AFL boss is open to player’s call on goal reviews

AFL:

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan wants players to take responsibility towards the accuracy of game-day goal reviews.

A cricket-style captain’s call is high on the league’s off-season agenda amid continued “human error” blunders.

The AFL would, however, look to cap the number of reviews in an aggressive bid to make the “right decisions”.

“Putting some responsibility on the players involved, declaring they touched it or they didn’t, I think would help to then look at it with more time and more dispassionately rather than reviewing every decision,” McLachlan yesterday.

“I don’t know whether we’ll get there or not but it’s certainly something that’s been discussed internally as a way to actually help in a process way to make sure we make the right decisions all the time.”

In cricket, each team has said two unsuccessful referrals to dispute a decision, while tennis players get three Hawk-Eye challenges in each set at grand slam level.

McLachlan acknowledged AFL Review Centre officials erred under “pressure” when looking at Josh Thomas’s goal during the last quarter of Collingwood’s preliminary final loss. Officials were not convinced “beyond reasonable doubt”, contrary to replays of the incident, the ball was touched off the boot.

“Whenever there are people involved I accept, under pressure, people make mistakes,” McLachlan said.

“We’re accountable for it and it was a mistake, I understand it, albeit I’m disappointed.”

While not aware of how much had been spent on ARC, league chief McLachlan boldly pledged an “endless bin” of money to help officials make the right decisions.