Curnow brothers join list of players making contact with umpires

Carlton’s Curnow brothers are the latest footballers to be referred to the AFL Tribunal for making contact with an umpire.

Carlton’s Ed Curnow appears to lightly push the umpire in the game against Essendon

Carlton’s Curnow brothers are the latest footballers to be referred to the AFL Tribunal for making contact with an umpire amid a bizarre spate of similar incidents.

Fremantle coaching staff will be relieved after Brownlow Medal favourite Nat Fyfe was cleared of any wrongdoing in two separate incidents on Saturday night against the Saints.

But Kangaroos skipper Jack Ziebell will miss an intriguing clash against GWS Giants in Hobart on Saturday unless he can mount a successful challenge to a kneeing charge.

A week after Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins received a one-week ban for touching an umpire, Gold Coast skipper Steven May took his turn at the tribunal last night but escaped a ban.

May pleaded guilty to the charge but argued his conduct was unintentional.

The Gold Coast co-captain, who will join his teammates in Shanghai for the game against Port Adelaide next weekend, was demonstrating what had occurred in a previous marking contest.

He was fined $1000 and said it was “not an example I want to set for footballers around the country”.

Charlie and Ed Curnow will face the tribunal tonight for incidents that occurred in the third quarter of Carlton’s victory over Essendon at the MCG.

Ed Curnow, who booted two goals and gathered 24 disposals against the Bombers, was charged with pushing umpire Nathan Williamson lightly in the chest.

His younger brother Charlie, who kicked three goals in Carlton’s first victory for the year, arguably made even slighter contact to umpire Matt Stevic’s chest as he tried to break up a scuffle between Jed Lamb and Mark Baguley.

Hawkins was not necessarily surprised by the increase in incidents coming under the spotlight, arguing it was actually a reasonably common occurrence in matches.

“It is one of those funny things in football,” he said.

“When you look at football, there is a lot more player and umpire contact and touching than you probably think.

“We absolutely respect and need the role umpires play in the game. If the incident I was involved in can highlight the importance of that, it can be a good thing.”

Match review officer Michael Christian said it was important to be “really vigilant” in regards to incidents involving umpires.

“The message is pretty clear. You cannot make contact with an umpire,” he said.

In other incidents, Reece Conca received a free kick for the incident that has led to the one-match ban for Ziebell, the Kangaroos skipper.

The pair were wrestling for the football when Ziebell managed to pick the Tiger up and then dump him to the ground.

In the process, his left knee made contact with Conca’s face, though the North Melbourne captain was puzzled how he had infringed. Christian cited footage of the incident and a medical report from Richmond when offering the suspension.

Those who have backed Fyfe into favouritism to claim a second Brownlow Medal will be relieved after it was deemed he was not at fault when kneeing Jake Carlisle in the head.

In a separate incident, it was deemed Fyfe made contact to the chest of Seb Ross, and not the Saints’ head, when laying a bump in the third term of the match at a boundary throw-in.

The 2015 Brownlow Medallist firmed at the TAB from $6 to $3.50 to win his second medal.