Blues Brothers trip to the tribunal

[LP]

You cannot have umpires initiating such contact and then be fining players for the very same.

Routinely each week umpires walk over to players and touch them to get their attention for a chat. I realise the noise is horrendous, but you have to be consistent with how this stuff is policed.

Secondly, there is a bit of hypocrisy about the AFL approach, they wanted umpires to be more inclusive of players and for there to be more discussion/communications between players and umpires on the field. What we are seeing now is the natural consequence of that, they are now undoing all the good they have done previously.

I think the AFL needs the formality of the NRL, there is no contact between player and umpire in either direction, and the umpires are approached primarily by the captains in a polite manner.