rather applied to a case on its merits, and that in the prevailing confusion of the game, it would be reasonable for the AFL to waive the fine in favour of a simple "please explain."

Ultimately, because the commission changed the result of the game, it meant that the game was retrospectively declared over when Connolly entered the arena. As such, Connolly was no longer guilty of any infraction, and the AFL had no grounds to issue any fine.

The following week

St Kilda, after being stripped of the points mid-week, arrived at Telstra Dome desperate to put their season back on track against a Western Bulldogs side that had suffered its first loss of 2006 only a day before St Kilda's match, a 70+ point loss to Adelaide. Justin Koschitzke, who missed the previous match with a knee injury, was knocked unconscious in the third quarter after a collision with Daniel Giansiracusa. St Kilda won by 14 points.

Fremantle, on the other hand, was drawn to play the previously undefeated West Coast Eagles who had thrashed the Brisbane Lions the previous week. After an up-and-down match, the Dockers found the best way to win with a goal after being down by 1 point. Fremantle won by 5 points.

End of season

The result proved vitally important when determining the ladder placings at the conclusion of the home-and-away season. Fremantle finished with a record of 15-7 in third place, and St Kilda finished with a record of 14-8 in sixth place, with Sydney and Collingwood finishing fourth and fifth. If the draw and all other results had stood (an unreasonable assumption, but yielding an interesting result), Fremantle and St Kilda would have been level on 14-7-1; St Kilda's superior percentage would have seen them finish third, with Fremantle fourth, Sydney fifth and Collingwood sixth. This would have affected all four games in the first week of the finals, so that the fixture would have read:

Qualifying Finals
*West Coast v Fremantle
*Adelaide v St. Kilda

Elimination Finals
*Sydney v Western Bulldogs
*Collingwood v Melbourne

There had been ongoing speculation that failure to reach the finals in 2006 would cost Fremantle coach Chris Connolly his job at the club, and that the two points potentially lost by the siren mistake could be the difference between making or missing the finals. Ironically, however, it was St Kilda coach Grant Thomas who was dismissed at the end of the season after (but not necessarily because) the club was eliminated in the first week of the finals - something which could not have happened if St Kilda had finished third and claimed a double-chance.

imilar incidents

* Round 1, 1900 saw the only precedent of a VFL/AFL match result being overturned on a similar appeal. St Kilda and Melbourne were level 10.8.68 "drew" 9.14.68 at the end of play. St Kilda then successfully claimed that Melbourne scored one of their behinds after the three-quarter time siren, and the score was amended such that St Kilda won by one point. This was, in fact, St Kilda's first ever VFL win after forty-eight losses from 1897-1899; it would not be until its seventy-ninth game (Round 12, 1901 versus Carlton) that St Kilda would celebrate a win on the day of the match. [ [http://150years.com.au/150Moments/Vote/tabid/11389/Default.aspx?page116446=14 Saints' first win – round one 1900] ]
* The 1980 Night Grand Final, between North Melbourne and Collingwood at Waverley Park, saw Kerry Good mark, and goal, after the siren to win the game for North Melbourne. [Sutherland, David; [http://150years.com.au/Home/Article/tabid/11376/Default.aspx?newsId=64296 Magpie Malaise] ]
* A 2002 NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Canberra Raiders ended in controversy, with the final siren going with Canberra a point ahead 21-20. Referee Paul Simpkins stopped the clock and restarted play with a second remaining. In this time, a kick by Canberra's Brett Finch was smothered and bounced back into play. A penalty was awarded in the Dragons' favour and took the quick tap. With no time left, the Dragons kicked a field goal to equal scores. [Gouveia, Mike; [http://www.rleague.com/db/article.php?id=11307 Bizarre refereeing decision cost Raiders victory @ WIN] ; 2002-05-12]
* A 2006 NTFL match between Latrobe and Penguin ended in controversy, with a Penguin player kicking a goal directly on the final siren. The umpires conferred and rejected the goal, with Latrobe winning by five points. This took place a mere two weeks after Sirengate. Latrobe protested but it was dismissed due to lack of evidence. [Stevens, Mark; [http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,19151391-23211,00.html Penguin protests for points] ; Foxsports; 2006-05-16]
* In September 2007, the Southern Tasmanian Junior FL Under 14 grand final ended in uproar. The siren at North Hobart sounded with Sorell three points ahead of Lauderdale. The umpires failed to hear it and the timekeepers failed to keep the siren going. Meanwhile Lauderdale scored a goal and won the game and were presented with the premiership. Sorell protested, and the STJFL decided to award the premiership to both teams. [ [http://dufftv.com.au/?p=50 Video of STJFL Final] ]

External links

* [http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/sectionindex/0,8031,aflFremantle,00.html Herald Sun]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200605/s1629209.htm ABC Sport - Commission Set to Rule (3-5-06)]
* [http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=262773 Investigation Report to Adrian Anderson]
* [http://afl.mollyzine.com/2006/05/02/afl-podcast-mollys-monday-machinations-round-5-siren-controversy-between-st-kilda-saints-and-fremantle-dockers/ Podcast about the incident]
* [http://afl.mollyzine.com/2006/05/03/afl-podcast-mollys-monday-machination-freo-v-saints-result-from-the-afl-commision/ Podcast about the Commissions decision]

References