Brisbane senior coach Chris Fagan has called the application of the AFL's latest rule crackdown "unfair" but admitted he sees the increased penalties for umpire contact as a "good idea".
It comes after the AFL announced there would be stricter punishments for umpire contact, with the number of incidents on the rise. In a statement on Monday, the AFL confirmed that when an "offending player is sanctioned for a fourth or subsequent offence for careless contact with an umpire from across the last two AFL years, the MRO or the EGM football performance will now likely directly refer the player to the tribunal."
The AFL would seek from the tribunal an alternative sanction for the offence, such as an increased fine or suspension.
Fagan expressed his frustration with the mid-season adjustment, especially with several players already on two or three offences, including star Lions midfielder Josh Dunkley.
"It's good and fair to protect the safety of the umpires," Fagan said to media on Friday. "However, I don't think it should be retrospective, I think if they are going to bring that in, it should start from now, so everyone knows what the go is."
"If you get a certain number of those [infringements], you're going to get rubbed out for a while. I think it's unfair to bring it in, and some blokes have two or three penalties already, and they're sweating on the fourth. That's not the right thing to do."
Fagan offered a solution to fix the contact issue, as incidents have soared from just five in 2022 to over 60 already this season.
"I'm not a fan of the bounce at centre bounces," Fagan said. "I think that contributes to umpire contact because umpires don't bounce the ball straight up, and it comes straight down, it bounces, and it goes all over the place.
"Players respond to where the ball moves to, and they don't often see the umpire. It's also easier for the umpire if he throws it up to actually get out of the area than it is if he bounces it. It takes another two or three seconds to get out of there.
"I'm a big believer that we don't need the centre bounce, I think we should throw it up, and I think that would help umpire contact. It's one thing to fine players, but [the AFL] should have a look at other ways to fix it as well."
Fagan quashed claims that AFL clubs have been using umpires at stoppages and centre bounces as a part of their strategy, using their positioning in the contest to block out opponents.
"We don't consider the umpire as part of our strategy at the centre bounce. I know there's a theory around that sometimes players are forced into umpires and use them as a shield or block. That's not something we ever talk about. For me, all of those contacts happen accidentally from my team's perspective. We don't take the umpire into consideration when we are planning our strategy at centre bounce."
Despite the backlash from the likes of players, coaches and media pundits, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon reaffirmed his stance on the matter on Friday. However, he conceded that it would take a major careless act for a player, already with multiple offences, to be suspended.
"I won't go into hypotheticals, but if it was a careless contact for clipping heels, that would be a fine, but if it's someone who's had multiple [offences], it might be referred to the tribunal and the fine might be increased," Dillon said on SEN.
"I think it's very unlikely [a suspension]."
Notable players who have been punished for umpire contact four times in the past two years are Gold Coast's Matthew Rowell and St Kilda's Jack Macrae.
