An AFL goal umpire has received a wave of praise from the football community after leaving fans in disbelief with a gesture during Sunday’s match between the Sydney Swans and Gold Coast Suns.
Goal umpire Taylor Mattioli was knocked down in the first quarter of the match at the SCG by Suns defender Sam Collins as Swans star Brodie Grundy shot at goal from outside the 50 – but it didn’t stop her prevented from making the right choice.
After consulting with the on-court referee, Mattioli said she believed the ball had been touched by a Suns player before crossing the goal line.
Replays quickly showed she made the right decision, with Jarrod Witts touching the football.
Mattioli’s excellent call from the deck received praise from football fans around the world.
Goal umpire Taylor Mattioli made a big call from the deck at the SCG on Sunday
Former football star Daniel Gorringe posted the clip on TikTok, saying: “Give that goal umpire a pay rise.”
Another user wrote: “Unreal dedication. I need more.
A third user replied: “This was the highlight of the game.”
High-octane Tom Papley helped inspire Sydney to a monster 53-point AFL win over Gold Coast at full-time.
Separated by 11 points at the main break, the Swans scored eight straight second-half goals to claim a 17.8 (110) to 8.9 (57) victory at the SCG.
It was quite an upset for the Suns, who had beaten Hawthorn by the same margin last week.
Papley was the star of Sunday’s performance, scoring three goals from 13 touches and thrilling the crowd of 35,649 when he bagged his third of the day, an elegant curling effort from the boundary line after scoring an exceptional dive.
“We just gave them the ball back, that was the reality,” Suns coach Damien Hardwick said.
“We tried to hit kicks that weren’t in our repertoire, and we just gave them easy goals.”
Sydney had no shortage of firepower as they passed the 100-point mark, with Joel Amartey (four goals), Sam Wicks (two) and Will Hayward (two) among their nine kickers.
Mattioli said she thought the ball was touched by a Suns player before crossing the goal line – and she was right
Footy fans have praised the goal referee, including calling for him to get a pay rise.
Errol Gulden 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 midfield bull 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 term, Bailey Humphrey scoring his second goal of the season before Jed Walters added another.
Walters drew the ire of the Swans faithful after receiving a mark near the byline in the back pocket, with the hosts arguing the ball had gone wide.
The inaccuracy denied Gold Coast greater reward for their efforts, with Nick Holman hitting the post before Jack Lukosius committed a huge kick.
“They had momentum. They had their tails up but they couldn’t get us the six,” Swans coach John Longmire said.
“Our defenders did a good job and were able to withstand that, and that makes a difference.
“Pressure and defense. Very simple.’
The Suns all but bid farewell to their away victory hopes when Sydney scored five unanswered goals in the third season.
Longmire’s side continued to build up to the final siren, with star recruit Brodie Grundy throwing his first major for the Swans in his 200th AFL game.