Brad Scott has called for the AFL to examine umpire positioning more closely in the wake of the league’s tough new stance on player contact with match officials.
Under fresh rules introduced by the AFL, players will now be fined after a second offence and risk suspension after four instances of careless umpire contact. But the Essendon coach believes placing the full burden on players is unfair without understanding how and why such incidents happen.
“I just hope there’s a deep dive going into umpire positioning. There’s four umpires on the ground, all of those things,” Scott said.
“Accidental umpire contact results in a fine or a suspension, I’d be very interested in the Players’ Association’s view on this because there’s a lot of fines getting out of control.”
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'Everyone has to take responsibility'
Scott acknowledged the AFL had little choice given the concerns raised by umpires around workplace safety, but said players shouldn’t carry the blame alone, particularly in scenarios where they’re forced to set up close to officials.
“The AFL have made it clear to us that if you set up behind the umpire when they’re backing out and there’s contact, then you’re liable,” he explained.
“That’s a pretty simple one for the players. What has been a trend is a lot of players, particularly the stars of the competition, setting up there because you have to man them up. That puts you in a vulnerable position.”
Scott confirmed the Bombers would work on spacing drills at training this week to avoid umpire contact at ball-ups, which he said remain the most common danger zones.
He also weighed in on the broader frustrations felt by players, noting that fines, regardless of severity, are often perceived as being cleared of wrongdoing publicly, but not financially.
“I don’t think any player likes money coming out their pocket, but I think they do have a view that they feel when they’re fined it’s not a penalty,” he said.
“Put umpire contact to one side, any MRO finding where a player gets fined, it’s reported as if they’ve been cleared, the players don’t feel like they’ve been cleared.”