Giants coach Adam Kingsley has emphatically rejected claims Stephen Coniglio had persistently argued with umpires before a controversial dissent free kick was paid on Saturday.
Coniglio was penalised late in the Giants’ loss to Carlton for throwing his arms up in protest at an unpaid holding the ball free kick, leading to an umpiring decision against him for dissent, which gave the Blues a cheap goal.
The AFL released a statement following the match defending the umpire’s interpretation of the dissent rule; it later leaked the umpire department had given the league feedback that the free kick had been paid in part due to the number of times Coniglio had remonstrated with officials throughout the game.
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Kingsley said the narrative that the star Giants midfielder is a serial whinger or is unsportsmanlike is “complete rubbish”.
“The (dissent) rule itself is not an issue. That decision … oh well, we move on,” he said.
“We certainly know that the rhetoric has been around that it was a reaction to numerous events – well, I can tell you that is just completely rubbish.
“That’s not the case at all, so anyone who wants to attack the decision from that angle is completely wrong.”
Kingsley said the Giants and Coniglio did not have an issue with the decision being paid and had moved on, but that he was frustrated at the light in which the former captain was cast in the ensuing debate.
“That’s complete rubbish … when you look at Cogs, you’re dealing with one of the most respectful people in the AFL,” he said.
The decision to change the interpretation of the dissent rule from how it was applied in the second half of 2022 is creating unnecessary confusion, Kingsley said.
“We know it’s a hard game to umpire already, so why are we making it even more difficult,” he said.
“The rule where it was midway through last season to the finish of last season is where it needs to be.
“I felt like it was really well umpired in that time frame.”
Kingsley said Aaron Cadman was “less likely this week” to make his debut despite a three-goal performance in the Giants’ VFL win over Carlton, but praised the continued effort of the number one pick.
Lesser known pick 22 Max Gruzewski starred in the win with four goals, with Kingsley thrilled at the performance of the 192cm utility.
“(Gruzewski) missed the bulk of the pre-season with a knee injury, so for him to be able to come back ahead of schedule, first game back, really, and to have the impact he had, I was really impressed,” he said.
He said the Giants are “incredibly disappointed” with the season-ending ACL injury to another 2022 draft selection, Darcy Jones, who Kingsley had touted as a round 1 bolter over the pre-season.
