Sports
AFL acknowledges timekeeping error in St Kilda's win over GWS Giants
The Australian Football League confirmed a 29-second timekeeping error occurred during the second quarter of Saturday's match between St Kilda and the GWS Giants. This oversight, which was not immediately noticed by officials, led to the quarter concluding prematurely.
The Australian Football League (AFL) disclosed on Monday that a significant timekeeping error affected the round two game between St Kilda and the GWS Giants. Officials confirmed that 29 seconds were incorrectly removed from the clock during the second quarter of the match, which St Kilda ultimately won by four points. The League informed both clubs, St Kilda and the GWS Giants, about the discrepancy on Monday. An AFL statement confirmed that a technical problem caused the clock to advance from 29 seconds directly to zero after a goal scored by St Kilda's Max Hall. A subsequent review on Monday determined that these 29 seconds were not reinstated to the game time. The League indicated that officials operating the clock were not aware of the issue as it happened. The AFL plans to conduct further testing of its timing systems and will reinforce manual backup procedures with all timekeepers before the next round of games.
Key Facts
- The AFL confirmed a 29-second timekeeping error in the St Kilda versus GWS Giants match.
- The incident occurred during the second quarter of Saturday's game.
- After a goal by St Kilda's Max Hall, the countdown clock skipped from 29 seconds to zero.
- The missing 29 seconds were not added back into the game.
- League officials informed both St Kilda and the GWS Giants about the error on Monday.
- The AFL stated that timekeepers were not aware of the technical issue at the time it occurred.
- The League will re-test its timekeeping systems and review manual backup protocols for officials.
Primary Source
Research Sources
- afl.com.au — AFL concedes timeclock error in Giants-Saints thriller