Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan believes Melbourne got an “unfair advantage’ as the AFL scrambled to restart their round-two game after a power outage.
The Lions’ 40-point lead was slashed to 11 when Friday night’s contest resumed after a long delay, with the Demons booting five unanswered goals once the lights were turned back on.
“We were told to stay in the rooms and then we found out that Melbourne had been out on the ground for five or so minutes warming up,” Fagan instructed SEN on Saturday.
“That was a little bit of an unfair advantage.”
AFL guidelines permit for video games to restart inside an hour of stoppage. Play was halted for 38 minutes on Friday evening – a break Fagan believes was “way too long”.
“If a game can’t be reconvened in 30 minutes, especially if it’s in the dying stages, then the game should be finalised and the result stands,” he stated.
“It’s a good thing for the AFL and the industry to discuss. Hopefully it doesn’t happen very often but we play football at night under lights, so I suppose it’s always a chance.”
A lone bulb caught hearth in a tower however power was restored and play resumed earlier than the 60-minute minimize off that might have handed Brisbane victory.
The hosts prevailed 14.9 (93) to 13.4 (82) – and with an enormous sigh of aid after conceding 5 unanswered targets as soon as play resumed.
“What a night, seriously,” Fagan stated, earlier than jokingly requesting to not be requested in regards to the ultimate 13 minutes.
“Thank goodness we won, because we did deserve to win on the night. We played particularly well until the game was stopped and we had them on the ropes to a degree.
“They were looking pretty tired, it was a really hot night up in Brisbane, and that half-an-hour break re-energised them a little bit.”
In eerie scenes, the gamers had stood on the bottom for a number of minutes earlier than heading inside as power slowly returned to the bottom. They reappeared about half-hour later to heat up and have been all of the sudden again underneath method.
It was a complicated sequence of occasions however not the primary time it’s occurred on the Gabba, with a Big Bash League fixture in 2019 ended early by a power outage.
In 1996, disgruntled followers lit fires on the floor and within the stands of Waverley Park when a blackout compelled St Kilda and Essendon’s conflict to be accomplished every week later. Three years later, the MCG scoreboard caught hearth.
There have been calmer scenes on the Gabba, although, as 30,047 cheery followers broke into track ready for a resumption.
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Earlier, the Lions, nonetheless smarting after a first-round hiding from Port Adelaide, shot out of the gates with six first-quarter targets whereas Demons star Max Gawn left the sport with a knee damage.
Brisbane upset the Demons in final yr’s semi-final and Fagan was eager to point out it was no “fluke”, particularly after their slack Adelaide Oval effort final Saturday.
Playing at half-forward, Dayne Zorko (22 touches, two targets, eight inside 50s, 4 tackles) confirmed how vital he stays to Brisbane after lacking spherical one, whereas Cam Rayner was electrical in defence and Will Ashcroft (31 touches) a midfield jewel in his second AFL recreation.
Rayner, Lachie Neale and Josh Dunkley helped Brisbane blow the Demons aside within the clearances, successful 60-32 and gathering 26 between them.
Early strain from Jarrod Berry helped prohibit Clayton Oliver to at least one first-half clearance, however the Demons star nonetheless completed with 37 disposals.
Ben Brown (4 targets) and Bailey Fritsch took their possibilities to get the Demons again inside 20 factors within the second quarter, however fast Charlie Cameron and Joe Daniher targets to start the second half snuffed them out.
Teams went goal-for-goal early however the Lions exploded late within the first quarter, notching 14-straight inside 50s.
With the forlorn Gawn icing his knee within the dressing room, Zorko, Ashcroft, Oscar McInerney and Daniher (4 targets) all hit the scoreboard to create an early 25-point lead.
“I love the will and the fight in our team,” Demons coach Simon Goodwin stated.
“There’s a lot to take out of that last 12 minutes … but Brisbane beat us in a few areas that are really critical to the game.”
AFL common supervisor of competitors administration Laura Kane stated the league will overview its dealing with of Friday evening’s drama however stated she was “really pleased with how last night rolled out”.
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