Footy Park’s most contentious free kick: the official verdict
As the final curtain falls on AAMI Stadium, InDaily asked the AFL umpires’ boss to review the most controversial decision in the ground’s history – the “free kick” that decided the 1978 SANFL grand final.
The decision has been debated and discussed for the past 35 years, and we hope this will be the final word on the decision that marked one of the most sensational grand finals in SANFL history.
Sturt were the frontrunners that year, boasting a powerful team that lost only one game during the season.
The Double Blues started strongly against Norwood, dominating the first quarter to lead 5.9 to 1.5.
Sturt’s wayward kicking continued in the second quarter, and they went into half-time with a 23 point lead. It should have been much greater.
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The third quarter was an arm wrestle, but Sturt extended its lead – again missing too many chances. Nevertheless, with a 29-point lead at three-quarter time, Sturt should have been confident of victory.
Norwood began the final quarter furiously with two goals in two minutes before Sturt replied. Another purple patch of three quick goals mid-way through the quarter saw the Redlegs hit the lead by three points.
After a period of goal-less struggle Sturt regained the lead at the 24-minute mark with a goal after a slick handpass.
At the 29-minute mark, a desperate Norwood launched a chaotic attack (view from about 55 seconds in the above video) and Sturt full-back Colin Casey scrambled a kick away from the last line of defence. It fell to Norwood wingman Phil Gallagher who, with his back to field umpire Des Foster, appeared to spill the ball.
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Foster awarded the mark (at the time, many observers assumed it was a free kick for something else), and Gallagher calmly slotted the goal.
Sturt attacked frenetically for the next three and half minutes, adding one behind to their tally to narrow Norwood’s lead to a solitary point.
The siren sounded with the ball deep in Sturt’s forward line and thus began decades of pain for Double Blues fans (far less gracious than their coach, Jack Oatey, a former Norwood man who told the club the victory “was to your everlasting credit”).
In honour of the last game at AAMI – the SANFL grand final this Sunday, which will again feature Norwood – we asked AFL umpires boss Jeff Gieschen to assess the Gallagher mark.
Below is his umpiring team’s verdict – may this be the last word on the matter.
“We have all quality assessed the ‘mark’.
“Des was probably unsighted due to the number of players in the vicinity. The ball travelled the required distance (10 metres in those days; now it is 15 metres). Des most likely saw the ball ‘taken’ but may not have seen it pop out. It looks as though he has gone too early with the whistle.
“Back in those days once you paid a mark you could not cancel and call ‘play on’. I am sure that if Des was able to do that then he would have called play on. (The rule changed to say umps can call play on if the player does not complete the mark when the ump goes too early with the whistle.)
“Interesting to note all the players in the vicinity kept playing which is often a give- away.
“The vision is very grainy and not 100% clear but it does appear the ball popped out. ‘PLAY ON’ best call.”
