Essendon's season keeps getting worse, with the Bombers set to receive a significant fine from the AFL after a seventh incident of a player making careless contact with an umpire.
Midfielder Jye Caldwell made accidental contact with an umpire during Essendon's match against Sydney at the MCG on Sunday.
The AFL has been eager to stamp out incidents of careless contact with umpires in games after the AFL Umpires Association complained that it was happening too often and putting their umpires at risk of injury.
The league had threatened to give clubs who reached five incidents of careless contact with an umpire a fine of $50,000, but the AFL has yet to go that high.
When Essendon hit its fifth fine for the offence, they copped a $20,000 fine, while its sixth incident saw the club be given a $10,000 fine. Bizarrely, half the price of the fine before.
Western Bulldogs, Fremantle and Gold Coast are the other clubs to have received $20,000 fines for making contact with an umpire.
If found guilty, Caldwell has until Tuesday to send in his appeal for the fine, meaning the AFL will wait until later in the week to decide if or what punishment to hand the Bombers.
Collingwood's Beau McCreery was handed a $5000 fine for making careless contact with an umpire during Saturday night's match against Hawthorn.
The fine can be downgraded to $3125 with an early plea.
This will be Collingwood's fifth fine if it is upheld, meaning the Pies would join the growing group of clubs to be fined $20,000 for a fifth offence.
It is also McCreery's third fine for making careless contact with an umpire, which under the AFL's rules, if he is to have a fourth incident of such nature in the same season he will be suspended for one week.
… perhaps the idiot umpires could be trained to keep out the damned way?
They have to back out of a ball up and they tell every player which way they are going to go. If a player makes contact it is on them not the umpire.
Field play – not the throw up.
I’ve seen many an idiot badly placed and in the way during games.
Same thing happens in the SANFL – but way, WAY less.
… but then, SANFL umpires are trained.
More umps on the field, more ump contact with players. Wonder what the problem could be…..