# List of kicks after the siren in the VFL/AFL

In Australian rules football, if a player takes a mark or is awarded a free kick before the siren sounds to end a quarter, and the siren sounds before the player takes a set shot, the player is allowed to take the kick after the siren. Often, the result of this kick is of little consequence, but if the player is within range of goal, any score will count towards the final result.
The right to take a set shot after the final bell was enshrined in the Laws of the Game prior to the 1889 season; prior to this, the ball was declared dead (and any opportunity for a set shot lost) once the bell sounded. In years past, when it was still common for spectators to run onto the field as soon as matches were over, it was not uncommon for players to have to take these shots from within the flood of incoming spectators.
Below is a list of occasions in the Australian Football League (known as the Victorian Football League until 1990) where game results have been decided by set shots taken after the final siren, a play similar to the buzzer-beater in basketball. These are highly memorable and often go down in football folklore.

## Goal to win

Players to have kicked a goal to win a match after the final siren :
| Player | Club | Opponent | Rd. | Year | Final score |
| Billy Schmidt | St Kilda | Carlton | 15 | 1913 | 10.10 (70) d. 11.3 (69) |
| Jimmy Gordon | Essendon | University | 16 | 1913 | 9.8 (62) d. 8.12 (60) |
| Eric Fleming | Geelong | Fitzroy | 12 | 1924 | 9.14 (68) d. 9.11 (65) |
| Doug Strang | Richmond | Carlton | 14 | 1932 | 13.13 (91) d. 12.14 (86) |
| Terry Brain | South Melbourne | Collingwood | 14 | 1933 | 13.11 (89) d. 12.11 (83) |
| Ron Cooper | Carlton | Essendon | 7 | 1939 | 10.18 (78) d. 10.12 (72) |
| Jack Wrout | Carlton | North Melbourne | 14 | 1939 | 11.13 (79) d. 10.13 (73) |
| Bill Wood | Footscray | Richmond | 15 | 1946 | 14.15 (99) d. 12.21 (93) |
| Jock Spencer | North Melbourne | Geelong | 7 | 1949 | 8.13 (61) d. 8.7 (55) |
| Bill Nolan | South Melbourne | St Kilda | 13 | 1952 | 6.8 (44) d. 5.8 (38) |
| John Peck | Hawthorn | Collingwood | 13 | 1960 | 7.16 (58) d. 7.15 (57) |
| Blair Campbell | Richmond | South Melbourne | 17 | 1966 | 10.12 (72) d. 10.11 (71) |
| Bill Ryan | Geelong | Collingwood | 1 | 1967 | 13.13 (91) d. 13.12 (90) |
| Doug Wade | North Melbourne | Collingwood | 16 | 1973 | 11.10 (76) d. 10.11 (71) |
| Malcolm Blight | North Melbourne | Carlton | 10 | 1976 | 11.15 (81) d. 11.10 (76) |
| Alan Stoneham | Footscray | Fitzroy | 21 | 1976 | 4.11 (35) d. 3.16 (34) |
| Robert Elliott | St Kilda | North Melbourne | 14 | 1978 | 18.16 (124) d. 19.7 (121) |
| John Roberts | South Melbourne | Geelong | 1 | 1980 | 13.10 (88) d. 12.13 (85) |
| Paul Sarah | Richmond | St Kilda | 19 | 1981 | 10.11 (71) d. 9.11 (65) |
| Alastair Clarkson | North Melbourne | Melbourne | 15 | 1987 | 16.16 (112) d. 15.20 (110) |
