Carlton star Sam Docherty says AFL players need to “shut our mouths and move on” after a controversial decision sparked debate over the interpretation of the umpire dissent rule.
GWS midfielder Stephen Coniglio was penalised for throwing his arms up in protest of a non-call at a crucial stage late in the Giants’ loss to Carlton on Saturday, with the free kick paid against him at the top of the goalsquare putting the Blues back in front with just 11 minutes remaining.
Docherty said he had to ask for clarification on what the free kick paid to his side was for after the goal but added there was an “overarching principle” to why the dissent rule had to be enforced.
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“I was relatively near it but I had no idea what was going on,” Docherty said.
“I think there’s an overarching principle for why they brought in the dissent rule … to protect umpires and I think that itself is what it should be.
“The hard part with it is it’s open to interpretation between umpires – some things will get paid and some won’t.”
Docherty said players and fans had to accept that the different interpretations of individual umpires would always be part of the game due to the nature of the rules.
“That’s a lot of our game at the moment, there’s grey all over it whether it’s holding the ball, umpire dissent, 50 metres … you’ve just to accept that’s part of AFL footy and it’s an incredibly hard game to umpire, and the umpires do a great job,” he said.
“I’m a very much ‘accept the grey in the game’. The chase for the black and white, it’s just not there, and we try to chase it for every rule in the game.
“They will make mistakes at times and as much as we as players do. We’ve made hundreds of errors across the game and umpires make probably pretty few … I think at times we need to cut them a bit of slack.
“As players we’re emotionally invested in it as well, and at times we’ve just got to shut our mouths and move on.”
Docherty was speaking alongside North Melbourne midfielder Ben Cunnington from the Royal Children’s Hospital ahead of the Good Friday SuperClash between the Blues and Kangaroos.
He said his own battle with testicular cancer had given him a greater appreciation of the cause both clubs were supporting.
“I think having been through the hospital system for a fair chunk of time in the last few years, understanding how important they are for everyone,” he said.
“I’ve just had my first child, Ben’s got three. The thought of having your own kids in here is pretty daunting, but knowing how good a facility it is and how much great work they do … our ability to be able to effect that in some way in terms of the donations we can raise to make this place even better is hugely important.”
