Chris Connolly, the Fremantle coach who once walked onto Aurora Stadium to stop a game continuing, said the move was purposely calculated to ensure an AFL investigation into the controversial “Sirengate” draw.
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Fremantle had led by a point back in 2006 against St Kilda when the clock had ticked down in the last quarter, but some umpires – and many players, fans and commentators – had failed to hear the final siren sound.
Umpire Matthew Nicholls bounced the ball to howls of Dockers players, with the ball ending up in the hands of St Kilda’s Steven Baker seconds later, whose shot at goal went through for a tying behind.
Nicholls awarded Baker a free kick after he was felled in his shot, drawing Connolly onto the ground to protest.
“It was calculated,” he said, approaching the 10-year anniversary of Sirengate.
“I have never really ever told anyone this, I immediately thought I have got to get on the ground. In the end that may cause an uproar.
“But I thought you’ve got more chance of the AFL investigating this if there’s an uproar over a coach being on the ground than if not.”
Baker would score a behind again, but Connolly said he wasn’t accepting of sharing the points after initially witnessing the final seconds elapse on a timeclock specifically located in the coaches’ box.
“So if we just let it go and there was no investigation, it was too easy to say ‘too bad, just move on’,” he said.
“So going on the ground was going to put me in focus and I could do it fairly.”
