Alan Richardson Biography

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson admits to being heavily disappointed in the Saints' final round loss to Richmond at the MCG.

St Kilda had the opportunity to nab an unlikely finals berth or honour a retiring great in Nick Riewoldt and they did neither.

"We had a chance to play finals if other things go our way and we do our part and also wanting to do the right thing by Nick," Richardson said.

"Then the score goes up in the warm-up that Essendon are 31 points up ... it was a really frustrating day.

"I said to the players before the game that it was as crook as I've felt in the guts before a game.

"We spoke about both scenarios and wanting to make our people proud but we let ourselves down, there's no doubt about that."

Saints coach Alan Richardson calls for an overhaul of the deliberate rushed behind rule in the wake of a contentious call.

The AFL ticked off the decision to penalise Richmond defender Jayden Short for a deliberate rushed behind just before half-time of the Dreamtime at the 'G clash.

With 40 seconds remaining in the second term, Essendon third-gamer James Stewart attempted to kick a long-range goal by bombing the ball inside a vacant forward 50.

The rolling ball stopped just a couple of metres short in the goalsquare, as Tiger Jayden Short led Bomber Josh Green in a thrilling foot race.

Short slid forward and pushed the loose ball over the line – unaware Green had given up the chase – and was penalised by umpire Curtis Deboy for a deliberate rushed behind.

Green converted the resultant free kick from point-blank range, gifting the Bombers a four-point lead at half-time.

When asked about the controversial call, Richardson said he would be in favour of penalising a player who deliberately rushed the ball over, irrespective of pressure.

"In the spirit of our game where we didn't like blokes deliberately ducking and playing for free kicks," Richardson said on Fox Footy.

"So I would take any of the grey out and adjudicate that … like you do on the boundary line. And that is, if you rush it, that's deliberate.

"Now, the defender, he has no doubt. So even if Green is closing really aggressively and not backing off and being smart, you're going to keep it alive because you know that – even if it's only a foot – you can't rush it over."

Geelong coach Chris Scott was not fully sold on Richardson's idea.

"But if we did that, the penalty is too heavy, isn't it?" Scott replied.

"If we said, 'Let's make it black and white and if you rush it, it's deliberate and the interpretation goes out of it', then surely it should be a bounce 15m out."