AFL siren controversy
The AFL siren controversy, informally known as Sirengate, was the controversial conclusion and result of an Australian rules football match played on 30 April 2006 during round 5 of the Australian Football League's 2006 season. The match was played between the St Kilda and Fremantle Football Clubs at Aurora Stadium (then the sponsor name of York Park) in Launceston, Tasmania.
2006 AFL Premiership Season | ||||||||||||||||
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Date | 30 April 2006 | |||||||||||||||
Stadium | Aurora Stadium | |||||||||||||||
Attendance | 15,282 | |||||||||||||||
Umpires | Vozzo, Kennedy, Nicholls | |||||||||||||||
Broadcast in Australia | ||||||||||||||||
Network | Nine Network | |||||||||||||||
Commentators | Dennis Cometti, Dwayne Russell, Michael Roberts, Dermott Brereton |
When the final siren sounded, Fremantle was leading by one point; however, the umpires did not hear the siren, and play continued for around 10 seconds, during which time St Kilda scored a point to tie the match. Four days later, the AFL Commission determined that the match should have been ended when the first siren sounded and St Kilda was stripped of its last behind, resulting in the victory and the full four premiership points being awarded to Fremantle.
It was only the second time in VFL/AFL history that the score and result of a game was changed on protest, with the first occurring 106 years earlier.