New rule: Not questioning umpiring decisions???

[Impatient Sainter]

The new rule: Not questioning umpiring decisions is a complete farce.

Carlton have benefited from 7 x 50 metre penalties tonight. Surely players showing frustration without being abusive, is human nature. I can understand the AFL wanting to reduce umpire abuse, but most of the harmful stuff comes from over the fence not the players themselves.

The AFL security and Police need to clamp down and act on crowd abuse. Likewise local clubs should monitor and police their own supporters and staff.

Part of the thrill of AFL footy is the emotions it evokes, I hate seeing that sanitised with players.

[Ghost Like]

It is a putrid rule in a game filled with rules that are not all black & white, requiring interpretation and even mind reading by 3 officials who are an excellent chance of seeing the same passage of play 3 different ways.

For a player to say "You're kidding." Or "He ducked.", especially in a non demostrative fashion & cop 50 metre penalties is ridiculous.

Trying to wind an emotional behaviour that's been in the making for decades in one pre season is folly & will cost clubs dearly. Tonight's game has shown it to be farcical already.

[Jacks Back]

What a f****** stupid rule! Get rid of it immediately. Some of the players may just be frustrated at their own lack of defence (or whatever) and the umpire "might" think it's aimed at them. What a joke!

[saynta]

Simple. never talk to a maggot, sorry. umpire, or show any emotion. No worries.

[wally]

There’s a lot of players that argue about everything and that needed to stop Selwood Danger Hawkins stick in my mind always sooking Where do you draw the line in the sand?

[Ghost Like]

Simple. never talk to a maggot, sorry. umpire, or show any emotion. No worries.

That sounds very easy saynta. No rolling eyes, no middle fingers??? We all react to poor decisions & frustrations (even on here) - how much more can this game be sanitised?

I'll be interested to see if Razor Ray can keep his mouth shut. He loves communicating / engaging with players, something that should be stamped out.

[Ghost Like]

There’s a lot of players that argue about everything and that needed to stop Selwood Danger Hawkins stick in my mind always sooking Where do you draw the line in the sand?

Leave it as demonstrative behaviour, include incessantquestioning / whinging (Geelong rule). If a player swears at the umpire out of the side of his mouth that is not demonstrative, report him - automatic week.

[The_Dud]

Surely there’s a difference between seeking clarification and abuse?

[desertsaint]

be interesting to see whether this rule gets applied to the selwoods of the competition or just the longs.

[Ghost Like]

Surely there’s a difference between seeking clarification and abuse?

Nope, appears questioning (seeking clarification). Imagine in a game with heightened emotions / pressures like a final, let alone a Grand Final and a player jogging to the bench (like Gawn last night) shakes his head and questions / complains about a decision (no one at the ground or watching on TV sees or hears it) and a 50 is given, marching the man on the mark to the goal line.

People still talk about how cruel the Jim Stynes 25m penalty was for a non malicious brain fade.

Once again they are cracking a walnut with a sledgehammer.

[Yorkeys]

Seems the constant and nasty abuse over time has meant a shortage of umpires (?) so its a downward spiral if umps are not given respect. Less umps/smaller pool leads to less skilled ones running around, leads to more abuse plus more gamesmanship = even less umps and disaffected fans....so it goes.

Has to stop and preseason is a time for trialling & refining new rules.

As Saynta says, accept umps decision - do they ever change decisions? NRL doesn't allow abuse/questioning does it, 10m penalty and need to use term Sir. Is it too much to ask for mental discipline.

Geelong as a team and I think Cotchin use "questioning" and umpire chat to gain unfair advantage so stopping that would be a bonus.

Its not like players getting the benefit of a good decision write testimonials either, so umps are in a no win situation. Regardless of views, don't we all want AFL to attract good umps. And crowds can still vent, yes?

(but who doesn't think a Collingwood crowd is an ugly loud mob of stupidity - who in their right mind would look forward to umpiring a Collingwood game. And the mindless oafish booing from the WA crowds! - except for Wellard Saint that is. Who would want to umpire, all power to them.)

[CarlD]

The umpires make some awful decisions and it is not surprising that players, justifiably, get upset. So the player cops a penalty and the umpire moves on. That sounds about right.

I would imagine that the abuse given by the players in a game pales into insignificance compared to what comes over the fence from the crowd.

While I would agree that swearing and acting in a potentially threatening manner towards an umpire is not on and could have been punished under the previous rules this change is just the AFL being the AFL. They AFL will just shrug their shoulders when an innocuous questioning of a decisions costs a side a match or even worse, a final. I am no longer surprised by the daft decisions that the AFL make. Their thought processes must be a wonder to behold.

[saynta]

Simple. never talk to a maggot, sorry. umpire, or show any emotion. No worries.

