# Australians:  When did AFL goal judges change?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-when-did-afl-goal-judges-change/661258>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [June 18, 2013, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-when-did-afl-goal-judges-change/661258 "2013-06-18T08:29:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-when-did-afl-goal-judges-change/661258/1 "2013-06-18T08:29:04Z")

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One of our Canadian sports networks needed filler some years ago. So they showed Australian Rules Football. I got into it (it is an exciting game!); and when I was in Australia some years after that, I actually attended AFL games. I was always in Perth, so the West Coast Eagles were my team (still are, actually). I enjoyed going to Eagles games in Perth. This would have been the 1990s, for reference.

The goal judges (not sure what else to call them) always wore a white hat and a white lab coat and black tie. So when I caught an AFL game on TV recently (Richmond v. Adelaide), I was surprised to see that the goal judges were no longer in white lab coats and hats and ties. They were in–well, something that was obviously official, but not like I was used to seeing.

My question: when did AFL officials change from the white lab coats? And why?

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**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-when-did-afl-goal-judges-change/661258/2 "2013-06-18T13:25:40Z")

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I don’t know either, but I noticed that also the last time I watched Australian Rules Football. It really pissed me off to see them dressed like slobs.

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**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-when-did-afl-goal-judges-change/661258/3 "2013-06-18T13:57:59Z")

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Believe the change came in 2007 coinciding, perhaps co-incidental, with the change in TV broadcaster from Channel 7 who’d had the gig for 45 years to a Nine/Ten/Foxtel combination.

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**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-when-did-afl-goal-judges-change/661258/4 "2013-06-19T04:45:11Z")

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Dressed like slobs? Hyperbole at its worst. Here are some actual examples

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>
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**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-when-did-afl-goal-judges-change/661258/5 "2013-06-19T05:26:54Z")

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This has been a real tragedy. Can’t call them white maggots anymore. ☹

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**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-when-did-afl-goal-judges-change/661258/6 "2013-06-19T05:41:00Z")

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First of all what a great game! Go Tiges!!

But yes it was 2007.