The St Kilda and Fremantle Football Clubs are two Australian rules football clubs in the Australian Football League, known for the many controversies which have occurred in matches between them. Contests between the two clubs since Fremantle's admission in 1995 have a particularly high frequency of controversial and unusual events.
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During the first quarter of the teams' Round 15, 1999 match at Subiaco Oval, veteran field umpire Peter Carey (umpiring in his 299th game) took a chest mark in general play. Carey took the mark instinctively, after a short pass from Fremantle's Adrian Fletcher to Brad Wira travelled directly into Carey's path. Carey stopped play and called a ball-up. The humorous incident was celebrated as one of the 150 Greatest Moments in the history of the sport in 2008.[1]
The Round 21, 2005 match between the teams at Subiaco Oval was crucial to the finals aspirations of both teams. Fremantle won the match by five points when Justin Longmuir kicked a goal after the siren. Fremantle had mounted a small comeback in the final quarter and were assisted by several contentious umpiring decisions going Fremantle's way during the quarter.
On the flight home from Perth, field umpire Matthew Head was overheard by Nine Network commentator Tony Jones and several other passengers to have said "now I know what it feels like to have a victory" – a controversial statement in the context of a close match widely thought to have been influenced by Head's umpiring. The AFL investigated and exonerated Head of any wrongdoing or corruption. The conversational context of the comment is unknown.[2]
The teams' Round 5, 2006 match at Aurora Stadium in Launceston was one of the most controversial matches in AFL history. Fremantle led St Kilda by one point when the final siren sounded; but, the siren was barely audible, and while some players heard it, the umpires did not and play continued. Before the final siren was blown again (and this time heard by the umpires), a free kick was paid to St Kilda's Steven Baker in his forward line; he kicked a behind after the second siren, and the game concluded as a draw.
Fremantle lodged an official protest against the result. Three days after the match, the AFL upheld Fremantle's protest, removing Baker's point from the score and confirming Fremantle as one-point winners. The AFL ruled that the timekeeper had failed to perform his duty to sound the siren until it was acknowledged by the umpire.[2]
In the teams' Round 20, 2007 match at Telstra Dome, Fremantle's Jeff Farmer was felled off-the-ball by St Kilda's Steven Baker, in an incident that was off the ball. The incident not captured by any cameras; this meant that, unusually for a modern incident, the entire tribunal hearing was based on witness testimony.
Baker received an extremely heavy suspension of seven weeks – although technically, it was a suspension of four weeks for the incident, which was increased to seven due to Baker's existing poor tribunal record. The suspension was considered excessive for an incident with no video evidence.[3]
In the teams' 2010 NAB Cup semi-final, heavy storms in Melbourne damaged the roof at Docklands Stadium, which almost led to the match being cancelled. Eventually the match started late and was played in front of a crowd of only around 5,000.[2]
On Thursday, September 15, 2011, shortly after St Kilda's elimination from the 2011 finals series, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon suddenly signed a four-year deal to coach Fremantle, leaving Fremantle coach Mark Harvey abruptly and unexpectedly sacked. Both Lyon and Fremantle coach Mark Harvey had one year remaining on their contracts, with Lyon exercising a get-out clause, and Fremantle paying out Harvey's final year. It later emerged that Fremantle had head-hunted Lyon to take over after both coaches' existing contracts had expired at the end of 2012, but that when it was discovered that Lyon get-out clause, the possibility of an immediate move was discussed.
The coaching change was a surprise throughout the football world, as there had been no media speculation or reporting on any potential change prior to it occurring. As Lyon and Harvey were both managed by the same company, Elite Sport Properties, Lyon carried out the negotiations without his management's knowledge; in fact, his management had been actively negotiating a contract extension with St Kilda at the same time. The aftermath of the decision saw hurt feelings at both St Kilda Football Club and for Mark Harvey, neither of whom knew anything about the deal until it was done. There was a backlash from many in the football world about the way the deal was done, and particularly about the manner in which Harvey was treated by the Fremantle Football Club.[4]
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