AFL fines Richmond for umpire abuse

Updated June 15, 2012 17:39:26

The AFL has fined Richmond $5000 for an incident where a Tigers trainer approached and made offensive comments to a field umpire at the end of last week's game with Fremantle at the MCG.

The league's general manager of football operations Adrian Anderson said the AFL had written to the club earlier this week, after the match-day umpires compiled a report detailing the trainer's post-match comments.

Richmond responded to the league on Thursday, and the AFL had chosen to sanction the club, also citing a recent incident in which Tigers coach Damien Hardwick had approached umpires during a game.

"All match-day staff are required to adhere to a clear set of guidelines in relation to their conduct towards umpires," Anderson said in the statement.

"It is important that the AFL continues to take a zero tolerance approach in dealing with umpire abuse as a negative match day environment is still the primary factor impacting on the recruitment and retention of umpires in community football across Australia."

The statement did not say which umpire was approached by the Richmond trainer, however according to the AFL's match report the three umpires on duty for the game were Chris Donlon, Justin Schmitt and Jacob Mollison.

The game, which was played last Saturday afternoon, was won by the Dockers by 12.6 (78) to 9.12 (66).

The free-kick count for the game was 24 to Fremantle, 17 to Richmond.

Meanwhile two Carlton players have apologised to the AFL after posting messages on Twitter critical of the umpiring in Thursday night's match between the Blues and West Coast in Perth.

Defender Jeremy Laidler posted "Are you not meant to try and b 1st in at the footy anymore. If u do u will b pinned for holding the ball. SHOCKING!!!"

Murphy's message said: "Ruined a good game these blokes."

Both players were injured and did not play in the match, which Carlton lost by 10 points.

In a statement, the club said it had spoken to Laidler and Murphy and that both agreed the comments were unfortunate.

"The players admitted that the frustration of not playing and not being able to influence the game meant that they failed to fully consider how their tweets may be understood," the statement said.

Both players apologised to the AFL through the club.

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, melbourne-3000

First posted June 15, 2012 17:13:40

View the original article here

Tribunal fines Jake King for shove

Updated May 17, 2011 20:22:00

Richmond forward Jake King has been fined $800 by the AFL tribunal for angrily shoving a Western Bulldogs trainer during last Sunday's match at Docklands.

King was contesting the charge of misconduct, for which the Match Review Panel had recommended a fine of $1,600.

Following a one-hour hearing on Tuesday night, the tribunal found King guilty but reduced the recommended fine by half.

King said his intention had been to "fly the flag" for team-mate Jack Riewoldt, who had received a 50-metre penalty for a late hit after taking a mark and was then moved downfield to the goalsquare to take the kick.

As Riewoldt celebrated kicking the goal, King became involved in a scuffle with several Bulldogs players including Robert Murphy and Dylan Addison.

At one stage, King's team-mate Ben Nason tries to drag King away from the incident, but King continues to exchange verbal abuse with Murphy.

The 178cm King said he felt under siege, with Bulldogs players coming at him from all directions.

Legal counsel Andrew Tinney said the video footage showed King was looking at the 43-year-old trainer when he pushed him, but King said it all happened in a flash.

"I thought Jack was harshly dealt with so I wanted to stick up for Jack and voice my opinion," King said.

"I felt contact and verbal abuse coming from around me.

"I felt contact to my left shoulder.

"It happened very quickly. It was in the blink of an eye.

"I pushed before I even looked to see who it was.

"I didn't realise it was a trainer. If I had known that, I wouldn't have pushed him."

But King handed out some advice to the trainer on Tuesday, adding: "No trainer or official should be around any push and shove between players."

The trainer Mark Borg gave evidence via telephone link and said he had been instructed to avoid scuffles.

"There was no scuffle as I approached," Borg said.

"The scuffle had subsided. I passed Robert Murphy the drink.

"He was about to drink it and he (King) gave me a little push in the chest.

