The Roar
The Roar

AFL
Advertisement

AFL NEWS: Pendlebury slammed over 'nonsensical' media claim, Eddie's bold plan to save umpires

Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
21st April, 2022
48
1103 Reads

Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury has been slammed by former great Garry Lyon, for claims the AFL media are overplaying issues around the new umpire dissent crackdown.

The veteran believes the playing group have already adjusted behaviour towards umpires in the early rounds of the season, criticising media for making a mountain out of a molehill.

“I feel like the media is the last group to understand it. The players all have a handle on it,” Pendlebury said.

“The coaches pretty clearly say we know what to expect, but it’s the media and guys commentating games of football that seem to have a big issue with it, and then that goes into the public forum because it gets spoken about.

“As players, we are so clear that anything we do will be 50 [a 50m penalty].”

Responding on SEN Breakfast, Lyon described Pendlebury’s stance as ‘nonsensical’, saying the media are just as entitled as anyone to question the rules, and dismissing the Magpies captain’s stance that the players are fully aware of the current state of play.

Advertisement

“We interviewed James Sicily a minute after the game and asked him – these players that are so clear according to Pendlebury – no idea,” Lyon said.

“That is the most nonsensical thing I’ve ever heard – blame the media for the dissent debate that’s going on at the moment.

“The media – who pay Pendlebury’s wages – it’s incumbent upon us to be able to commentate and commentate right.

“On Thursday night, we hear one umpire say this, and then for the next five games we watch it not being [paid] – so that’s the media’s fault, is it?

“I mean, God help me.”

Media backlash has been swift on the AFL’s crackdown on umpire abuse and dissent, with controversial 50m penalties paid against Brisbane’s Harris Andrews and Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell for raising their arms in protest of decisions.

However, the league isn’t backing down from their new harsher interpretation, with AFL general manager of football Brad Scott adamant the rules are here to stay.

Advertisement

“Our message to players is that when an umpire pays a free kick, accept it and move on,” Scott said on Tuesday.

“Our message to umpires is we encourage you to continue to pay free kicks or 50-metre penalties where players have shown dissent.”

Scott Pendlebury of the Magpies celebrates a win

Scott Pendlebury (Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Eddie McGuire reveals radical, multimillion-dollar plan to fix AFL umpiring

Former Collingwood president and prominent AFL media personality Eddie McGuire has unveiled his plan to remake the league always-controversial umpiring system, after a string of controversial recent moments.

According to McGuire, the problem lies in umpires being asked to do too much, with only four on-field at a time required to traverse the length of the playing field.

Speaking on Nine’s Footy Classified, McGuire advocated for the number of umpires at AFL level increase substantially, while scrapping boundary and goal umpires at the same time.

Advertisement

“Stop putting band aids on this and actually come up with a solution,” McGuire said.

“What I’d have is two goal umpires, and then on the ground four umpires and two at the other end.

“Get rid of the boundary umpires, get rid of the goal umpires and as the circles show you there, the umpires then don’t have to run 15, 16, 17 kilometres a day and also bounce a ball for a party trick.

“What it means is you can get better teams – I’d like to see five teams of nine umpires, so 45 umpires, as opposed to what we have at the moment, which is every weekend we send out 99 umpires and only 27 of them can pay a free kick.”

McGuire also argued umpires should become fully professionalised with a substantial pay increase, with most of the current crop working jobs during the week.

“I’d pay them around $300,000 a year, because that’s what the game can hold,” he said.

Advertisement

“And we get the best people in, and we get rid of all this situation that we’re having at the moment.”

“So it is a bold suggestion, but it’s time that the umpires become the 19th team, and if we’re fair dinkum about showing respect, let’s respect them properly and make them a big part of this competition.”

COVID drama hits Dockers as five ruled out

Fremantle are set to feel the brunt of the ongoing COVID-19 spread in Western Australia, with five players entering isolation ahead of their Round 6 clash with Carlton.

Young defenders Hayden Young and Heath Chapman will need to be replaced to take on the Blues, while WAFL players Liam Henry and Connor Blakely and injured draftee Matt Johnson are also unavailable.

Alongside the players, assistant coaches Matthew Boyd and Josh Carr will also miss the match through WA’s virus protocols.

However, goalsneak Lachie Schultz is free to play after his own COVID-enforced absence, while coach Justin Longmuir returned against Essendon after missing a fortnight.

Advertisement
Dockers coach Justin Longmuir talks to his team

(Photo by Jono Searle/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )

“We always thought we would get our turn with COVID, and it seems to be on our doorstep,” Longmuir said on 6PR on Wednesday.

“Hopefully we can limit it to the five players.”

The Dockers’ situation is mercifully less severe than that faced by crosstown rivals West Coast to start the year, who were forced to turn to WAFL top-ups to field a side against North Melbourne in Round 2.

close