Hawthorn will ask the AFL for an explanation after Nick Watson's goal on the half-time bell was disallowed in Thursday night's 52-point win over St Kilda, turning what the forward thought was his side's ninth consecutive goal into a disputed officiating call.
Watson ran in for a set shot after the second-quarter siren and believed he had kicked Hawthorn's ninth straight goal to open the match. Umpires ruled play on before he kicked the ball, judging that he had run off his line, and the score was overturned.
Coach Sam Mitchell said the club would take the matter to the AFL, arguing the vision did not appear to show Watson straying far from his line. He said there was “no common sense about that” and added that he expected an answer because the league has been willing to give Hawthorn explanations and adjustments when something does not make sense. Mitchell said: “We'll certainly be going to the AFL to ask about it. It makes sense to me that that is a rule on the other side of the ground. As a right-footer, there is absolutely no reason that a player would go wider to give themselves an advantage, and that's what the rule is there for,” and: “And it makes sense, but the vision doesn't look like he goes off his 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.”
He later said, “So, I would hope that we get an answer from the AFL, and I'm sure we will, they've been very good at giving us answers and giving us adjustments, they've done that really well. When something doesn't make sense, they fix it pretty quickly. So, why would he run wider to give himself a harder shot and it get called play on? Didn't make a lot of sense.” Watson was blunter when asked about the ruling, saying, “Don't get me started... they're pretty keen to get the whistle out,” before adding, “Actually, I won't say anything about the umpires, I might get a fine.”
The disputed moment sat inside a strong night for Hawthorn, which controlled St Kilda and pulled away to a 52-point margin. Mitchell also confirmed Jack Gunston was benched for the final quarter as part of his return from a foot injury, saying the issue remained “a little bit unknown,” while Will Day got through his allocated minutes unscathed.
Conor Nash was withdrawn before the match after a neck concern linked to a spasm during the week, but Mitchell expects him to be available for next week's fixture against the Western Bulldogs. The broader backdrop to the night was St Kilda's limp opening half, with Ross Lyon calling it a team-wide failure after the Saints followed a plan to curb Hawthorn's intercept game but instead produced an error-ridden start and failed to kick a goal. Lyon said that included himself and his coaching panel.
For Hawthorn, the main focus now is the ruling itself. The club wants the AFL to explain why a shot that appeared to come from close to the line was taken off the board, and the answer may say as much about the league's interpretation of the rule as it does about Watson's kick.
