Match Reports, Round 6, Sunday June 16 at The Fearon, Williamstown

Division 4:

Williamstown 3.3 (21) 4.5 (29) 7.8 (50) 8.8 (56)
Mazenod 0.0 (0) 2.4 (16) 3.4 (22) 6.5 (41)

RESERVES Coach Lainey Crofts said after the game: “Round 6 saw a confident Division 4 side head out onto the ground with Laurie leading the way as game day captain. Some great team play, straight kicking, chase down tackles as well as some brave moments when putting their bodies on the line helped to lead the Seagulls to a two goal victory over Mazenod.”

The Reserves now sit in third place on the ladder, and with continued practice and commitment, under Lainey’s guidance, they look well positioned to make the finals.

Division 1:
Williamstown 3.3 (21) 3.3 (21)
Mt Waverley 0.1 (1) 0.1 (1)
The Division 1 game was stopped 3 minutes before half time, due to an accidental injury to a Mt Waverley player, Matthew Saunders. St John’s Ambulance staff were in attendance and decided to call an Emergency Ambulance.
Negotiations between the umpire, Mt Waverley and Williamstown saw agreement that if time was available, shortened quarters would be played. At 1.40PM, it was agreed that as the Ambulance was still in attendance, and the umpire had another engagement, that the match could not proceed.
As FIDA does not have a specific rule for this situation, we follow the general AFL rule for all football competitions in Australia.
AFL Victoria’s Disability Programs Manager Scott Nicholas explained “I just wanted to confirm the result of the match on the weekend will be a draw, with the scores 21-1 standing for teams for and against. Please note the below has been taken from the 2019 Laws of Australian Football.

If you have any further questions or concerns please let me know.”

11.1.2 Incomplete Match
If a Match is unable to commence or continue within the time scheduled for the Match for reasons beyond the control of either Team (including circumstances where it is unsafe for the Match to proceed), the following shall apply:
(a) Match not commenced: The result of a Match which is unable to commence for reasons beyond the control of either Team shall be determined by the Controlling Body.
(b) Prior to half time: If a Match has commenced but is not able to proceed at any time prior to half time, the Teams shall depart from the Arena. If the Match is unable to recommence within a 30 minute period, the Match shall be deemed to be drawn and the scores of the Teams at the time the Match was interrupted shall be used in calculating the percentage of each Team.
© Half time & beyond: If the half time interval has been reached and the Match is unable to proceed at any time, the Teams shall leave the Arena, or in the case of half-time, not return to the Arena. If the Match is unable to recommence within a 30 minute period, the scores of the Teams at the time the Match was interrupted shall be deemed to be the final scores of the Match. The Team with the highest score shall be deemed the winner of the Match and the scores shall be used in calculating the percentage of each Team.
(d) Match not able to proceed: Unless otherwise determined by a Controlling Body, a field Umpire shall, having regard to the health and safety of the Players and any other relevant circumstances, determine whether a Match is unable to commence or proceed. A field Umpire must determine that a Match is unable to commence or proceed for such time as lightning is present at or Within the Immediate Proximity of the Arena where the Match is being conducted, in line with the AFL Extreme Weather Policy outlined in the Member Protection Policy.
(e) Recommencing of Play: Where a Team is directed to recommence play by a field Umpire and the Team fails, refuses or neglects to recommence play, the Team shall be deemed to have forfeited the Match, in which case Law 11.2 shall apply.
(f) The Controlling Body may vary the length and scheduling of the intervals to suit practical circumstances.

While this is extremely disappointing from our club’s point of view in this situation, a strong feature of our football philosophy since 2011 has been that we accept and respect the Umpire’s decision. In this case, the ‘Umpire’ is the 2019 Laws of Australian Football document, and we must abide by it.
It is also important to recognise that player safety is of the highest imperative. Under no circumstances must a player’s health or well-being on the football field be placed in jeopardy. The two clubs, the St John’s Ambulance, and the Emergency Ambulance all took a conservative approach to dealing with the player’s injury, and that is the way it should always be.
This means that with 4 rounds to go, we are sitting in fourth position on the ladder, one game behind Mt Waverley. To achieve our goal of finishing in the top two, we must make sure that we win our games against Parkside in Round 7, and Wyndham in Round 10. We must also defeat Ferntree Gully in the Dan Oakley Memorial game in Round 9, and give our it best shot when taking on Kananook in Round 8.
If we can win 3 out of these 4 games, and Ferntree Gully beat Mt Waverley in Round 8, we can finish in second or third spot, poised for finals. We need to have a big commitment from players to get to training to make sure we are fit and firing as a team in the next few matches.
Remember, “Go Long With The Wind”.

Location

The Fearon Reserve, Williamstown