That sounds very easy saynta. No rolling eyes, no middle fingers??? We all react to poor decisions & frustrations (even on here) - how much more can this game be sanitised?

I'll be interested to see if Razor Ray can keep his mouth shut. He loves communicating / engaging with players, something that should be stamped out.

Apart from Razor Ray there are not many other turds in the umpiring ranks so much easier to avoid middle fingers and rolly eyes than here. IMHFO, that is.

When I was playing, I never once spoke to an umpire. Why would you, they never change their decision.

[The_Dud]

It seems Carlton got three 50m penalties from this new rule last night, so not as bad as first thought.

50 still seems a bit harsh, maybe they should change it to 25m unless severe?

The biggest frustration with umpires from supporters mainly comes from most fans not knowing the actual rules, maybe this is a problem with players too? Hopefully clubs have a role dedicated to understanding the rules and educating the players, save a lot of grief.

[bigcarl]

Where is the accountability? This enables their cheating, doesn’t it Curly!

[Ghost Like]

It seems Carlton got three 50m penalties from this new rule last night, so not as bad as first thought.

50 still seems a bit harsh, maybe they should change it to 25m unless severe?

The biggest frustration with umpires from supporters mainly comes from most fans not knowing the actual rules, maybe this is a problem with players too? Hopefully clubs have a role dedicated to understanding the rules and educating the players, save a lot of grief.

It might also help if they could go a decade or three without changing, adding, tweaking the current rules. This may assist players, coaches, fans AND umpires to ALL understand the rules & actually create a generational change rather than a seasonal.

[Life Long Saint]

The new rule: Not questioning umpiring decisions is a complete farce.

Carlton have benefited from 7 x 50 metre penalties tonight. Surely players showing frustration without being abusive, is human nature. I can understand the AFL wanting to reduce umpire abuse, but most of the harmful stuff comes from over the fence not the players themselves.

The AFL security and Police need to clamp down and act on crowd abuse. Likewise local clubs should monitor and police their own supporters and staff.

Part of the thrill of AFL footy is the emotions it evokes, I hate seeing that sanitised with players.

I've always questioned why the opposition should benefit from that.
Report the player and fine them...Don't give the opposition a free whack.

[Vortex]

I'm concerned for CURLY with this rule change.

Someone order more valium.

[The_Dud]

It seems Carlton got three 50m penalties from this new rule last night, so not as bad as first thought.

50 still seems a bit harsh, maybe they should change it to 25m unless severe?

The biggest frustration with umpires from supporters mainly comes from most fans not knowing the actual rules, maybe this is a problem with players too? Hopefully clubs have a role dedicated to understanding the rules and educating the players, save a lot of grief.

It might also help if they could go a decade or three without changing, adding, tweaking the current rules. This may assist players, coaches, fans AND umpires to ALL understand the rules & actually create a generational change rather than a seasonal.

Yeah the yearly rule changes are moronic. They should only be able to tweak/update them every couple of years if not longer.

[saint6709]

I can see what the league is aiming for - but as already discussed above this is way too subjective and open to umpire error if it is to be 100% zero tolerance - which is what seemed to be the case last night

The umpires will have way too much influence on the outcome of a game if this goes wrong which it is sure to do

The crowds will be ready to jump the fence if a very poor decision is then followed by 50m for a player to win the game

The rule should be called the ‘insult to injury’ rule

[CURLY]

Imagine this in local footy. We already have issues with umpires with agendas this just helps them get away with it.

The reason we have a shortage of umpires is due to the treatment of junior umpires by a lot of senior umpires.

[Rubyjo]

More woke leftard ideology where you can't question the powers that be without being punished .

[D.B.Cooper]

When I was playing, I never once spoke to an umpire. Why would you, they never change their decision.

I thought the two captains were responsible for giving the free kicks in your era saynta

[D.B.Cooper]

Imagine this in local footy. We already have issues with umpires with agendas this just helps them get away with it.

The reason we have a shortage of umpires is due to the treatment of junior umpires by a lot of senior umpires.

In my experience a lot of people leave umpiring at local level due to the abuse & threatening behavior of spectators and club officials.

Post playing, I was club runner for many years from U18 to seniors and one of the roles as runner in those days was to escort the umpires from the field post match. I was required to intervene on many occasions from potential physical assaults against umpires from club supporters and saw normally reasonable middle age people (I knew) swear and berate young umpires.

The worst behaved were parents of U18 teams and these were normally very young umpires on the end of the abuse.

I am very well acquainted with a senior umpire coach and am surprised by your comment regarding senior umpires, my experience is quite the opposite and have found the seniors very supportive of the junior ranks.

[The_Dud]

Imagine this in local footy. We already have issues with umpires with agendas this just helps them get away with it.

The reason we have a shortage of umpires is due to the treatment of junior umpires by a lot of senior umpires.

... and clueless supporters / club officials.