"I was shocked. You don't expect a player to come up to myself."

King agreed with Tinney's assertion that he was "worked-up" but denied he had lost his temper.

Fremantle's Nathan Fyfe successfully challenged a charge of making negligent contact with an umpire.

Fyfe argued he was pushed into the umpire's path at a centre bounce by Richmond's Nathan Foley in the match played on May 7 at the MCG.

Fyfe had been facing a $2,400 fine.

- AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, richmond-3121, wa, fremantle-6160

First posted May 17, 2011 20:46:00

View the original article here

Suspended fines for tweeting Demons

Posted May 13, 2011 19:50:00

The AFL has issued suspended fines to both Melbourne and two of its players who tweeted their disapproval of team-mate Jack Trengove's ban.

Ricky Petterd and James Frawley were among several players critical via social media of the three-match suspension given to Trengove for his slinging tackle on Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield - which the Demons failed to overturn on appeal.

They received $2,500 fines suspended for two years, while the Demons were given a $5,000 suspended fine.

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou said he did not understand the attraction of Twitter to players, whose SMS-style messages can reach the mobile phones or computers of anyone who wants to read what they have to say.

He warned players who use social media, that unfair criticism of the AFL and its tribunal is overstepping the mark.

"I am one of those cynics; 'Go to the toilet, Twitter everybody. Been to the toilet, run out of toilet paper'. I don't get it," Demetriou told Melbourne radio station 3AW earlier on Friday.

"We understand the use of Twitter has become more prevalent, more common, and it's now an accepted form of social media.

"But it doesn't mean that unfair and unreasonable criticism should be tolerated because it's a new form of media.

"We encourage free speech. There's no issue with that.

"But if it's unreasonable, we'll have an issue with it."

Melbourne coach Dean Bailey said he would not restrict his players' use of Twitter despite the AFL's sanctions on his club and players.

"They were a bit frustrated and they were just supporting Jack," Bailey said.

"The AFL were concerned with some of the language that was used ... but you've got young men who were fairly disappointed in the decision and it was probably just them being open and honest.

"I'm not going to put them in a straightjacket and stop them from tweeting, they've just got to be smarter in how they communicate their message."

Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade believes players have more to lose than gain by using social media.

"I can't believe players would want to be on Twitter and want to be on Facebook," Eade said.

"Call me an old man and that sort of thing, but the dangers of it and the risks in it for an AFL player, I don't see the reward in actually taking that risk.

"Words taken out of context, someone looks at your pictures and you say something that's there in black and white, you may as well put it in the paper.

"I don't think players in general have got that concept yet ... I just think it's a dangerous element."

But Eade and the Dogs say they have not contemplated a ban on social media, believing they provide enough education to help those who want to use Twitter and Facebook navigate it.

"Most of our players don't use Twitter. We educate and talk them through and there's been some sessions this year on that already," Eade said.

"If I was a footballer, I wouldn't be taking any risks on it."

- AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, melbourne-3000

View the original article here

Port fines Hartlett for drinking

Another AFL player is in trouble for drinking after playing last weekend.

Port Adelaide announced on Tuesday they had fined Hamish Hartlett $2,500, with another $2,500 suspended, after he caught up with friends following Sunday's 79-point loss to Geelong.

It comes a day after Melbourne onballer Brent Moloney lost his vice-captaincy for an alcohol-related incident early on Monday morning.

Moloney was asked to leave a St Kilda nightclub for being too drunk and he has admitted to a binge drinking problem when he consumes alcohol.

The Power said it had fined Hartlett because he had not met the team's uncompromising standards.

"Hamish went out for a few drinks with friends on Sunday night, after returning to Adelaide following the game against Geelong," Port football manager Peter Rohde said in a statement.

"It was a quiet catch-up with mates, but a player's recovery must come first and his actions were outside of the standards the playing group itself has set."

Sunday was Hartlett's first AFL game back from injury.

View the original article here