The fines handed down to Brad Scott and North Melbourne send a strong message about respect, writes Jon Ralph

THE combined $80,000 in fines handed down to Brad Scott and North Melbourne were exactly what the club deserved, writes Jon Ralph.

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott.

KURT Portsmouth is the reason the AFL’s $80,000 in fines to Brad Scott and North Melbourne were so absolutely vital.

Dual Grand Final umpire Mathew Nicholls will sleep better too, after his misconstrued conversation with Jamie Macmillan turned Chinese-Whispers-on-steroids.

But the $50,000 in fines to the club and $30,000 to Scott sends just as loud a warning to community umpires like 16-year-old Kurt.

The NRL referee was assaulted by a trainer and then hospitalised at an under-12s game at the weekend — all for having the temerity to send the trainer’s son from the ground.

That reprehensible act has seen the trainer charged with bodily harm, with Portsmouth thankfully avoiding serious injury.

But unless elite competitions stand up for their umpires too what is the point of junior leagues fighting the fight.

Make what you will of the contrast between Gillon McLachlan’s inaction over the Triple M bully boys, but in isolation the $80,000 fines absolutely hit the mark.

In truth this is a series of fines that acknowledges the seriousness of Scott’s allegations but also a longstanding pattern of behaviour.

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From Scott’s recent attack about the AFL’s rule of the week, to the constant narrative about Thomas being vilified about being punished for his sins of the past, it is far from a one-off.

Thomas is a scapegoat for the high tackle debate, but when he grabs his opponent’s arm to ensure it stays around his neck it is far from a flawless technique.

Brad Scott was fined $30,000. Picture: Ian Currie

As one senior umpire told the Herald Sun on Saturday: “We are sick of people attacking our integrity. Question decisions and understand we will make blues, but don’t question our integrity,’’ he said.

Evans’ comments yesterday went directly to the Roos’ attack on that integrity.

“We felt these comments were more than just criticism of umpiring, they went to the integrity of the umpires and by extension of the AFL,’’ he said.

Evans said the club was fined more than Scott himself because the club should have had “mechanisms in place” to stop Scott’s comments.

In other words, why the hell did footy boss Geoff Walsh relay the comments and then not ask Macmillan about what had taken place?

And why was Heath O’Loughlin, the best media manager in the business, oblivious to Scott’s attack when he would have talked him out of it if made aware.

So consider $20,000 of this $80,000 a fine for stupidity by senior officials at North Melbourne who should know better.

North Melbourne trumpeted their $37 million revenue tally last year, so a $10,000 fine would have been a drop in the ocean.

An insult given the comparison between James Hird’s $20,000 fine for an off-the-cuff remark as a player and Scott’s calculated and co-ordinated attack as a senior coach.

He could not have done more to apologise on Monday, and if he is smart in coming months he will find a way to become an ambassador for umpire awareness or recruitment.

Every AFL decision has a trickle-down effect, which is why Mark Jamar’s $1500 umpire abuse fine for telling Nicholls to “pay the free kick, c***” was entirely appropriate.

Their job is hard enough already — and umpire recruitment close enough to impossible — without letting the Roos off gently for Friday’s outburst.