Kane Cornes spoke on SEN SA Breakfast and believes its time for the AFL to introduce a similar power to challenge scores use in case the score review system fails.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse was the first to use a challenge flag in an NBA game on Wednesday, joining the NFL in letting coaches request that a play be reviewed.
“In the NFL, the coach has a challenge flag. If they don’t like a call, if they think it’s not a touchdown or they think a decision is wrong, they throw the flag and the game stops,” said Cornes.
“They go to a review in a bunker system – which the AFL now has – where the analyse the vision and it is either upheld or overturned.
“Now in the NBA there is a coaches challenge. One challenge per coach per game. You can challenge anything. Foul calls, goaltending, whatever.
“It got me thinking about our game. I think it is time that coaches have a challenge in the AFL.
“I think if it is only for a goal review because our game moves so quickly. It’s not as if you can challenge a free kick that isn’t there.
“Each coach should have one challenge for a score review in the AFL. I go back to the Preliminary Final which could have been an absolute disaster when a controversial Josh Thomas goal in the last quarter of that game was given a goal, the ball clearly showed it was touched by Lachie Keeffe and the AFL didn’t overturn it.
“If I’m Leon Cameron and I’m watching this replay of the goal being touched, I’m sending a message down to the bench saying throw the challenge flag, this has been touched.
“The game stops. They have more time to analyse the vision because this could have cost GWS a place in the Grand Final.
“I just think it’s time. The NBA and NFL are billion dollar businesses. All the big sports are doing it. They’re allowed to challenge a call. Our coaches just sit up there twiddling their thumbs.
“I like the drama of it too. Stop the game and get the decisions correct.”
Do you think this would work?
