Former AFL player David King has asked the league to revise the number of free-kick-speaking whistleblowers during a thrilling match between Hawthorne and Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.
Fans and the media have rallied to condemn the free kick-heavy match in Launceston, where 63 free (36-27 Hawthorn’s way) have been given – the most in a single match since 2012.
Talking about Fox Footy The first crackKing described some of the calls as “absolutely ridiculous” and said the AFL needed to take action to bring back the crackdown against umpire dissent and banned communication off the ball.
“We’ve lost our way of umpiring right now,” King said.
“It’s causing a lot of frustration among the fans and I think on club soil now we don’t really know what the 50-meter penalty is with the dissent, we’re lost with the basic umpiring decision now.
“Some of today’s free kick goals were ridiculous. I’m not going to the umpires, I’m going to decide if they are the decision makers.
“Whatever direction they give, down from the commission – let’s put the whole thing there, no [just] Absolute umpire.
“It has to come from Brad Scott [AFL football boss] And Dan Richardson [AFL head of umpiring] – It has to come from those people … ‘We’ve come a long way, let’s get behind it.’ And tell us: we’re pretty forgiving, we want to get our game back.
“Right now, there’s a lot more whistling. We almost made a record today, and the goals from the free kick went through the roof.
“The game was a whistle fest today and you can’t do it. It’s uncomfortable to watch: let the players arrange the game. “
Among the most controversial decisions were star Lachi for a banned contact and a free kick against Tom Mitchell, where Neil avenged a push from opponent Jay Newcomb and Mitchell pushed Lion Jackson Pryor back after the ball went out of bounds. Two free leads directly to the goal.
However, King was not only disappointed to see the Hawks-Lions play with a controversial 50m penalty for the umpire’s dissent in Friday night’s Carlton-Sydney game against Swan Chad Warner.
The crackdown on dissent has caused panic throughout the year, with King saying the rule is a prime example of a ‘big problem’ at the highest level.
“It’s not a dissent, it’s not just going to the umpire. And if the umpire thinks that, then we have a big problem, “he said.
“I think you’re losing fans with it, and it’s a dangerous place. The fans have now lost the grip of their game, and they are talking on their feet. “
Crowds have dropped significantly in the AFL this season, with the league unveiling a plan in the middle of the week to allow up to 14 kids to enter the game for free between 14 and 17 rounds.
Longmour mourns’ reality check ‘for Dockers’ tragic loss to Pie
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir admits his team has failed to adapt adequately to wet conditions for the second week in a row, with a 36-point upset rate near Collingwood on Sunday.
After a shock defeat to the Gold Coast in the rain last week, the Dockers were once again shown the Magpies in a huge crowd game, scoring just six goals – including just one in the second and third quarters combined.
That means the Dockers, who are second on the ladder to the fortnightly, have scored a combined ten goals in the past two weeks, with Longmuir describing their problem as a “mental thing”.
“Players fall into a lot of conditions and it affects their game a lot, especially with the ball in hand,” he said after the match.
“Whether it’s real or we think it’s wetter or drier than that, I think in the second quarter we just accelerated their forward play and fueled their field position.
“We turned the ball over to really poor areas that weren’t in that situation, and then as it dried we started playing wet weather footy while they were playing dry weather footy.
“We were caught in our ball movement and obviously we couldn’t bowl or keep the ball in our front half after the first quarter.”
Emerging as one of the stories of the season with six wins in a row between Round 3 and 8, Longmuir said the last fortnight would serve as a ‘reality check’ for its still-developing dockers.
“We were climbing high, and everyone was moving ahead of themselves,” he said.
“It simply came to our notice then.
“If you are stuck in a part, you get what you deserve. So this is a reality test for us. “
There are allegations of biting police officers during mass MCG ejections
Victoria Police have alleged that more than 50 fans were kicked out of the MCG during Saturday night’s Dreamtime ‘G’ match.
The allegations include reports of officers being bitten and punched, with Inspector Jamie Templeton blaming the increased violence on alcohol ‘pre-loading’ before the match.
“Thousands of football fans attend the matches every week and the vast majority support their team and enjoy the environment safely and responsibly, so it was disappointing to see so many spectators involved in disruptive behavior last night,” he said.
“We’ve seen high levels of alcohol consumption and aggression. It was noteworthy that the ‘pre-loading’ of alcohol before the game was significant in contributing to more cases of weak crowd behavior than usual.
“The police, Melbourne Cricket Club and the licensees work together to manage alcohol consumption on the field, including reducing alcohol availability. The responsible alcohol service is actively monitored and supported by the police at liquor outlets. “
The Herald Sun. Also report that a man was brutally assaulted by a group of young men and beaten with a diziridu off the field after the match.