Hawthorn Seeks AFL Answer After Nick Watson Disallowed Goal Afl in 52-Point Win

Hawthorn will ask the AFL for an explanation after the nick watson disallowed goal afl at the half-time siren in Thursday night’s 52-point win over St Kilda. Umpires called play on before Watson kicked the ball, ruling he had run off his line.

Sam Mitchell said the club would take the decision to the AFL after the match. Watson had thought he had kicked Hawthorn’s ninth consecutive goal to open the contest, only for the call to stop the score at the exact moment the siren sounded.

Mitchell Wants An Answer

Mitchell did not hide his view of the call. “We'll certainly be going to the AFL to ask about it. It makes sense to me that that is a rule on the other side of the ground. As a right-footer, there is absolutely no reason that a player would go wider to give themselves an advantage, and that's what the rule is there for,” he said.

He said the vision did not support the umpire’s reading. “And it makes sense, but the vision doesn't look like he goes off his line much, but that's the umpire's call and I can accept that. But the fact that you can go off the line towards the boundary and it be called play on... there's no common sense about that.”

Mitchell added that Hawthorn has received answers and adjustments before when it has raised an issue with the league. “So, I would hope that we get an answer from the AFL, and I'm sure we will, they've been very good at giving us answers and giving us adjustments, they've done that really well. When something doesn't make sense, they fix it pretty quickly. So, why would he run wider to give himself a harder shot and it get called play on? Didn't make a lot of sense.”

Watson After The Siren

Watson did not hold back when asked about the decision in a Fox Footy interview after the game. “Don't get me started... they're pretty keen to get the whistle out,” he said.

He then checked himself before going further. “Actually, I won't say anything about the umpires, I might get a fine.”

Hawthorn’s Wider Night

The call sat inside a one-sided result, with Hawthorn finishing 52 points clear of St Kilda on Thursday night. Mitchell said that margin made the disputed moment easier to absorb because “individual tiny scores didn't matter,” but he still wanted the league to address how the running-off-the-line rule is being applied.

There was one other team note from the night. Jack Gunston was benched for the final quarter for preservation while he works back from a foot injury, and Conor Nash was withdrawn before the game with a neck concern after a spasm during the week. Mitchell expected Nash to be available for next week’s fixture against the Western Bulldogs.