The AFL has issued a warning to Max Holmes following his vocal criticism of the umpires during Geelong’s loss to Brisbane on Friday night.
Holmes, 22, vented his frustrations on the field after a non-call, before continuing to make his displeasure known on the bench.
His “stern words” were enough to draw the AFL’s attention, prompting a phone call to the club to remind players of the boundaries around official interactions.
'No sanction, just a word of warning'
Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters reporter Mitch Cleary confirmed the league’s intervention. “A call from the AFL to the Cats today just to reaffirm players should not be engaging with umpires on the bench,” Cleary said. “No sanction, just a word of warning.”
Footage later showed skipper Patrick Dangerfield stepping in to calm Holmes down, though the incident had already caught the league’s eye.
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Former Port Adelaide player Kane Cornes criticised the AFL’s delayed response. “Pay a free kick or a 50m penalty, or sanction them on the ground,” he said. “I get sick of the umpire warnings — ‘hey, don’t say this, it’s a warning’.”
Nick Riewoldt added: “That hurts a player more than anything, a free kick or a 50 m penalty.”
Holmes is the second Geelong player cautioned by the AFL this year, following Bailey Smith’s controversial social media comment referencing drug use.