| Stephen Kernahan | Carlton | North Melbourne | 22 | 1987 | 20.9 (129) d. 19.11 (125) |
| Gary Buckenara | Hawthorn | Melbourne | PF | 1987 | 11.14 (80) d. 10.18 (78) |
| Rod Jameson | Adelaide | Fitzroy | 12 | 1991 | 7.8 (50) d. 7.5 (47) |
| Bill Brownless | Geelong | Footscray | QF | 1994 | 15.16 (106) d. 15.11 (101) |
| Gary Ablett Sr. | Geelong | North Melbourne | PF | 1994 | 16.13 (109) d. 14.19 (103) |
| Quenton Leach | Fremantle | Brisbane Lions | 8 | 1997 | 14.14 (98) d. 15.3 (93) |
| Peter Burgoyne | Port Adelaide | Carlton | 21 | 2000 | 12.16 (88) d. 12.11 (83) |
| Ben Dixon | Hawthorn | Carlton | 17 | 2001 | 15.6 (96) d. 13.15 (93) |
| Barry Hall | St Kilda | Hawthorn | 22 | 2001 | 13.11 (89) d. 13.9 (87) |
| Daryn Cresswell | Sydney | Kangaroos | 4 | 2002 | 15.13 (103) d. 14.16 (100) |
| Jeff Farmer | Fremantle | Melbourne | 8 | 2002 | 14.10 (94) d. 13.11 (89) |
| Peter Riccardi | Geelong | Carlton | 11 | 2002 | 15.10 (100) d. 14.12 (96) |
| Jared Poulton | Port Adelaide | Sydney | 15 | 2002 | 14.10 (94) d. 13.14 (92) |
| Chris Tarrant | Collingwood | Adelaide | 7 | 2003 | 18.6 (114) d. 16.13 (109) |
| Barry Hall (2) | Sydney | Brisbane Lions | 3 | 2005 | 13.9 (87) d. 11.15 (81) |
| Justin Longmuir | Fremantle | St Kilda | 21 | 2005 | 12.8 (80) d. 11.9 (75) |
| Jordan McMahon | Richmond | Melbourne | 18 | 2009 | 12.14 (86) d. 12.10 (82) |
| Karmichael Hunt | Gold Coast | Richmond | 16 | 2012 | 13.12 (90) d. 13.10 (88) |
| Tom Hawkins | Geelong | Hawthorn | 19 | 2012 | 18.10 (118) d. 17.14 (116) |
| Nic Naitanui | West Coast | North Melbourne | 8 | 2013 | 12.18 (90) d. 13.10 (88) |
| Ashley McGrath | Brisbane Lions | Geelong | 13 | 2013 | 15.13 (103) d. 14.14 (98) |
| Sam Lloyd | Richmond | Sydney | 8 | 2016 | 14.17 (101) d. 15.10 (100) |
| David Mundy | Fremantle | Richmond | 8 | 2017 | 10.12 (72) d. 10.10 (70) |
| Gary Rohan | Sydney | Essendon | 14 | 2017 | 11.20 (86) d. 12.13 (85) |
| Luke Shuey | West Coast | Port Adelaide | EF | 2017 | 12.6 (78) d. 10.16 (76) |
| Zach Tuohy | Geelong | Melbourne | 18 | 2018 | 16.4 (100) d. 14.14 (98) |
| Jeremy McGovern | West Coast | Port Adelaide | 21 | 2018 | 9.8 (62) d. 9.4 (58) |
| Robbie Gray | Port Adelaide | Carlton | 7 | 2020 | 9.10 (64) d. 9.7 (61) |
| Jack Newnes | Carlton | Fremantle | 12 | 2020 | 5.10 (40) d. 5.6 (36) |
| Zac Bailey | Brisbane Lions | Collingwood | 3 | 2021 | 11.7 (73) d. 11.6 (72) |
| Gary Rohan (2) | Geelong | Western Bulldogs | 14 | 2021 | 12.11 (83) d. 11.12 (78) |
| Max Gawn | Melbourne | Geelong | 23 | 2021 | 12.9 (81) d. 12.5 (77) |
| Jordan Dawson | Adelaide | Port Adelaide | 3 | 2022 | 15.6 (96) d. 13.14 (92) |
| Noah Anderson | Gold Coast | Richmond | 17 | 2022 | 14.10 (94) d. 13.14 (92) |
| Jamie Elliott | Collingwood | Essendon | 19 | 2022 | 12.8 (80) d. 11.10 (76) |
| Dan Houston | Port Adelaide | Essendon | 16 | 2023 | 11.12 (78) d. 10.14 (74) |
| Mac Andrew | Gold Coast | Essendon | 22 | 2024 | 13.9 (87) d. 12.14 (86) |

