Sirengate
| 2006 AFL Sirengate | ||||||||||||||||
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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 | |||||||||||||||
The AFL siren controversy (dubbed Sirengate) surrounded the 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.
When the final siren sounded, Fremantle were leading by one point but 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. As a result of this St Kilda were stripped of the last behind and the two competition points for a draw that they had received. The victory and the full four points for a win were 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 previously.
The match was played between St Kilda and Fremantle at Aurora Stadium in Launceston, Tasmania. Both teams went into the match with two wins and two losses and many media commentators had commented on the importance of the match to both teams.
The two teams had developed an intense rivalry in recent seasons, with a number of controversial games between the two teams ending in very close margins. The previous match between the clubs, at Subiaco Oval, had been highly controversial with Fremantle coming from behind to win by five points after Justin Longmuir took a mark with seconds left in the match and then kicked a goal after the siren. Numerous contentious free kicks in the match had angered Saints fans and the anger was intensified by the subsequent "Whispers in the Sky" controversy. The match before that, held at Aurora Stadium, was won by St Kilda by one behind, scored by Aaron Hamill in the final minute following a contentious holding the ball decision.
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