AFL icon Leigh Matthews has criticised the league over how the game is being umpired.
Speaking on Nine’s Footy Furnace, Matthews questioned whether or not umpires had in the past month been instructed to run the game differently, and be more lenient towards the ball carrier.
His biggest gripe is with the holding the ball rule, which he believes “doesn’t exist anymore”.
READ MORE: Gus planning to challenge NRL’s $20,000 fine
ANALYSIS: Frightening 35-year curse Rabbitohs recruit has to overcome
READ MORE: Fifita’s shock Penrith meeting revealed
Multiple incidents across the weekend were called out by commentators and on social media by fans struggling to understand why free kicks were not paid.
“Those who watch a lot of football, you would know that in the last month they changed the rule about holding the ball,” Matthews began.
“It seems like it doesn’t exist anymore – unless it’s a rundown tackle, then you might get it.”
Matthews said he didn’t believe any instruction had come from the AFL commission, or at least not directly, but more likely chief executive Andrew Dillon or executive general manager Laura Kane.
“What are they asking the umpires to do? Because what we know is that high tackle above the neck, about one in five get paid,” he said.
Footy Classified is now available as a podcast! Subscribe/follow via Apple, Spotify or Google Podcasts
“Push in the back, which is still a rule, that’s about one in 10.
“I barrack for the ball carrier, so I’m quite happy for the leniency to be with the ball carrier, but right now even I’m thinking, ‘how come that wasn’t holding the ball?’.
“I think something’s changed, (but) why has it changed? Who’s instigated the change?
“…When the whole umpiring fraternity are doing it, then they are being told ‘this is the way we want the game to be umpired’.”
Matthews then said he did not have confidence Dillon, Kane and football boss Josh Mahoney could run the game “in an umpiring sense”.
“They changed the rule that if (the ball carrier)… contribute to the high contact, the umpires should ignore it. Well, they’ll just ignore them all because you may have contributed by dropping your body height by three inches or something like that, so we’ve made it easy for the tackler.
“And the same with in the back, they don’t pay that, (which) make it easier for the bloke with the ball and harder for the tackler.
“The game’s gone. I might be in a minority here because it seems like the majority want us to be harder on the player with the ball, but what I do know is that holding the ball decision is much more lenient this last month than it was in the first month of the year.”