## Goal to draw

Players to have kicked a goal to draw a match after the final siren :
| Player | Club | Opponent | Rd. | Year | Final score |
| Alan Ryan | Collingwood | Fitzroy | 2 | 1935 | 14.9 (93) drew 14.9 (93) |
| Ron Baggott | Melbourne | Collingwood | 16 | 1935 | 10.19 (79) drew 11.13 (79) |
| Stephen MacPherson | Footscray | North Melbourne | 20 | 1987 | 18.17 (125) drew 18.17 (125) |
| Ray Windsor | Brisbane Bears | West Coast | 5 | 1992 | 14.8 (92) drew 13.14 (92) |
| Ashley Sampi | West Coast | Western Bulldogs | 11 | 2003 | 19.10 (124) drew 19.10 (124) |
| Daniel Bradshaw | Brisbane Lions | Essendon | 19 | 2009 | 12.15 (87) drew 13.9 (87) |
| Mitch McGovern | Adelaide | Collingwood | 19 | 2017 | 16.7 (103) drew 15.13 (103) |

## Behind to win

Players to have kicked a behind to win a match after the final siren :
| Player | Club | Opponent | Rd. | Year | Final score |
| Harry Hickey | Footscray | Carlton | 18 | 1944 | 12.7 (89) d. 13.10 (88) |
| Ken Newland | Geelong | Collingwood | 20 | 1972 | 17.10 (112) d. 17.9 (111) |
| Tony Lockett | Sydney | Essendon | PF | 1996 | 10.10 (70) d. 10.9 (69) |
| Jimmy Bartel | Geelong | Hawthorn | 17 | 2009 | 15.9 (99) d. 14.14 (98) |
| Michael Walters | Fremantle | Brisbane Lions | 10 | 2019 | 10.13 (73) d. 10.12 (72) |

## Behind to draw

Players to have kicked a behind to draw a match after the final siren :
| Player | Club | Opponent | Rd. | Year | Final score |
| Gerry Donnelly | North Melbourne | Hawthorn | 13 | 1926 | 10.10 (70) drew 10.10 (70) |
| Matthew Lloyd | Essendon | Western Bulldogs | 14 | 2002 | 17.16 (118) drew 18.10 (118) |
| Tom Hawkins | Geelong | Greater Western Sydney | 15 | 2017 | 10.8 (68) drew 10.8 (68) |

