- Goalkeeper Taylor Mattioli was knocked down in Sunday’s match
- The referee still managed to make the correct decision from the gavel.
- Fans praised the referee for his amazing act.
An AFL goal umpire has received an outpouring of praise from the football community after leaving fans in disbelief with a move in Sunday’s match between the Sydney Swans and the Gold Coast Suns.
Goalkeeper Taylor Mattioli was brought down in the first quarter of the game at the SCG by Suns defender Sam Collins when Swans star Brodie Grundy fired on goal from outside the 50, but that didn’t stop him. prevented you from making the right decision.
After consulting with the on-field referee, Mattioli said he believed the ball had been touched by a Suns player before crossing the goal line.
Replays soon showed he had made the right decision, and Jarrod Witts touched the ball.
Mattioli’s excellent decision from the deck earned praise from football fans everywhere.
Goal referee Taylor Mattioli made a great call from the terrace at the SCG on Sunday
Former soccer star Daniel Gorringe posted the clip on TikTok and said: “Give this goal referee a pay rise.”
Another user wrote: ‘Unreal dedication. I need more of this.’
A third user responded: “That was the highlight of the game.”
High-octane Tom Papley helped inspire Sydney to a 53-point AFL victory over Gold Coast at full-time.
Separated by 11 points at the main break, the Swans scored eight consecutive second-half goals to claim a 17.8 (110) to 8.9 (57) victory at the SCG.
It was quite a turnaround for the Suns, who had beaten Hawthorn by the same margin last week.
Papley was the star of Sunday’s performance, scoring three goals in 13 touches and thrilling the crowd of 35,649 when he bagged his third of the day, a classy effort from the boundary after achieving an excellent diving mark.
“We just gave them the ball back, that was the reality,” Suns coach Damien Hardwick said.
“We tried to take shots that weren’t in our repertoire and we just gave them easy goals.”
Sydney had no shortage of firepower as they surpassed the 100-point mark, with Joel Amartey (four goals), Sam Wicks (two) and Will Hayward (two) among their nine kickers.
Mattioli said he believed a Suns player had touched the ball before crossing the goal line, and he was proven right.
Football fans have praised the goal referee, including calls for him to get a pay rise.
Errol Gulden once again starred in the engine room with 30 touches and was well supported by Isaac Heeney (28) and Justin McInerney (26).
Sam Flanders, in his 50th game, worked hard in the Suns backline to lead the game with 34 touches, while midfielder Matt Rowell (15 contested possessions, 12 tackles) played like a man possessed.
Amartey, Papley and Heeney punished the Suns for their poor defense by scoring the first three goals.
But the Swans fell asleep in the second period, with Bailey Humphrey scoring her second goal of the season before Jed Walters added another.
Walters earned the ire of the Swans faithful after he was tagged near the boundary line in his back pocket, with the hosts arguing the ball had gone completely out.
The inaccuracy denied Gold Coast further reward for their effort, with Nick Holman hitting the post before Jack Lukosius committed an atrocious kick.
‘They had momentum. They had their tails up, but they couldn’t put the six on us,” Swans coach John Longmire said.
“Our defenders did a good job and were able to withstand that, and that makes the difference.
‘Pressure and defense. Very simple.’
The Suns all but said goodbye to their hopes of a road victory when Sydney scored five unanswered goals in the third period.
Longmire’s team continued to push forward until the final siren, with star recruit Brodie Grundy kicking his first major for the Swans in his 200th AFL game.
