Former Adelaide captain Rory Sloane has called on the AFL to crack down on public criticism of umpires after Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick expressed his disappointment at crucial decisions made during the Suns’ loss to Geelong on Friday night.
After opening up the conversation when he argued for a change in the way the last-disposal out-of-bounds lasso rule was adjudicated, Hardwick was asked in the post-match media conference about his frustration with the umpiring against the Cats.
“It was like the Roman Colosseum,” Hardwick said.
“I reckon they (the umpires) were waiting for the crowd to do this one [thumb-down] then, all of a sudden, free kick.
“At the end of the day it is what it is, home-ground advantage, we understand that, we know you’re up against it from the start, but a couple of them [free kicks] weren’t there.”
Sloane said public commentary on umpires by club officials set a poor example for junior clubs and competitions struggling to get umpires to officiate in games.
He said Hardwick’s comments triggered further conversations in the media about the standard of umpiring which acted as a disincentive for people to umpire. Premiership coach Mick Malthouse was critical of the umpiring in Friday night’s game, telling ABC listeners on Saturday some decisions were “bloody terrible”.
Sloane called on the AFL to act on Hardwick’s comments to stop their officials from commenting on the umpires.
“The AFL have to stamp it out. They need to come down hard on this and make sure they set the right example,” Sloane Nine’s The Sunday Footy Show.
“The AFL have to look at it. They come down hard on other things. This is one [case where] they certainly need to set the right example for our junior and our community footy.”
Hardwick’s displeasure was caused by two free kicks awarded to Geelong spearhead Jeremy Cameron when the game was still up for grabs in the second quarter.
AFL legend Jason Dunstall described both free kicks as “soft”. Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd said on Sunday “the umpires were really, really poor” in that game.
The Cats also kicked goals from dubious free kicks to Patrick Dangerfield in the first quarter and Ollie Wiltshire in the third quarter.
Geelong were also frustrated after they had a free kick paid against Ollie Dempsey after he marked in the goal square and Bailey Smith was unlucky to not be awarded a free kick for holding the ball against Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
From our partners
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
