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The AFL has backed the contentious call to disallow Nick Watson a half-time goal at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night, saying the small forward failed to kick the ball “over the man on the mark”.
Watson took his kick after the half-time siren and split the big sticks with a curling drop punt, but the umpires ruled the ball dead because Watson had moved off his line and effectively played on.
It was a decision met with bemusement by Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell, who said after the game it did not make sense to penalise Watson given he had not gained any advantage by veering closer to the boundary line and making the angle more acute.
Footage uploaded to social media taken from behind Watson at the time of the incident appears to show the man on the mark was incorrectly lined up with the left-hand goal post, potentially causing the Hawthorn sharpshooter to veer right to kick towards the centre of the goals.
But in a statement released on Friday afternoon, the AFL said, “The umpire, positioned directly behind the kick, correctly disallowed the score after Nick Watson moved off his line to the right and didn’t kick the ball over the man on the mark.
“The AFL have contacted Hawthorn and St Kilda today to provide an explanation.”
The AFL is yet to respond to complaints that the Marvel Stadium surface was slippery underfoot last night, despite the roof being closed during Hawthorn’s 52-point victory over St Kilda – 18.11 (119) to 9.13 (67).
Mitchell said he was glad the final margin wasn’t close, considering Watson’s goal had been disallowed.
The Hawks coach said the rule only made sense when players were swinging off their line into the centre of the ground to open up the angle, not when a right footer was kicking from the right-side pocket.
“There is absolutely no reason that a player would go wider [on that side] to give themselves an advantage,” Mitchell said.
“The vision doesn’t look like he goes off the line much, but that’s the umpire’s call, and I can accept that, but the fact that you can go off the line towards the boundary, and it be called play on … there’s no common sense about that.
“Why would he run wider to give himself a harder shot and get called play on? It didn’t make a lot of sense.”
Watson spoke to Kayo Sports in the rooms after the game.
“Don’t get me started,” he said when asked about the incident.
“They’re pretty keen to get the whistle out.
“Actually, I won’t say anything about the umpires. I might get a fine.”
When asked how the Hawks had managed to force St Kilda into so many costly turnovers and hold them goalless in the first half, Mitchell pointed to the slippery conditions.
“I’m not sure why exactly … it was quite wet,” he said. “[It] seems funny that we played inside, and it was wet, but even in the warm-up, it was quite slippery underfoot.”
Saints coach Ross Lyon had also noticed the wet conditions.
“Look, I just roll my eyes,” he said after the game.
“Take it up with … Marvel Stadium, and the broadcasters – I don’t know what they thought – but both teams had to play on it.”
When asked if the ground was wetter through the middle of the ground and drier on the wings, Lyon said, “I’m not sure. I didn’t dive into it. I knew it was wet, but.”
Lyon said he could not comment on whether the conditions had played any part in Sam Flanders suffering a season-ending Achilles injury during the match.
Flanders received a handball in midair but as he landed on his right foot pulled up almost immediately and crumpled to the ground. He later hobbled to the bench with help from the St Kilda trainers.
“I’ll leave that to the sports scientists and medicos,” Lyon said of the reason for Flanders’ injury.
“I couldn’t comment, to be honest. I think it’d be remiss of me, and wrong of me.
“I’m just really trying to stay in my lane, in lots of places.”
Lyon joked that the reason he was continually feeling the Marvel Stadium surface before the start of the match, while his players were warming up, was nothing to do with the state of the ground but was for “good luck”.
“And it didn’t work,” he added.
“To be honest, I think it’d be detracting from [how good the Hawks were], they played really well tonight, they were really clean, they were tough, and that’s the level [we need to get to].”
Lyon said the Saints struggled in the first half because the Hawks were going too quick with “composed ball use”, considering the conditions.
Hawthorn kicked eight goals to none across the opening two quarters – four of them to the evergreen Jack Gunston, who climbed to the top of the Coleman Medal tally at the age of 34.
But the Saints wrestled back some momentum after the long break by moving Jack Silvagni forward (three goals), Jack Sinclair into the midfield, Darcy Wilson to the wing, Brad Hill to half-back, and Callum Wilkie higher up the ground off the last line of defence.
At times in the first and second quarters, Gunston dragged Wilkie so deep into the Hawthorn forward 50 they were standing behind the goal line.
The Hawks showed their dominance and versatility by being able to rest five-goal forward Gunston for the final term.
This allowed Blake Hardwick to go forward and kick four in the last quarter – his second four-goal haul in two weeks.
Hawthorn were also buoyed by the long-awaited return of gun midfielder Will Day.
“We were pretty diligent with making sure that he didn’t play too much footy, and pleased that he got through unscathed and did some good things,” Mitchell said.
It was also an impressive night from the Hawthorn defence. Led by James Sicily (a game-high 33 disposals and 13 intercept possessions), Jarman Impey and Karl Amon, they kept St Kilda to under 10 goals for the match.
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