AFL has ruled out a mid-season change around bump rules after controversial Ryan Burton hit

THE AFL has ruled out a mid-season change to its rules around the bump, comfortable with its regulations despite controversial hits resulting in concussions in the past two weeks.

Shaun Higgins is knocked out by Ryan Burton.

THE AFL has ruled out a mid-season change to its rules around the bump, comfortable with its regulations despite a pair of concussions in the past two weeks.

AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking said the league would review the rule in the post-season after Ryan Burton’s bump on Shaun Higgins.

But he made no pledge to change the rules, adamant he and match review officer Michael Christian were correct in clearing Burton.

BUMP: CLARKO’S BUMP STANCE BAFFLING: ROBBO

CLEAR: MATCH REVIEW BOSS GIVES KO THE OK

Burton had the option to tackle, with concussion campaigner Peter Jess telling the Herald Sun the ruling gave a mandate for the “carnage” to continue.

It comes despite widespread confusion from coaches, with Collingwood’s Nathan Buckley calling for a mid-season review.

“If we (suspend) Burton for that, we are throwing the bump out of the game,” Hocking said.

Ryan Burton hits Shaun Higgins.

Shaun Higgins knocked out after being bumped by Ryan Burton.

“We are comfortable it landed where it needed to. We are not going to suspend guys for accidents.

“It is something we will review at the appropriate time, not five rounds in.

“We workshopped it long and hard as you would imagine and there are different views out there.

“There is still a place within the laws of the game for a bump and in our view Burton has executed the bump correctly and there is a secondary motion which happens which is the incidental head contact. We believe it is still relevant in the game.”

“In our view he has made contact in a fair and reasonable manner. His feet don’t leave the ground and we felt there wasn’t a high level of force.

“The back of his head makes contact with his mouth and it is incidental contact.”

Buckley said he wanted mid-season clarity.

I don’t think you can wait until the end of the year,” he told SEN.

“I think you got to address it, I think that’s what leadership is. You got to say, hey, this is how we see it.”

Hocking also confirmed the match-day umpires had made the correct decision not to penalise Phil Davis for his last-second spoil on Jake Carlisle in the St Kilda-GWS draw.

Phil Davis spoils Jake Carlisle. Picture: Michael Klein

He said the umpire was positioned correctly, adamant from his angle the decision not to pay a free was correct.

As debate rages about the hardness of Perth Stadium, Hocking said the league was serious about addressing player concerns.

Sydney’s Lance Franklin is the latest player to have an injury linked to the surface, out of the Geelong clash with a heel injury he has carried since Round 1.

Hocking said the ground was within the acceptable range for hardness, around 65-70 on the Glegg hammer hardness readings.

But as well as coring the surface to attempt to soften it, the groundskeepers will also seed in more rye grass into the predominantly Santa Ana couch covering.

The couch grass knits tightly and has slightly less give than the rye covering that will be introduced to the surface.

The AFL’s competition committee meets for the first time on May 10, with the AFL’s mid-season draft and potential to trade live picks in the national draft high on the agenda.

Hocking said the AFL was adamant a mid-season draft will occur next year, but said there are various models to execute it.

One of those models includes a transfer window that could be open as early as January of any given year, with one model of as few as four days for a mid-season trade period.

LIVE stream every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week trial & start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW