Suns coach left seething as controversial free kick seals match

The Saints held on for a three-point victory after Max King kicked the game-deciding objective due to a contentious free kick.

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With just a little over three minutes remaining within the contest, King was deep within the ahead line with Suns defender Mac Andrew.

Because the Saints launched ahead from the center of the bottom, an umpire blew his whistle and awarded a free kick to King.

Andrew had been penalised for holding the Saints star ahead on the prime of the sq., a good distance off the ball.

Though it appeared as if each gamers had been holding one another, Andrew was the one who was punished. It gifted King a uncommon shot at objective from straight in entrance, and it ended up being the ultimate rating within the Saints’ win.

Hardwick was not completely happy in any respect within the second as he was seen throwing his arms within the air and spoke out concerning the incident throughout his post-game press convention.

“It was clearly, for my part, a free kick that was unwarranted,” Hardwick mentioned.

“These guys are battling all day. The umpire calls it. That’s his job. However unwarranted for mine.

“There’s going to be contact, and incidental contact, on occasion.

“It’s a problem. The sport is extremely robust and we perceive that, however so long as they (umpires) are constant, that’s all we ask for.”

Hardwick agreed Andrew would most likely be devastated by the match-defining incident in what was a dour affair that solely produced 14 targets in whole.

“You journey the bumps and also you’ll be taught from it, you’ll get higher at it,” Hardwick mentioned.

“However when two guys are going toe-to-toe, one’s grabbing, the opposite one’s grabbing, it’s like, nicely, which manner do you go?

“He (umpire) was most likely solely one individual making an attempt to present away the free kick and it was the defender in order that’s life. We transfer on.”

The controversial free kick incident didn’t go down nicely with footy followers with Fox Footy’s Jack Riewoldt telling it like it’s in commentary.

“That’s completely not a free kick,” Riewoldt mentioned.

“(Hardwick) could be that and he’d be filthy.”

Luke Darcy in commentary for Channel 7 famous the free kick was paid “about 100 metres” off the ball.

As replays rolled, Geelong premiership captain Cameron Ling struggled to come back to phrases with the choice: “Little little bit of a tangle-up. I don’t like that. I’m not a fan of that in any respect,” Ling mentioned.

Ex-Essendon captain Jobe Watson added: “Lot of off-the-ball (touches) — each gamers doing it to one another. There wasn’t an apparent pull-back from Andrew on King.”

As for the sport itself, Hardwick described it as “horrible” and “horrific”, and understandably so.

Apart from the thrilling end, the competition actually was not one for the time capsule and featured sub-par expertise from each groups.

“It’s not a sport that I like to be sincere,” Hardwick mentioned.

“It was 125 uncontested marks (for Gold Coast) going backwards, sideways. We couldn’t discover a manner by.

“Credit score the place credit score’s due. They defended very well. It’s a distinct defence than we’ve been up in opposition to earlier than.

“We form of knew it was coming, however we simply didn’t deal with it too nicely.

“The Saints simply strangled us. They did an excellent job of that and received the sport on their phrases … that’s what (St Kilda coach) Ross (Lyon) does actually, very well.

“It’s a power of theirs and we knew it was going to be like this. We’ll be higher subsequent time but it surely’s irritating we let a sport slip.

“We should always’ve, might’ve, however didn’t win. We had our possibilities late however we’ve received to be higher than this and extra mature than this.”

– with Ronny Lerner, NCA Newswire