Another moment of madness from the game's officiators is sure to garner headlines this week, after a goal umpire was overridden by the ARC in the second quarter of the Eagles clash with the Saints at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Rowan Marshall appeared to mark the ball over the behind line, with the goal umpire paying a behind to St Kilda.
Play was then restarted for 50 seconds, before the signal came from the ARC that they were reviewing the play. After a lengthy deliberation period, the ARC deemed Marshall to have been inside the field of play when the mark was taken, gifting him a shot at goal from very close range.
The resulting goal seemingly changed the momentum of the game, with the Saints kicking the next four goals after the odd circumstances, significantly increasing their advantage over an Eagles side still experiencing teething issues in the new season. The outrage of passionate fans was only amplified by Marvel Stadium's closed roof, with their bemoanings picked up by television broadcasters.
Commentators were left stunned by the proceedings, with the overriding feeling being that the ARC overstepped its remit in disrupting play that had already been restarted, for something that seemed rather cut and dry, no less.
One such commentator, Liam Pickering, was strong on the farcical nature of proceedings, on AFL Nation's coverage of the match.
"You couldn't tell me he marked that inside the play (sic)," he said.
"How have they come up with this (decision)? Have a look at this garbage! That is ridiculous!"
The AFL will surely provide comment on the incident in due time.
