Adelaide Crows coach Matthew Nicks says he is keen to be part of any post-season talks about improvements to the AFL’s score review system, after his side was denied a goal, a possible victory and a chance at a finals berth by a controversial call late in his side’s match against Sydney.
Key points:
- Crows coach Matthew Nicks says he and the players are eager to put the result in the Swans game behind them
- Nicks says he is keen to be part of post-season discussions with the AFL
- He conceded that his side would not have been relying on the call had it performed better during the game
A free kick by midfielder Ben Keays that would have given the Crows the lead at Adelaide Oval was deemed to have brushed the goal post, just over a minute before the final siren in a game that the Crows lost by one point.
While subsequent replays revealed no contact, the AFL’s score review system was not used, and a behind instead of a goal was awarded.
The AFL acknowledged the mistake but said the result would stand, leaving Crows executives fuming, with CEO Tim Silvers describing the lack of a score review as “inexplicable” and chairman John Olsen lambasting what he described as an “appalling, inexcusable injustice”.
The Crows are now preparing to face West Coast in Perth on Saturday night, in what will be the final game of the season for both sides.
Crows coach Matthew Nicks was today adamant that he and the players were eager to put the result in the game against the Swans behind them, and firmly fix their focus on the Eagles.
But he acknowledged that, in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s game, he had given his side an outlet for its frustration, telling the players to express “whatever gets it off your chest”.
“I gave them a minute to vent and get out any anger they had, and we put a countdown timer on it and we said, ‘That’ll do’, and we moved on,” he said.
“And we moved on because it’s one of those things – you have a lot of disappointments during the year when you come off losses.”
While the goal-line decision has triggered calls for a revamp of the league’s score review protocols, Nicks said that was the “last thing I’m thinking about right now”.
But, when asked about any potential improvements to goal-line technology and the score review system, he said he was keen to be part of post-season discussions with the league.
“That’ll be something I look at, at the end of the year,” he said.
“I’ll sit down, no doubt with the AFL, and we’ll talk through what that needs to look like or what we think’s best going forward.”
Nicks was philosophical about Saturday’s decision, and conceded that his side would not have been relying on the call had it performed better at other points during the season.
“It’s not like finals were a guarantee – we still had a hell of a lot of work to do, and we still do,” he said.
“There’s no point living in the past. Get over it, move on. We’ve got to be better – I’d love for us not to leave it until the last minute of a game.
“This year’s been one where, looking back on those moments, it hasn’t necessarily been the moment that’s cost us – it’s been a quarter or a half of footy.”
Source: AFL NEWS ABC
