AFL Stand By Shuey Free Kick

Correct decision.


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The AFL's umpiring department has deemed that the decision to award Luke Shuey a free kick in the dying stages last night was correct. 

Umpire Chris Donlon awarded Shuey a free kick after receiving high contact from Port Adelaide's Jared Polec

Plenty of fans were enraged by the decision and thought that Shuey 'ducked' to draw high contact and it should not have been a free kick. 

A spokesman from the umpiring department has deemed that Donlon's explanation of his decision was sufficient.

The spokesperson told Fairfax the process that the umpires have to follow is to decide "had there been high contact in the tackle", and that in this scenario "yes there had been".

The AFL altered the rule regarding high contact at the start of the season because a number of players were leading with their heads to draw high contact. 

"Where a tackle is reasonably applied and the ball carrier is responsible for the high contact via a shrug, drop, arm lift or duck, play on should be called," the AFL clarified. 

 

 

Tom Beers

10 September 2017

Article by:

Tom Beers




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