‘Totally confused’: Controversy erupts as ‘gut feel’ score review call deemed ‘not good enough’

The AFL world has had its first touchy score review of the season, with commentators left puzzled by a decision to overturn a Bulldogs star’s goal late in a Friday night thriller.

The Bulldogs, without stars Marcus Bontempelli, Adam Treloar, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Cody Weightman, improved their record to 2-1 after defeating Carlton by eight points at Marvel Stadium.

But should the Dogs have gone down, a decision to overturn a Sam Darcy goal early in the fourth quarter might’ve drawn more scrutiny, according to triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown.

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Darcy showed off his terrific athleticism, crumbing the ball off a pack inside 50 then quickly snapping the ball towards goal on his left boot as star Carlton defender Jacob Weitering attempted to smother.

Despite Blues players being adamant Weitering had touched the ball – and Darcy appearing to be unsure whether it was a clean major and telling Bulldogs teammates to set up for a kick-in – the goal umpire signalled a goal.

But after two minutes of deliberation, the ARC determined “the Carlton player (Weitering) touches the ball”.

Legendary goalkicker Jason Dunstall was left perplexed by the decision.

“You can’t guess,” Dunstall said during Fox Footy’s broadcast. “You can’t see a finger bending.

“Could that be the sort of decision that decides the game? It’s probably the right decision, we’re just probably not 100 per cent sure on the evidence.”

Speaking on Fox Footy post-game, Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph said he’d spoken to Darcy about the incident after the game.

“It’s a bit unclear. He said: ‘I heard something, but Jacob Weitering … he claimed it was absolutely touched, but I thought it was a goal,’” Ralph told Fox Footy of his conversation with Darcy.

“Here’s the issue: It’s not good enough for gut feel. We need overwhelming evidence – and on the five or six angles there, there was just no evidence there that we could see (to overturn the call).”

Seven-time All-Australian Nathan Buckley post-match put it to Fox Footy commentator Gerard Whateley the ball still appeared to deviate after it’d left Darcy’s boot, despite no clear signs it’d touched Weitering’s fingers.

Whateley replied: “That’s not how the judgment came back. The judgment came back ‘you could see it touch the defender’s hand’.”

Ralph added: “And so I don’t think it’s good enough for the people in the hub to think: ‘On our 4K or 5K or 6K clarity view, we can see it.’ I think the punters, not in the stands but maybe looking up at the screen and those on their 4K TVs (at home), they need to see it as well – because right now I think we’re all totally confused.”

Brown declared “you can’t go with gut feel, it’s got to be conclusive”, adding it “would’ve been a huge talking point if the Dogs had lost”.

The AFL across the past 24 months has extensively trialled new ball-tracking technology – which alerts score assist officials when the footy crosses the goal line, hits the post or is touched in flight – firstly in the VFL/VFLW then in the 2024 AFLW season.

Whateley said that technology would’ve been handy in Friday night’s AFL game.

“So the microchip that’s in the ball – once we’re ready for that – will say it was touched by something and then you could marry it up and say: ‘The only thing it could’ve been touched by is the fingers,’” Whateley said.

“It probably was, but ‘probably’ hasn’t been the standard.”

Later in the fourth term, Bulldogs forward Aaron Naughton converted a set-shot snap – which appeared close to going over the top of a goalpost – to put his team in front.

Naughton celebrated and the goal umpire called it a goal straight away, despite some conjecture about whether it should’ve been deemed a behind.

“It was a brave goal umpire in front of the Carlton cheersquad,” four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis told Fox Footy.

“It probably went over the post, but it’s not the only thing that went the Dogs way.”

Buckley added: “This angle (behind the goals) look like it could be anywhere. Funnily enough the Carlton guys thought it was a point and the Bulldogs thought it was a goal! But you can’t be definitive with those above the post. You’ve got to take the goal umpire’s view.”

Fox Footy commentator Anthony Hudson declared in commentary: “You can’t overturn that.”