What's the point? Power out after controversial score review

THERE’S been a sensational finish to the First Semi-final between Wonthaggi Power and Warragul at Leongatha on Sunday with a gallant Wonthaggi team on the wrong side of a controversial finish to the match.

With the scoreboard at Wonthaggi 13.4.82 to Warragul’s 12.9.81, the Gull’s goal-kicking machine Jed Lamb marked the ball with only seconds to go and had the chance to ice the game with a goal but he narrowly missed.

The scoreboard then had the scores locked with Wonthaggi 13.4.82 and Warragul 12.10.82 but since the three-minute mark of the last quarter, when it appeared as if Wonthaggi had rushed a behind – the scoreboard was wrong – by a point.

Working on the impression that they were 14 points in front at the 20 minute mark of the last quarter, after a sensational goal by Kaj Patterson, Wonthaggi had a keen eye on defending the margin, and threw their bodies in without regard for injury, as the minutes ticked away.

Cooper McInnes was a casualty of that, limping from the ground with a possble knee injury after a contested marking attempt.

But a mark by captain Tom Hobbs got the ball forward to Jed Lamb and he made no mistake, cutting the margin to eight.

A goal saving tackle by Ethan Dickison was another heroic effort, similar to the efforts of players all over the ground.

But Warragul was coming and Jordan Stewart took a mark on their next forward thrust and kicked truly – two points the difference at the 26-minute mark (but actually only one).

A stinging tackle by Blair stopped the Gulls’ next effort but a snap by Liam Serong brought up another point – making it one point the difference (but actually level).

Tom Stern to Vinnie Caia and finally Jed Lamb, with only seconds to go looked ominous for Wonthaggi but he kicked only a point when he could have won the game.

The ball went forward from the kick out and the siren sounded, signaling, everyone thought, two additional sessions of extra time.

The players went to the boundary line for a reset, but wait, the umpires were conferring in the centre, they spoke to the umpires and then advanced on the scoreboard and took one of the points off Wonthaggi’s total.

Incredibly, it was actually a win to Warragul on the basis of Lamb’s errant shot for goal.

But as the commentators from TRFM said, Wonthaggi might have played those final minutes differently if they’d known Warragul was closer than they were.

In reality tough, Wonthaggi’s players could not have played with more desperation, after losing defensive dynamo Issac Chugg as a late withdrawal before the match, Brodie Mabilia, who was best afield until succumbing to a reoccurrence of his hamstring injury late in the first quarter, and then Cooper McInnes, deep into the last quarter, when he competed for a mark. His contest up forward was sorely missed in the closing stages.

The truth is that Wonthaggi had played out of their skins to put on eight goals to two in a withering first quarter and they put everything on the line to maintain and defend that advantage throughout but with troops falling around them, they just couldn’t quite hold Warragul out and it’s the Gulls and not Power that stays alive in the premiership hunt.

Leongatha will now play Warragul and not their near neighbours in the preliminary final at Sale next Saturday, where locals would have loved to see those two rivals face off in another final for maximum appeal.

It’s not going to happen now, but Wonthaggi lost nothing where their fans and the wider football community are concerned, for the way they fought out the season and the finals after losing some key players along the way.

Doesn't feel right, says Wonthaggi Power coach

Wonthaggi Power Coach, Tristan Francis said afterwards that the way the game was decided "just didn't feel right" after the teams played with the wrong score for much of the last quarter.

The Sentinel-Times spoke to Francis and one of the Power’s best on the day, Jack Blair, afterwards.

• So, Tristan, did you realise what the situation was with the score at the end or not?
• We had no idea. It's a bitterly disappointing way to go out when you play the whole last quarter with that score on the board, and then yeah, we get to the point where it's a draw, and then for them to pull point off us, it really doesn't feel right. But yeah, there's nothing we can do about it now.
• So, do you know exactly where the mistake with that point occurred?
• Yeah, early in the last quarter where a free kick was given. The ball went through. The umpire signalled a point, but they paid a free kick. So it was, yeah. It went through for a point for us. Coop McInnes was shepherding it on the line and it went through for us but then they paid a free kick against Coop.
• What did you think about the way your boys played overall?
• Yeah, really happy with the way we played. We set the game up how we wanted to with a good start. We know Warragul will always. continue to surge and fight it out. They've got good players, Lamb, Masterson and plenty of others. Yeah, we knew they would always come. We ended up two down on the bench, which doesn't help.

Francis spoke about losing Brodie Mabilia late in the last quarter and McInnes in the last quarter but was full of praise for the way the team stood up on the day.

Has praised Jack Blair for his contribution on the day, up forward and around the stoppages, taking some key marks and setting up some goals.

“It was a different role but exactly what we wanted from him,” he said.

Speaking about the controversial result, Blair said neither he nor the rest of the players had any idea what was coming.

He went on to praise the group’s resolve, not only in Sunday’s match but also in the past month.

“Yeah, really proud of all the boys and how they went about it, up against it probably the last month, really, with some of our injuries and key boys going down, so just to pull together and just bring that energy and effort like that today was pretty pleasing,” he said.

We were getting set up for extra time, said Gary Ayres

Coach of Warragul, Gary Ayres, said his group was getting set for extra time when assistant reserves coach Scott Kelly alerted him to a discrepancy with the scores

• Did you know what the score was at the end there, Gary?
• No idea. We were all getting set up to go through the extra play or extra time, and our assistant reserves coach came over and he said there was a point that was given down that end but we actually ended up getting a free kick, and they'd actually put it onto the score. So, he said, we've actually won by a point. Then we had to wait for the umpires to go over to the scoreboard, and then of course, I did actually see a couple of the goal umpires shaking hands with the umpires, and I thought, well, he's obviously right. You know, we won by a point. Then of course I looked up at the score, and yeah, we won by a point.
• I don't know what happened, I didn’t see it but a couple of people said that a free kick was paid to I think Paddy Mulqueen yeah and for some reason they thought it was a point. Paddy obviously got the free kick so it's all a bit weird, as in that something like that can occur in a game that runs for 120 minutes. But you know, we're obviously pleased. But I feel for Tristan, because I obviously coached Tristan at Port Melbourne, and he's done a wonderful job.

Ayres paid tribute to Wonthaggi for their start in the match, and the way they fought it out despite being "a bit banged up" but also “immensely proud of my boys”.

“They just showed so much character and so much heart to be able to stay in the game and not get frustrated. We end up sitting here and we go on for another week at least.”

He said the team would enjoy the win, have a light week on the track with a six-day turnaround and get ready for “a formidable foe in Leongatha” next Saturday.

He was general in his praise for the way his team kept coming, turning it around at the stoppages after quarter time, for their commitment in defence and up forward but ultimately singled out Whibley, Senini, Hobbs, Masterson, Stewart. Mulqueen, Serong and Jed Lamb.