The St. Kilda Saints were scheduled to play the Essendon Bombers on Saturday night in Wangaratta in Round 2 of the NAB Cup, but the match was cancelled because Essendon were not able to arrive at the venue. The Bombers’ players and coaches were supposed to fly from Melbourne to Wangaratta, but brutal weather conditions prevented Essendon from reaching their destination. St. Kilda arrived at the ground via bus.
Initially, the AFL declared the match a draw and that each team would receive two points in the standings, but on Sunday, the decision was reversed so that the Saints would be awarded the victory.
St. Kilda coach Scott Watters claimed that the Saints deserved the full four points, and even Essendon coach James Hird agreed. However, the Saints did not file a formal complaint against the initial ruling of a draw.
Essendon were stripped of its two points because the AFL declared that the Bombers still could have made it to Wangaratta via alternate travel plans; it was just unfortunate that dramatic changes to weather conditions at the last minute prevented Essendon from landing in Wangaratta.