## Missed opportunities

A list of instances where a player had a shot at goal after the siren to win or draw the game but missed, resulting in a loss, or instances where a player has had a kick after the siren with scores level but failed to score. This list does not include instances where an opportunity for a set-shot after the siren is passed up in favor of playing on.
Players to have missed an opportunity to win or draw a match after the final siren :
| Player | Team | Opponent | Rd. | Year | Final score | Outcome |
| Fred Metcalf | North Melbourne | Geelong | 3 | 1927 | 8.5 (53) lost to 7.13 (55) | No score (out on the full) |
| Ron Barassi Sr. | Melbourne | Geelong | 10 | 1940 | 22.19 (151) lost to 24.10 (154) | Behind |
| Col Williamson | St Kilda | Geelong | 2 | 1941 | 11.19 (85) lost to 13.9 (87) | No score (fell short) |
| Jack Pimm | Collingwood | Geelong | 15 | 1948 | 10.13 (73) lost to 10.18 (78) | Behind |
| Fred Flanagan | Geelong | Richmond | 7 | 1950 | 9.20 (74) lost to 12.7 (79) | No score (fell short) |
| Harvey Stevens | Footscray | Richmond | 13 | 1954 | 6.9 (45) lost to 6.13 (49) | No score (out on the full) |
| Ralph Rogerson | Fitzroy | Carlton | 7 | 1964 | 8.11 (59) lost to 8.12 (60) | No score (fell short) |
| Alex Jesaulenko | Carlton | Richmond | SF | 1972 | 8.13 (61) drew 8.13 (61) | No score (fell short) |
| Malcolm Blight | North Melbourne | Hawthorn | 12 | 1977 | 6.11 (47) lost to 6.12 (48) | No score (out on the full) |
| Warren Ralph | Carlton | Collingwood | 5 | 1984 | 9.17 (71) lost to 10.16 (76) | Behind |
| Robert Scott | Geelong | Sydney | 6 | 1988 | 16.15 (111) lost to 17.12 (114) | Behind (hit the goal post) |
| Simon Beasley | Footscray | Brisbane Bears | 7 | 1988 | 9.17 (71) lost to 10.12 (72) | Behind |
| Steven Clark | Melbourne | Essendon | 11 | 1991 | 12.8 (80) lost to 12.14 (86) | No score (fell short) |
| Stephen Kernahan | Carlton | Essendon | 2 | 1993 | 19.18 (132) drew 20.12 (132) | No score (out on the full) |
| David King | North Melbourne | Hawthorn | QF | 1994 | 15.24 (114) d. 13.13 (91) | No score (fell short) |
| Ben Allan | Fremantle | Footscray | 5 | 1995 | 14.12 (96) lost to 14.14 (98) | No score (fell short) |
| Marcus Picken | Brisbane Lions | Adelaide | 9 | 2001 | 18.14 (122) lost to 19.13 (127) | No score (fell short) |
| Nick Dal Santo | St Kilda | Sydney | 5 | 2002 | 8.8 (56) drew 8.8 (56) | No score (fell short) |
| Jarrad Waite | Carlton | Port Adelaide | 4 | 2005 | 16.13 (109) drew 15.19 (109) | No score (fell short) |
| Matthew Egan | Geelong | Melbourne | 20 | 2005 | 15.9 (99) lost to 14.16 (100) | Behind |
| Daniel Motlop | Port Adelaide | St Kilda | 16 | 2006 | 8.12 (60) lost to 8.16 (64) | Behind |
| Brad Johnson | Western Bulldogs | North Melbourne | 9 | 2008 | 16.14 (110) lost to 16.17 (113) | Behind |
| Jack Riewoldt | Richmond | St Kilda | 7 | 2008 | 16.11 (107) lost to 17.8 (110) | No score (fell short) |
| Brad Johnson | Western Bulldogs | Geelong | 9 | 2009 | 17.12 (114) lost to 17.14 (116) | Behind |
| Nick Riewoldt | St Kilda | Essendon | 20 | 2009 | 16.12 (108) lost to 16.14 (110) | Behind |
| Justin Westhoff | Port Adelaide | Gold Coast | 5 | 2011 | 15.11 (101) lost to 15.14 (104) | Behind |
| Hayden Ballantyne | Fremantle | West Coast | 18 | 2011 | 9.10 (64) lost to 8.17 (65) | Behind (hit the goal post) |
| Adam Goodes | Sydney | Essendon | 20 | 2011 | 14.15 (99) lost to 15.10 (100) | Behind |
| Hamish McIntosh | North Melbourne | Essendon | 1 | 2012 | 15.12 (102) lost to 14.20 (104) | Behind |
| David Mundy | Fremantle | Geelong | 20 | 2014 | 11.13 (79) lost to 12.9 (81) | Behind |
| Tom Lynch | Gold Coast | Melbourne | 19 | 2016 | 9.10 (64) lost to 9.12 (66) | No score (fell short) |
| Isaac Smith | Hawthorn | Geelong | QF | 2016 | 12.11 (83) lost to 12.13 (85) | Behind |
| Jayden Hunt | Melbourne | Geelong | 1 | 2018 | 13.16 (94) lost to 14.13 (97) | No score (fell short) |
| Harry Taylor | Geelong | Western Bulldogs | 15 | 2018 | 15.11 (101) lost to 16.7 (103) | Behind |
| David Myers | Essendon | Sydney | 8 | 2019 | 10.12 (72) lost to 11.11 (77) | No score (fell short) |
| Tom McCartin | Sydney | Greater Western Sydney | 5 | 2021 | 10.9 (69) lost to 9.17 (71) | No score (fell short) |
| Adam Kennedy | Greater Western Sydney | North Melbourne | 13 | 2021 | 14.10 (94) drew 14.10 (94) | No score (fell short) |
| Dion Prestia | Richmond | Sydney | 11 | 2022 | 15.10 (100) lost to 16.10 (106) | No score (fell short) |
| Oliver Florent | Sydney | Port Adelaide | 4 | 2023 | 9.10 (64) lost to 9.12 (66) | No score (fell short) |
| Logan McDonald | Sydney | Fremantle | 16 | 2024 | 14.14 (98) lost to 15.9 (99) | No score (fell short) |
| Mitch McGovern | Carlton | Collingwood | 21 | 2024 | 11.15 (81) lost to 12.12 (84) | No score (out on the full) |

