Luke Hodge feels the AFL have “made a fair stuff up” by tinkering the holding the ball interpretation.
Umpires have been red-hot when paying holding the ball decisions after Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson’s call for the tackler to be rewarded more often.
Hodge described the AFL’s reaction to Clarkson’s concerns over the rule as a “knee-jerk reaction”.
“I think you know my mindset with that (rule),” the former Hawks captain told SEN’s Whateley.
“As soon as Clarko (Alastair Clarkson) shot from the hip and the AFL had that knee-jerk reaction, I said there’s going to be confusion, I think I said there’s going to be frustration, and now I just sit back and watch whatever comes.
“You don’t know what’s going to be one from the next, whether it’s a holding the ball, or holding the man, or dropping the ball or a ball-up.
“I think the AFL have made a fair stuff up if you could say that.
“It’s not the umpire’s fault because they’ve haven’t trained for this, it’s only been a knee-jerk reaction and they are making some calls with what they see and unfortunately, it’s very, very inconsistent from umpire to umpire.”
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten was visibly frustrated by the holding the ball adjudication after Monday night’s win over Adelaide.