Goal shooter Caitlin Bassett has had her say on the controversial end to the GIANTS draw with the Perth Fever on Saturday.
Bassett had successfully shot a goal at the end of the game that would have given the GIANTS the win, however it was waved away by the umpire, despite the in-stadium and TV broadcast clock showing time still remaining.
In a post on her official Facebook page, the Australian captain has had her say on the incident and called for changes to the way the official time is displayed on game day:
With bonus points up for grab in each quarter teams are fast learning the value of playing smart. Every second becomes precious as we calculate which balls to contest and how long we can play the ball around for. At training we work on our timing right down to the millisecond.
In the game on Saturday we took possession of the ball on a back line throw in with 26 seconds left on the clock; plenty of time to score a match-winning goal. Fever had the next centre pass, so we knew we had to be smart – score too quickly and it would give them the opportunity to equalise.
With twelve seconds to go the ball reached our attacking third and still we were patient, understanding the importance of keeping possession.
With five seconds on the clock the ball lands in my hands and I am confident knowing there is enough time to score and stop the reply goal from the opposition.
It is not until the goal is through the ring do I look and I see the umpire signal for no goal. The umpire’s timer and the stadium clock were not in sync.
As a player, to have no clear idea of the exact time left in a game is extremely frustrating. I’m in no way blaming the umpires or match officials; we led the entire game and had opportunities to push out the margin but failed to capitalise.
So, when a game is tight in the final minutes how can we be certain of how much time is actually on the clock?
When games get tight umpires start holding time for penalties, balls going out of court and balls back to the centre pass to stop deliberate delays.
This is when discrepancies start to creep in between the umpire’s clock and the main score clock. In numerous other sports the umpires clock is visible or directly linked to a team’s coaching box and score bench.
Netball must follow suit.
I would love to see a large and easily visible LED clock on the officials’ bench that shows the exact umpires’ clock. This would help players who often can’t see the time or score when it is positioned above the middle of the court.
It would also allow fans and broadcasters to accurately count down the dying seconds of a match. With amazing talent and incredible athleticism in our league, closely fought matches are thrilling for both players and fans however, incidents like the one on Saturday night can leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
No doubt there will be a push for all games to be played to a result next season, but for now with the rules how they stand, the competition needs to make sure measures are put in place to ensure incidents like the one on Saturday night don’t continue to happen.
Don’t miss the second instalment of The Derby when we take on Swifts at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday 16 June 3pm for state bragging rights. Click here to Secure your seats from Ticketek.
