Timekeeper back on job
17 June 2006 Herald Sun
Daryl Timms
THE timekeeper in the Round 5 siren fiasco at Aurora Stadium will back be in Tasmania for tomorrow's Hawthorn-Richmond clash.
Melbourne-based Max Harvey admitted he did not keep his finger on the button long enough for the umpires to hear the final siren in the St Kilda-Fremantle clash.
Although Fremantle had won the match at full time, the umpires allowed play to continue because they had not heard the siren.
The Saints drew the game in the illegal extra time, but the AFL Commission changed the result and awarded the four points to Fremantle.
AFL umpires boss Jeff Gieschen said last night Harvey had been allocated tomorrow's game when roster's were released at the start of the season.
``He was stood down for a couple of games but he wants to jump back on the horse and go back to Tasmania,'' Gieschen said.
Harvey took full responsibility for the error but Tasmanian-based timekeeper Noel McKenzie was also stood down.
Gieschen said because there had been no more games at Aurora Stadium since Round5, McKenzie was still having ``a spell''.
Aurora Stadium manager Robert Groenewegen said new sirens had since been installed and the timekeeper's box relocated to the fourth level of The Gunns Stand on the wing.
Groenewegen said it was still being decided whether the old sirens would be donated to a local museum or auctioned for charity.
He said tomorrow's game was likely to be a sellout, with 18,500 tickets already sold. The ground has a capacity of about 22,000.
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