It took less than a half of football for the contentious umpire dissent rule to rear its ugly head once again as the Saints‘ 17-point win over the Giants in Canberra on Friday night.
After several close calls saw Ben Long and Braydon Preuss quickly reel in their emotions, St Kilda’s Daniel McKenzie became the first player of the round to be penalised for umpire dissent.
In what would normally be considered an equitable response, McKenzie pointed to the ground with his right arm repeatedly to appeal to the umpire that his GWS opponent Callan Ward was unfairly awarded a mark.
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The action resulted in a 50m penalty and cost the Saints a goal as Ward kicked truly.
AFL fans and commentators were quick to voice their frustrations towards the new rule which has been brought in this season to deter players from questioning umpiring decisions.
Fox Footy analyst Nick Riewoldt was appalled by both the action which saw McKenzie pinged as well as the inconsistent application of the rule which saw Long and Preuss avoid punishment despite similarly extending their arms.
“We’re a half in and it’s an absolute farce,” he said.
“I liked that they didn’t pay (Ben Long’s penalty).
“Two minutes into the contest, we’ve got an arms open situation. With all the focus on it, he’s made a mistake. You don’t think that’s a protest from the umpires?
“That’s the issue – you have one situation where a player has their arms out, and we were told that there is no dissent allowed.
“There’s grey everywhere, already. And we’re half a game in.”
Earlier, Giants ruckman Preuss thought about putting his arms out before quickly redirecting them to the top of his head in response to a free kick awarded to Rowan Marshall.
Likewise, Long thought better about arguing with the umpire about a different free kick.
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Despite claiming their fifth straight win of the season, the Saints’ triumph was soured by an ACL injury to promising recruit Jack Hayes and a corked thigh to their other ruckman in Marshall.
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten later told the media the club was committed to Hayes and would help him get through his recovery and rehab.
Toby Greene’s return from suspension wasn’t enough to help his side avoid a dreaded 1-5 start to the season.
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