Former veteran AFL umpire Dean Margetts disagrees with the league’s defence of the dissent free kick paid against GWS star Stephen Coniglio.
The midfielder was penalised in the final quarter of his side’s tight loss to Carlton for sticking his arms out after his team was not awarded a holding the ball free kick. The dissent call against him led to a Jesse Motlop goal.
Despite the controversy around the call, the AFL has ticked off the decision with umpiring boss Dan Richardson saying: “If you don't challenge the decisions, then there is no need for the debate”.
“The approach going forward won't change.”
Margetts, who now works as Umpiring Operations Manager for the WAFL, believes the AFL has created a free kick that is impossible to adjudicate consistently.
“I have to disagree with the AFL on this one,” Margetts told SEN’s Sportsday WA.
“In my 20 years and 370-odd games I never felt offended or affronted by a player with a passionate plea with their arms out. It’s usually like an emotional plea.
“Look, if a player comes at you pointing and screaming and the mouthguard is coming out – absolutely, that’s demonstrative behaviour for sure, but in the Coniglio case it wasn’t on the TV, it wasn’t on the screen and I think you had to zoom in from behind the goals to even find it.
“I think if we’re not paying that, I’ve got absolutely no doubt in my mind that we’re not saying that’s a missed dissent free kick.
“I watched St Kilda/Essendon on the Saturday night and I think Mason Redman looked up at the scoreboard and put his arms out and said ‘what’s that for’, and nothing was paid.
“The inconsistency we create is probably the concern and I’ve certainly instructed our WAFL umpires that unless it is really clear that you’re feeling personally offended, but the impassioned plea, we don’t want that being paid.
“Up until two years ago I didn’t even know what the word ‘dissent’ meant. Is it umpire abuse? Is it demonstrative behaviour?
“I think the umpire would’ve noticed his arms out from 20-30 metres away. We’re talking about a decision that didn’t need to be played that detracted from a close game of AFL footy.”
Richardson said in a statement that the league has to accept a level of grey area.
“We have a set of guidelines for the umpires to work between, and we coach them, but we also can't coach human response,” he said.
“Footy is not black and white, it is one of the hardest games to umpire, there is a level of 'grey' and within this area is where the debate always sits.
“The umpires understand in the heat of battle there are going to be times regarding this rule, whether it has been an accumulation across the match or a single response, a time comes where they need to make a call.”