The AFL has ruled out any breach in the final seconds of Collingwood’s round eight draw with Hawthorn after reviewing audio and vision from the incident, which had sparked a siren controversy nearly four weeks after the match. A Channel Seven report had suggested Hawthorn forward Jack Gunston may have become the Hawks’ 76th interchange, one more than the league’s 75-rotation limit, just before Dylan Moore kicked a goal after the siren to level the game. If that had been the case, the result could have swung to Collingwood through a free kick and a match-winning penalty.
After examining the footage and the interchange official’s records, the AFL said no further action would be taken. AFL executive general manager of football performance Greg Swann said the interchange official recorded Hawthorn at 74 rotations at the time, with Gunston listed as the 75th and final rotation. Swann added that, based on the video review, Gunston did not enter the field of play before the siren sounded. Synced vision supplied to AFL.com.au reportedly shows Gunston stepping onto the ground a split-second after the final siren, supported by footage from the interchange bench and the ARC.
The league stressed that the interchange official, not Champion Data, has the final authority on rotation counts during matches and is responsible for informing clubs throughout the game. In this case, clubs were required to follow the official league count. The AFL also noted that vision from early in the match showed a discrepancy between Champion Data and the interchange official’s live count, with Hawthorn making four rotations in one passage of play while the official logged only three. Even so, the AFL said Hawthorn remained within the count permitted by the league official and was entitled to make the late change involving James Sicily and Gunston.
The clarification ends speculation that the draw may have been decided by an interchange error. Instead, the AFL’s review confirmed that Hawthorn did not exceed the rotation cap and that Gunston’s arrival on the field occurred after the siren, meaning the tied result stands.
