Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson will receive a please explain from the AFL after his criticism of the umpiring following Saturday’s seven-point loss to Sydney, according to Sportsday host Sam McClure.
Clarkson vented his frustration at the umpires who he thought adjudicated the game inconsistently as the 15th-placed Hawks slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat.
"In a low-scoring game, the free kicks are 22-13 against, so it feels like an extra player on the ground," Clarkson told reporters post-match on Saturday.
"But that's the way it goes, there will be games where we're in front in the free kick count, it didn't work out for us in this game.
"He (Tom Papley) milks a free kick as good as anyone in the competition and he did so on this occasion again.
"You just wish that they were consistently paid to everyone that gets knocked off the ball like that.
"There was probably five either side tonight and they paid one. Nine other occasions in the game, someone gets knocked to the ground and the umpire doesn't pay it."
McClure understands that the AFL will demand an explanation from Clarkson regarding his comments on the umpiring.
“We can report to you tonight that Alastair Clarkson, the Hawthorn coach, will be hit with a please explain – potentially even more than that by the AFL in the coming hours, over his latest comments to do with AFL umpires,” McClure told Sportsday.
The four-time premiership coach was fined $20,000 for labelling the umpiring “disgraceful” after a loss to Gold Coast in 2017.
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson will be given a please explain by the AFL for his latest comments about umpires.
— Sam McClure (@sam_mcclure) July 27, 2020