The main story of this game came after the game had ended, well depending on your definition of when a game ends, so I'll start at the end. Fremantle were one point ahead when the siren sounded. Unfortunately the umpires didn't hear the siren, and allowed play to continue for about 15 seconds. During that time, St Kilda kicked a point, to level the scores. After he had kicked the point, Baker was knocked over, and the umpires offered him the chance to take the kick again. He did so, and kicked a point again, leaving the score level. At about that stage the umpires decided the game was probably over, and decided the final score was a tie.
The Freo players had mostly heard the siren the first time, and were pretty much livid that the game had been allowed to continue. The club lodged an official complaint with the AFL. On Monday the AFL called a press conference to say that they would decide on the outcome on Wednesday. On Wednesday the verdict was that the AFL don't have the power to over-rule an umpiring mistake, but that in this case the mistake had come through the support systems - specifically that the siren had not been loud enough, and that the siren had not continued to sound until acknowledged by the umpires. The point of this argument was that Fremantle got awarded the win and the AFL closed off most avenues for appeal about bad umpiring decisions in other games.
This was yet another game was held down in Launceston. When the game was held two of the three miners trapped in nearby Beaconsfield had not been found. The body of Larry Knight had been found, and the worst was feared for the others. Before the game then, special recognition was given to that situation. and one of the affected kids stood next to Fraser Gehrig during teh pre-game formalities. The football-related pre-game news was that Aaron Hammill was out for the Saints, while Freo played without Longmuir and Medhurst.
Final Score : Fremantle 14.10-94 beat St Kilda 13.15-93
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