'You've killed me with that': Damien Hardwick apologises for 'finger salute' after umpire's non-call
Gold Coast Suns coach Damien Hardwick found out nothing goes unnoticed during an AFL game - especially if you're in the coaches' box.
Late in his side's loss to the Giants on the weekend, Hardwick was left frustrated by a non-call that stopped his side from having one last chance at stealing a win.
The coach laughed sarcastically at the umpire's reluctance to blow the whistle, then flipped the bird from inside the coach's box, in an act of defiance that did not make it to broadcast.
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However, vision of the coach's middle finger was picked up by Fox Sports' AFL 360 and it was brought to his attention when he was a guest on the show on Monday night.
Hardwick was asked about the non-call on GWS' Jake Stringer, who kicked the ball to the boundary line, in what the coach thought was a cynical, deliberate manner, to give his side time to reset to protect their lead.
"I love Nathan Williamson, the umpire that made the decision, but I thought 'oh, good, we're going to have one last crack at it', and then when he called the boundary throw-in, I was like 'What?! What?!'" he said.
Then Hardwick was shown his reaction in the coaches' box, with his middle finger front and centre, before he realised he was being set up.
Damien Hardwick was bemused by the non-call. FOX Sports
"Anyway, oh, look ... I hope you (aren't)— oh, no. Oh, you have too! You blokes, you've killed me with that," he said
"Oh, it was one of those ones, and look, it should have been insufficient intent, we know that. But at the end of the day, the game was dead and buried, so we move on pretty quickly.
He then fflips the bird. FOX Sports
"Although, the finger salute might get me in a bit of trouble".
Hardwick took to social media after the TV appearance and apologised to AFL CEO Andrew Dillon, in a light-hearted bid to escape punishment.
West Coast Eagles midfielder Harley Reid and Geelong star Bailey Smith were both fined $1000 by the AFL for their middle finger salutes this year.
