AFL clubs will be subject to penalties if players or officials criticise umpiring decisions, the Tribunal system or the Match Review Officer.
In a meeting between Andrew Dillon, Greg Swann and the club chief executives on Tuesday, the league has declared it will come down harder on public commentary in the wake of Damien Hardwick and Jy Simpkin's recent assessments.
Hardwick was given a warning by the AFL over his comments regarding the umpiring in the Geelong loss at GMHBA Stadium in Round 14.
Simpkin was told to pull down his social media post, which deemed the MRO's three-week ban of teammate Paul Curtis for a tackle on Eagle Hamish Davis as "laughable."
The former North Melbourne skipper also received a warning, but stated he would've kept the post up on social media.
The AFL cited a flow-on effect for community football in attracting umpires and officials.
Clubs were reminded of two specific rules at the conference, according to AFL Media.:
- Under AFL Regulation 15.1 - Public Comments on Umpires - any person subject to the AFL Regulations or AFL Rules must not make public comment about an umpire or a decision made by an umpire.
- Under AFL Regulation 19.18 - Public Comment and Criticism - no person subject to the AFL Regulations may make unfair, unreasonable or excessive public criticism of the Match Review Officer, a Tribunal decision, any member of the Tribunal, or any other matter concerning the Match Review Officer, Tribunal or a determination made by either.
It's understood that Dillon and Swann made clear to all 18 clubs that too much commentary around decision-making was unacceptable, even conceding that not all will be correct.
The meeting also discussed the AFL fixture when Tasmania enters the competition in 2028, with four options flagged as potential solutions to deal with 19 clubs.
Contract caps and state-league competitions were also on the agenda.
