AFL news 2022: Video of local football making contact with umpire shows Toby Greene double standard

Only months before demanding Toby Greene’s ban for umpire contact be at least doubled, leaked documents show the AFL allowed a state-league footballer to walk free of a similar crime.

The AFL signed off on a footballer escaping suspension for touching an umpire only months before it demanded Toby Greene be stamped out for at least six matches for committing a strikingly similar offence.

Greene – who will make his return as Greater Western Sydney captain against St Kilda on Friday night – had his three-match suspension from the tribunal doubled after the AFL successfully appealed on grounds it was “manifestly inadequate”.

WATCH THE VIDEO IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

But the AFL chose not to act when the Umpires’ Association in Queensland threatened a mass boycott after a player avoided any form of punishment for touching an umpire in the QAFL seniors last season.

Video footage obtained by the Herald Sun shows the Noosa defender angrily marched towards the field umpire and made contact with his shoulder to the umpire’s chest.

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The AFL signed off on this incident.

Following the game the umpire at the centre of the incident consulted the umpire’s coach, who was at the ground, and reported that the player had committed a reportable offence – intentional contact with the umpire.

The AFL Queensland MRO wrote to the Umpires’ Association, saying: “I could not be satisfied that the player’s intent was to intentionally make contact with the umpire. Intent is a state of mind and must be proven.”

The defender was set free by the MRO downgrading the charge to “careless” contact.

But legal papers sent by the Queensland Australian Football Umpires’ Association to AFL Queensland on April 30 (2021), seen by the Herald Sun, articulate what they believe were five key failings by the Match Review Officer and called for a review.

The Umpires’ Association feared a dangerous precedent had been set, jeopardising their safety and wanted the case sent to the tribunal.

But AFL Queensland boss Trisha Squires’ response on May 14, also seen by the Herald Sun, confirmed AFL headquarters had helped rubberstamp the MRO’s ruling.

“We apologise for the delay in responding, however we have been working through this matter with the relevant AFL Queensland and AFL personnel,” Squires said.

“Based on his review of the video footage of the Incident and the information provided by Umpire [REDACTED] and AFL Queensland Umpire Coach, the Match Review Officer was not satisfied that the umpire contact was intentional, including that it was not “aggressive, forceful, demonstrative or disrespectful” so as to be deemed intentional under the Guidelines.

“Accordingly, the Match Review Officer came to the Decision, being to charge the relevant player with Careless Conduct with an Umpire.

“We are satisfied with the process undertaken by the MRO, but also respect the AFLQUA’s opposing view.”

Toby Greene. Picture Fox Sports

The AFL signed off on this incident.

In the same season Greene, who pleaded not guilty, was severely dealt with by the same organisation for committing a similar act.

Revelations the AFL almost triggered a statewide boycott of umpires by waving ‘play on’ to a serious incident is an embarrassing plot twist to this year’s hard line stance on players showing respect for umpires.

The AFL said on Thursday night it had implemented off-season changes designed to uniform sanctions for umpire contact across elite and community football.

“The review of the community football rules followed several incidents at community level, including an umpire contact incident in a QAFL match in Queensland where a player was sanctioned for making contact with an umpire but was not referred to the tribunal where greater sanctions may have been imposed,” a league spokesperson told the Herald Sun.

“Respect for umpires is important and it must be clearly understood by players at all levels that intentional contact with umpires will not be tolerated.”

READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM THE AFL BELOW

Asked whether Greater Western Sydney knew about the incident in the Noosa-Wilston Grange QAFL match before Greene’s hearings, the club responded: “No comment”.

The Giants want to move on, but there is lingering angst in the Greene camp.

“The AFL says the Toby Greene tribunal sanction was ‘manifestly inadequate’,” one confidant said.

“Maybe it was. But in May the AFL signed off on a reprimand for this (Queensland incident).”

Unlike the QAFL incident, AFL umpire Matt Stevic did not lodge a match-day report against Greene.

“In regards to making match-day reports for player contact with an umpire, we need to be 100 per cent sure that the contact was unreasonable, unnecessary or intentional,” Stevic told the tribunal.

“At the time, I wasn‘t 100 per cent sure if there were other factors that may have contributed.”

The moment Toby Greene bumped umpire Matt Stevic. Picture: Fox Sports

Tribunal jurors Richard Loveridge and Shane Wakelin presided over Greene’s tribunal hearings in the 2021 and 2019 finals series and round 21 last year.

He was found guilty on all three occasions.

Steven Baker, found guilty in all 15 of his tribunal appearances, told the Herald Sun last year fresh eyes were needed.

“Once they’ve got a perception they’re going to keep that for the next hearing,” Baker said.

Taylor Walker claimed Brownlow Medallist Trent Cotchin was a “protected species” on Tuesday after Cotchin received a fine for kicking the former Adelaide captain.

“(If it was Toby Greene) he’d be suspended for the whole year,” Walker said.

Former No. 1 draft pick Jack Watts told the Herald Sun’s KFC TV that special treatment did exist for some players.

“That’s a prime example (Cotchin’s kicking incident). Because of his standing he’s looked after a little bit,” Watts said.

“You look at all the things Toby Greene’s gone and done – and gets penalised for it – I don’t think that’s (Cotchin’s kick) much different, really.

“The AFL don’t want them (protected species) sitting on the sidelines for too long.”

THE AFL’s FULL STATEMENT PROVIDED TO THE HERALD SUN

“The AFL is committed to taking decisive action at both the elite and community football levels to improve behaviour towards umpires and match officials. This year the AFL introduced the National Community Football Policy Handbook to further promote respect towards umpires with the intent of attracting and retaining more umpires at community level where we remain 6000 umpires short.

The review of the community football rules followed several incidents at community level, including an umpire contact incident in a QAFL match in Queensland where a player was sanctioned for making contact with an umpire but was not referred to the tribunal where greater sanctions may have been imposed.

We are continually acting to improve the match day environment at community football matches and have taken in to account the feedback from community umpires with our recent rules updates. In the National Community Football Policy Handbook that has been adopted in several States and Territories including Queensland we incorporated the latest amendments to the AFL Tribunal Guidelines regarding the reportable offences of “Intentional Contact with an Umpire” and “Careless Contact with an Umpire”. By doing so, the treatment of these reportable offences should now be consistent at the elite and community football levels. In addition, the National Community Football Policy Handbook gives a greater level of flexibility to controlling bodies to address umpire abuse at a community level with serious umpire abuse being able to be sanctioned by the imposition of a multiple matches suspension by match review officers without a direct referral to the tribunal (although a player may still challenge such a suspension at the tribunal). This additional sanctioning pathway will, we anticipate, result in umpire abuse being sanctioned more consistently and appropriately in the future at community level.

Respect for umpires is important and it must be clearly understood by players at all levels that intentional contact with umpires will not be tolerated.”

Originally published as AFL news 2022: Video of local football making contact with umpire shows Toby Greene double standard