## Non-premiership matches
### Goal to win

Players to have kicked a goal to win a match after the final siren :
| Player | Club | Opponent | Competition | Rd. | Year | Final score |
| Kerry Good | North Melbourne | Collingwood | Escort Championships | GF | 1980 | 8.9 (57) d. 7.12 (54) |
| Jack Riewoldt | Richmond | Hawthorn | NAB Cup | 3 | 2013 | 0.13.7 (85) d. 0.13.6 (84) |
| Ed Langdon | Fremantle | Collingwood | JLT Community Series | 3 | 2017 | 1.11.12 (87) d. 1.12.4 (85) |

### Goal to draw

Players to have kicked a goal to draw a match after the final siren :
| Player | Club | Opponent | Competition | Rd. | Year | Final score | Ref. |
| Mark Williams | Essendon | St Kilda | NAB Cup | 1 | 2011 | 0.5.8 (38) drew 0.6.2 (38) | |

### Behind to win

Players to have kicked a behind to win a match after the final siren :
| Player | Club | Opponent | Competition | Rd. | Year | Final score | Ref. |
| Luke Russell | Gold Coast | Hawthorn | NAB Cup | 1 | 2013 | 0.4.6 (30) d. 0.4.5 (29) | |

## Miscellany

There are at least four instances in the elite competition where kicks were taken after the final siren cannot be categorised into the above lists.
In round 2 of the 1911 VFL season, Geelong's Bert Whittington was awarded a free kick moments before the bell was rung in his team's clash against Melbourne. His after-the-bell set shot was touched over the line, which, under the rules of the time, would have resulted in no score as the ball was considered 'dead' as soon as it touched another player's hands. However, as field umpire Lardie Tulloch had not heard the bell, he gave the 'all clear' signal to the goal umpire to signal one behind, resulting in a 54-apiece drawn match. Melbourne protested the result, but it was dismissed by the league.
In round 17 of the 1928 VFL season, St Kilda's Bert Smedley had possession of the ball when timekeepers rang the final bell. However, field umpire Reginald Devine had not yet heard the bell, which allowed Smedley to continue his dash and kick an on-the-run goal that put the Saints one point ahead of opponents Melbourne. After a pitch invasion and minutes of deliberation between match officials and timekeepers, St Kilda was ultimately declared the victor. Melbourne opted to protest the result, recognising that while they had little chance of the protest being upheld, the very notion of challenging the decision would emphasise to the league the importance of louder sounding bells at venues. Following two hours of evidence, the league decided to dismiss the protest, in spite of all witnesses admitting the goal was kicked after the bell, and boundary umpire James Blair describing St Kilda's bell as "putrid".
In the 1990 Foster's Cup – the AFL's pre-season competition – Essendon's Paul Salmon goaled after the siren in his side's quarter-final match against Fitzroy to level the scores at 46-apiece. Seemingly unaware that the fixture was a knockout match, many of the 8,000-strong crowd at Waverley Park invaded the playing surface after Salmon's kick, assuming the match had finished. Rather, the match was to be decided in extra time via two halves of five minutes. Essendon added one goal in the overtime period to win the match by six points and progress to the next round of the tournament.
In round 5 of the 2006 AFL season, St Kilda's Steven Baker was the beneficiary of an after-the-siren free kick awarded in controversial circumstances at the end of his side's match against Fremantle at Aurora Stadium. In a passage of play that occurred after the siren sounded inaudibly, Baker scored a behind to tie the game, and received an illegal bump. He elected to cancel the behind and take a set-shot, which (with the umpires having now heard the siren) was a true after-the-siren kick. He scored another behind, drawing the scores level at 94-apiece. However, four days later, Fremantle successfully challenged to have the result of the game amended to 94–93, reflecting the scoreline when the siren originally sounded. This decision cancelled Baker's kick. This incident has been dubbed 'Sirengate'.