AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain says players staging for free kicks by exaggerating contact makes the game more challenging to officiate.
Sydney forward Tom Papley and Richmond defenders Dylan Grimes and Nick Vlastuin were fined for staging this year, but the Tigers duo had their financial sanctions overturned at the Tribunal.
“It does make umpiring far more challenging,” Chamberlain told SEN’s Whateley.
“Since 2017 I would say, but particularly over the last two and a half years, it doesn’t matter how good you think you are, you can’t do it (umpire the game) on your own.
“Such is congestion, speed of ball movement, density around the ball and trying to see is that a high tackle? Was it a shrug? Did he drop his knees? Did he throw it? Is that in the back? Did that ball carry? You just can’t do it on your own.
“That’s just trying to implement the laws of the game. That’s before we talk about potentially accentuating something, potentially the word that you use is staging.”
Chamberlain doesn’t believe staging is “rife” in the AFL and won’t penalise a player if he isn’t 100 per cent sure.
“If I see you do it and I can’t be sure, I’m not going to guess,” he said.
“Because you don’t want to me made to look silly … and yet there may be enough of a hold to warrant a free kick or there may be enough of a push to warrant a free kick.
“I know personally … I’m not blowing my whistle, I’m not guessing.
“It makes it more challenging, but I must say this: It’s not rife.
“I don’t think the game will allow it and I don’t think the playing group will allow it. They’ve got far greater integrity … they police themselves with these things, I’m sure of that.”