DAVID King believes the new crackdown on umpire abuse will bring significant \u201cbacklash\u201d this AFL season.<\/p>\n
The league on Tuesday decided to dial up the strictness on umpire abuse, fed up with what it believes to be a significant issue in our game, however, King believes players don\u2019t abuse umpire but rather simply question decisions that are made.<\/p>\n
The former North Melbourne great thinks the 50-metre penalty is far too harsh, while going on to predict it to be the most talked about thing on a Monday morning in three weeks\u2019 time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe abuse of the umpire being an instant 50-metre penalty, I don\u2019t believe AFL players ever abuse an umpire, they may be angry with a decision at a given point in time and they may be frustrated and say something but it\u2019s not to abuse or belittle an umpire,\u201d King said on SEN Breakfast<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an act that\u2019s gone in three seconds, it\u2019s always been a part of our game and it\u2019s never been a problem, don\u2019t tell me that if it comes from over the fence in lesser games or at junior footy, this is something in my opinion that has been overplayed.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were two 50-metre penalties paid yesterday that I thought \u2018gee-whiz that\u2019s really tough\u2019, the players not standing there abusing the umpires, they\u2019re questioning the decision, it\u2019s going to bring significant backlash.<\/p>\n \u201cPut it right in your diary now, it\u2019ll be the most talked-about thing on a Monday morning in three weeks’ time about someone getting a 50-metre for saying \u2018you can\u2019t pay that Ray\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Agreeing with King, Kane Cornes believes the AFL should\u2019ve put their focus on fixing genuine issues with the game instead of putting their priorities in an issue that wasn\u2019t there in the first place.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t agree more with you, you are spot on with this, our AFL players and coaches treat the umpires very well,\u201d he said<\/p>\n \u201cThere were probably two examples last year that was worth of a 50-metre penalty.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just too big a penalty for a small in-discretion and I think the priorities of the AFL need to be elsewhere like fixing and increase scoring rather than crackdown on an issue that wasn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n The new rules have been designed to set the correct example in a bid for it to filter down through to grassroots level as to attract a new generation of umpires.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n