Former Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury has delivered a frank and honest assessment regarding the current state of AFL umpiring.
The two-time Premiership winner and 414 game superstar outlined a handful of key areas he’d like to see newly appointed Football Performance manager Greg Swann address during his time in charge, starting with the controversial stand rule that has been a major point of contention for fans once a player takes a mark.
“The stand rule to me doesn’t make any sense. I would just get rid of it altogether. It’s just one thing the umpires don’t need to worry about,” Pendlebury told SEN Breakfast on Tuesday.
Like a number of current and former players, Pendlebury is in favour of scrapping the bounce in exchange for a ball-up, while also suggesting the holding the ball rule remains unclear.
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“We don’t need a bounce at the start of the quarter, the holding the ball rule needs a little bit of a tweak,” Pendlebury added.
Umpiring decisions have been heavily scrutinized this season, with Kysaiah Pickett’s blatant no-call on a clear trip against Hawthorn in Round 9 standing out as one of the worst.
The Dees were again haunted by umpiring errors during Monday’s King’s Birthday loss to Collingwood, as Jake Melksham was penalised for taking out the legs of Jeremy Howe on the stroke of half time, despite being pushed into the contest by Darcy Moore.
Pendlebury finished up saying he thinks footy is often umpired the best during the finals as the umpires tend to swallow the whistle and allow the game to flow.
"They have so many different rules they are trying to worry about,” Pendlebury said. “Fundamentally I think finals footy is always umpired the best because a lot of it is just let go.”