Weekly Times | PAYNESVILLE Football Club was awarded the win for the Round 2 match against Boisdale-Briagolong in the East Gippsland Football League.
Paynesville appealed the result of the match on Saturday against Boisdale-Briagolong, which was initially deemed a draw, 12.10 (82) apiece.
The appeal was heard on Tuesday night.
The scores fiasco began at three-quarter time when the goal umpires incorrectly removed a goal from Paynesville on the scoreboard.
At the final siren Boisdale-Briagolong believed it had won the match by five points based on the scoreboard, but on review from the goal umpires, realising the initial error, the match was declared a draw.
There was also a discrepancy in the scorecards of the goal umpires and timekeepers for the fourth quarter.
The timekeepers recorded Paynesville scoring three behinds, compared to the goal umpires who scored them two behinds that term.
A review of footage from the final quarter confirmed that Paynesville had scored three points, but the goal umpires had only recorded two points because two behinds were scored in quick succession and the goal umpire at that end did not get the opportunity to mark the first behind of the two.
After Tuesday’s hearing the match result was revised to 12.11 (83) to 12.10 (82) and four match points awarded to Paynesville.
The umpires admitted at the hearing to their mistake of adjusting the scores at three-quarter time, but had also rewritten their cards.
The original cards that they were working off when the error were made could not be produced.
Boisdale-Briagolong president Mark Landy said there was not much the club, which joined the league this season from the North Gippsland league, could do to contest the decision.
“It was just disappointing that the goal umpires and timekeepers and scoreboard all had different results,” he said.
“It’s pretty disappointing when you’ve just changed leagues and that sort of thing happens to you.”
Paynesville president Wayne Barnes, who was one of the timekeepers but also an experienced umpire, said it was not uncommon to rewrite scorecards, but the umpires should have kept the old cards.
“Obviously the umpire made a mistake, he admitted his mistake at the tribunal, and we’ve got nothing against Boisdale-Briagolong or the umpires,” Barnes said.
“In the context of a footy season, especially with the league the way it is, it’s going to be a very close year and those two points are going to be very important at the end of the year.”
Boisdale-Briagolong was also been fined $200 for failing to mark the points allocation for two of their players — late inclusions to the side — under the league’s points system’s rules, and was not the only club to face the fine over the weekend.
Landy, who was not at Tuesday’s hearing, said he was “not happy” about the fines and the club has begun moves to appeal them.
League general manager Rod Twining said the goal umpire involved was “absolutely devastated”, and would not be penalised.
He said the issue of keeping the original cards was a matter the East Gippsland Umpires Association was addressing.
“This is not the AFL,” Twining said.
“He is embarrassed, he’s apologetic for what’s happened. It’s a mistake, a genuine mistake. We can’t drop them because we don’t have any other goal umpires.”
It was one of two football games in Gippsland whose results were left in the hands of the football administrators.
In the Ellinbank and District Football League, a headcount was conducted at the 15- minute mark of the third quarter between Warragul Industrials and Nilma Darnum.
It is understood a Dusties player was yellow carded, but not reported, and sent from the ground for 20 minutes, but another player went on the ground before that time elapsed. Ellinbank and District league secretary Ken Moore said Nilma Darnum asked for the headcount when the scores were 1.7 (13) to Warragul Industrials’ 13.9 (87).
Under AFL Victoria Country rules the matter is referred to the league.
Points are not wiped from the offending team on matchday. The match was recorded as a Dusties win, 22.19 (151) to 6.10 (46).
Moore said the board’s decision next Tuesday would likely affect the Dusties’ percentage, not match points because they outscored Nilma Darnum after the incident.