The AFL’s handling of the Lachie Schultz concussion incident has drawn fresh criticism from former umpire Matt Head, who believes the league could have cleared its officials “in 10 minutes” had it simply followed standard procedure.
Schultz, who copped a heavy knock in Collingwood’s win over Fremantle last Thursday, was seen struggling with clear concussion symptoms.
But confusion erupted when the AFL issued a statement the following day suggesting the match umpires had failed to notice the incident at all, a claim later disproved by match audio and video footage aired on Channel 7.
Miscommunication inside the AFL fuels backlash
The fallout intensified when umpiring boss Steve McBurney’s internal communication was misinterpreted, leading to the AFL’s inaccurate public statement. McBurney had told football boss Laura Kane that the umpires hadn’t seen the bump, referring to Docker Jordan Clark’s hit on Schultz.
MORE: AFL accused of making false statement about umpires' Lachie Schultz controversy
But that was misunderstood as the umpires missing Schultz’s distress entirely.
Kane has since accepted full responsibility for the botched statement and clarified that the field umpires were not to blame. Still, the damage was done.
Head, who officiated in the AFL until 2008, was stunned by the league’s failure to check match audio immediately. “It is a stock-standard process. Let’s listen to the audio and watch the tape, and check the vision. You could look at it within 10–20 minutes,” he told the Herald Sun.
Head also expressed concern that the AFL rarely allows its umpires to speak publicly during controversies. “I am a big advocate of the umpires having a voice in big moments and them being spokespeople on what happens,” he said.
The four umpires involved, Justin Power, Simon Meredith, Craig Fleer and Martin Rodger, have all been cleared to officiate in this weekend’s fixtures. However, the league’s internal processes are now under review, with staff counselled and reminded of protocol.
Simon Meredith, an eight-time Grand Final official and veteran of over 500 games, was among those wrongly thrown under the bus. “The umpires would have put their case forward, and it should have been end of story,” Head said.