Essendon coach Brad Scott has expressed concerns over the AFL’s increasing fines for players, particularly in light of the league’s recent crackdown on incidental contact with umpires. This season has seen a worrying rise in such incidents, prompting the AFL to implement stricter rules that allow players to be suspended if they accumulate four or more contact infringements over the past two years. Notably, players like Matt Rowell from Gold Coast and St Kilda’s Jack Macrae are currently at this threshold.
Scott acknowledged the league’s motivations behind the crackdown, especially considering the 63 umpire contact charges already issued, which surpass the total from last season. Over the past round alone, 37 players faced fines amounting to $49,250, with Scott labelling the situation “outrageous” regarding the financial impact on players.
He highlighted that while the AFL’s intentions are grounded in ensuring the safety of umpires, the fines are becoming excessive and do not seem to serve as a genuine deterrent, as many players feel cleared even after being fined. Scott voiced the opinion that a holistic approach is needed, where responsibility should extend beyond just the players to include better umpire positioning and awareness at game stoppages.
Scott observed that the surge in umpire contact incidents is largely linked to players utilising umpire positions to create space during ball-ups and centre bounces. He noted that these scenarios are where the majority of such contact occurs, particularly when key players try to exploit the situation. To address this, Scott indicated that Essendon would focus on training to mitigate these situations.
As the Bombers prepare to play against Gold Coast this weekend, they will be without key defender Zach Reid, who is sidelined with another hamstring injury.