Updated ,first published
For the second time in his career Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard’s action should lead to a change in the rules.
The first time was for the incident in the qualifying final of 2023 when Maynard tried to smother Melbourne midfielder Angus Brayshaw’s kick and ended up knocking his opponent out.
This time the 29-year-old was fined $5000 for misconduct after making contact with an umpire that the AFL’s match review officer deemed worse than careless (a $1500 fine) and intentional (a suspension).
But a fine is an inadequate penalty for the type of contact he made with umpire Nick Brown.
Maynard and Gold Coast midfielder Touk Miller should have both been suspended for one match at a bare minimum.
What Maynard did on Saturday afternoon when the red mist descended and he charged at his opponent without recognising the umpire’s presence in front of his target was not acceptable.
It may well have been understandable – albeit juvenile – but it’s not right to make contact with an umpire in such a volatile situation, whether that be at AFL level or any other level.
Unfortunately, the rules left the MRO with no option but to fine him once it established Maynard’s act as careless. The rules undermined their breast-beating desire to stamp out umpire contact.
Maynard’s act was judged careless rather than intentional. To prove intent, the act needed to be considered aggressive, disrespectful, demonstrative or forceful, and there was no suggestion Maynard or Millers acted in this manner.
It could be argued that shifting someone out of the way so you can push and shove someone else is disrespectful, but it would be a weak argument in this instance as Maynard hardly shifted the umpire. Brown’s step to escape the melee was more matador-like and, in any event, it’s likely the contact did not even register with the umpire.
Maynard slowed up and put his hands on the umpire’s back to open his path to Gold Coast’s Ben Long, who had knocked the Magpie defender over seconds earlier.
Miller also accelerated to try to push Maynard away from Long, and that resulted in him making more forceful, albeit careless, contact with the umpire than Maynard.
So why was the decision to fine rather than suspend both these players inadequate?
Because this was not incidental contact at a crowded stoppage where players jostle for position and blindsided umpires are on the move after throwing the ball up.
Nor was it a situation similar to the one Miller found himself in round seven when he couldn’t avoid an umpire in general play.
This was completely avoidable contact.
Maynard’s charge towards Long was reckless and emotional.
Sure, we love the theatre when emotions spill over in the relatively sanitised and controlled environment of the AFL, but a half-time melee at a suburban or country league is anything but controlled.
That’s why the umpires must be sacrosanct when they find themselves in the situation Brown was on Saturday afternoon. His positioning was only slightly off as he moved to quell the initial small altercation as the siren sounded.
Toby Greene copped a six-match suspension, Greg Williams nine matches and Tom Hawkins one match for making contact with an umpire. Emotion led to them doing the wrong thing.
Maynard and Miller’s actions were on the same continuum as those three. They shouldn’t be playing next week.
The game can’t accept AFL players bumping into umpires while charging towards a melee as merely careless. A suspension was needed.
Umpire contact is one area where they need a rule that is as hard and fast as possible, as much to protect emotional players from themselves.
For God’s sake, at community level volunteers have to be sought to work as umpire escorts so the officials don’t get abused by idiots who take their disappointment with decisions way beyond acceptable. Believe me, that’s not a fun job.
The AFL shifted the charge to misconduct so it could fine Maynard and Miller $5000 rather than the fixed financial penalty of $1500 mandated for careless conduct with an umpire.
It is also likely to impose a large fine on the two clubs because they have both now had more than four offences fines for contact with an umpire.
They know this outcome is not the right one.
Rules need to be in place to suspend a player for such recklessness.
Gawn should never be forgotten
Max Gawn is too often forgotten when the game’s top five players are nominated.
Marcus Bontempelli, Nick Daicos, Isaac Heeney, Kozzie Pickett, Zak Butters, Luke Jackson, Patrick Cripps or Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera too easily fill those spots, some earning them more than others.
But his first-half performance against Hawthorn on Saturday in Tasmania should ensure he is never left out of that conversation again.
He dominated a contest from the ruck in a manner no player has controlled a game this season.
In that first half Gawn had 13 disposals, eight contested possessions, 10 hitouts to advantage, five clearances and four score involvements as the Demons opened up a 77-point half-time lead, the biggest half-time lead for the club since 1927.
He made Lloyd Meek live up to his surname, palming the ball to his midfield or thumping it forward into open space for teammates to gather on their way towards goal. At half-time the Demons led the clearance count 29-8.
He also took three intercept marks, his presence confusing the Hawks so much they could not clear their back 50 metres.
It was as though Gawn had used Brodie Grundy’s destruction of Tim English the night before as motivation; the ruck pair back leading finals contenders, coincidentally both with premiership ruckmen as their senior coaches.
Hawthorn’s pressure was abysmal, too, and their senior players were nowhere near good enough to cover the significant absence of Jarman Impey, Karl Amon, Ned Reeves, Nick Watson and Josh Battle. James Sicily set the low standard when he made a half-hearted effort to stop an Ed Langdon dribble kick from tumbling through the goals.
Of course Gawn’s performance – even at 34 – should come as no surprise.
But it deserves recognition as he is backing up last season with another brilliant year (eight All-Australians suggest they are not uncommon) despite changes in his midfield, of the coach and, most importantly, major adjustments to how the way the ball is thrown up and the ruck rules to stop wrestling.
His presence makes Melbourne a genuine premiership contender in a season many pundits (including me) wrote off their chances of even making the top 10.
By the time the Demons opened up a 96-point lead they sat fourth on the live ladder, ahead of the Lions and Adelaide on percentage before they lost five percentage points in their second half fade-out and dropped back to sixth spot on the ladder.
The win has opened up two top-four spots, with six points now separating the Hawks in third and the Bulldogs in eighth spot.
Melbourne should have their eyes on that fourth spot.
While Gawn is standing tall, they need to be considered a genuine premiership threat.
Essendon have no answers
Seriously? The Bombers’ first half against St Kilda was pathetic, even by their standards.
If the Bombers’ hierarchy want Dean Solomon to be a candidate for their vacant coaching job, the team needs to show more under his tutelage then they have to date.
The Bombers had seven tackles in the first quarter a pressure factor of just 152 after coming into the game with an intent to apply more pressure. That was not a response.
Until this match, Solomon had reduced the team’s average points against by four goals since taking charge, but that progress fell apart in a half on Sunday. They played a better second half, but it was too late.
The players look shell-shocked and are starving for outside expertise, a leader with recent experience at a successful club who brings modern football intellect.
They can ask for list concessions, but they won’t make much difference if their football department is below par.
Can the hierarchy stop being pushed around and just hire the best coach available?
An extra rookie spot for Indigenous players
Offering an extra rookie spot to players with Indigenous heritage might lift the numbers of First Nations players in the same way three-game memberships lift membership numbers. The Indigenous voices who are sceptical about whether this move will address the issues making it harder for Indigenous players to develop an AFL career than the general population have a point. They need to be listened to by the AFL when it meets on Thursday to decide whether that change will be made.
The real answer might be found in the amount of money available to clubs at AFL and state league programs to facilitate the development of Indigenous talent.
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