Former AFL umpire Shane McInerney has recalled two decisions made during his career that leave him with both positive and negative memories.
McInerney umpired over 500 matches between 1994 and 2019 in a career that provided plenty of instances where he would have felt either vindicated or regretful for the decisions he made.
The decision that lives on in a positive sense is one made in 2009 when Collingwood’s Jack Anthony was awarded a late off-the-ball free kick after he was held by Adelaide defender Ben Rutten.
It is a call McInerney, who has umpired the most AFL games, remains proud of to this day.
“We’ll start with the positive. Perhaps Collingwood and Adelaide, second Semi-Final in 2009,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“Jack Anthony, free kick, kicks a goal, beats Adelaide with 10 seconds left to go. It was a hold off the ball.
“I was looking where the ball wasn’t, which umpires should do. That got the big tick, which was good.”
Commentators Stephen Quartermain and Robert Walls agreed with the decision at the time.
“Great call from the umpire. Brave decision but a right one,” Quartermain said on the Channel 10 broadcast.
Walls added: “He held his arm, no doubt about that.”
It was the decision that spurned the viral “Right in front of me” video of an irate Crows fan.
The decision that comes back to haunt McInerney occurred in the 2005 Qualifying Final between West Coast and Sydney.
The Eagles trailed the Swans by nine points halfway through the final term when Swans midfielder Brett Kirk was awarded a free kick for too high. West Coast’s Tyson Stenglein stood the mark as Kirk went back to take the kick in Sydney’s defensive 50.
As Kirk’s teammate Leo Barry ran past to block, Stenglein came off his mark to make contact with Barry, however, McInerney blew the whistle.
McInerney can be heard on the broadcast at the time: “Shepherd off the footy and a free.”
He added on SEN Breakfast: “One that still comes back to haunt me is the Qualifying Final of 2005, West Coast v Sydney at Subiaco Oval.
“Where we paid a free kick late in the game that wasn’t there and Tyson Stenglein slots it from 50 metres out. He’s never kicked that far in his life but he put it through for a goal and rubs our nose in it.”
Stenglein went back and nailed the goal to put the Eagles within three points in a game they would go on to win by four points.
Commentator Tim Lane said on the broadcast: “This is controversial this decision. That is controversial to say the least.”
However, the Swans exacted revenge by beating the Eagles by four points in the Grand Final just a few weeks later as Barry made amends with his now famous match-saving mark.