Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick did not push the button to trigger the now infamous Wharfie Time moment during Saturday’s grand final.
Five days on from the controversial fan activation, it has emerged the decision was made by a Dockers staffer working within broad parameters set by the club, rather than being directly approved by Garlick or any other senior member of staff.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Twist in process behind Wharfie Time button
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“Wharfie Time has been broadly misrepresented over the past few weeks and few months,” Tom Morris told The Agenda Setters on Wednesday night.
“The button was not pushed by Simon Garlick, nor was it specifically approved by Simon Garlick or any other senior member of staff.”
Instead, the club had established parameters which were followed by a staffer, who made the call when they believed those conditions had been met.
“Simon Garlick, in effect, didn’t give it the green light or didn’t give it the red light,” Morris went on.
“It was just pushed when those parameters in the eyes of that staffer were met, which is completely different to what we thought it was.”
The revelation means a Fremantle staffer had the final say on grand final day, based on conversations held during the week, rather than the CEO making a direct decision in the moment, as had been the widely understood idea of the process.
The timing of the activation appeared to align with comments made earlier in the day by the club’s president, who had indicated approval for the moment if the Dockers were up by around 20 points with minutes remaining.
