The AFL’s Review System has come under fire after ARC was used more than 10 times during Thursday night’s clash between Carlton and Adelaide.
Former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley and Adelaide Premier League captain Mark Bickley called the overuse of the ARC a waste of time.
“It’s already lost its way,” Hinkley said of ARC on SEN.
“If you open it, you make a big mess. I think we’re overturning it.”
Hinkley said the review system was not being used in the way new AFL football boss Greg Swann had intended.
“It came down to the last touch rule, to keep the game going,” Hinkley said. “For now, it holds the game.”
Hinkley said referees and boundary judges should not waste time on controversial incidents.
One moment that stood out on Thursday night was Crows forward Alex Neal-Bullen’s decision to poke the ball through Ollie Florent’s leg to roll over the boundary line in full.
The referees were unsure, but after a brief delay, ARC awarded a free kick to Neal-Bullen.
“Just throw it away,” Hinkley said. “Just put the ball back in play.”
Adelaide chief Mark Bickley agreed with SEN, saying the ARC should not review ball incidents to “rub the bootstraps” before crossing the boundary line.
But Hinkley said he agreed to use ARC during the final quarter.
