Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge isn’t convinced umpires are policing deliberate out of bounds as advised
No team has conceded less free kicks than the Western Bulldogs in 2021 and it’s a number that should be even less according to coach Luke Beveridge.
The Bulldogs mentor has put the issue of deliberate out of bounds on the agenda after questioning “a couple” of calls in his team’s stirring come-from-behind win over Carlton on Sunday.
Questions were asked post-match about a call to penalise Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli for “insufficient intent” to keep the ball in, as the umpires now refer to it, when he sent a ball long in to his team’s forward line at Marvel Stadium.
The ball sailed 60m and bounced away from chasing players inside the Bulldogs forward 50, some of whom slipped over, prompting the umpires to penalise Bontempelli and the Bulldogs.
Beveridge said the umpires may need to “sit down and talk” about how they are using the rule, which has been a massive focus this season for umpires to ensure players do their utmost to keep the ball in play.
“It’s moved away from what they initially planned,” Beveridge said on Sunday.
”Everyone supported the change to the rule. Like any time, we know its hard for the umps, any they just might need to sit down and talk about it and work out what is and what isn‘t.
Umpires have officially jumped the shark with the deliberate out of bounds.
They should just come out and say it’s last disposal from now on to clear up confusion #AFLDogsBlues
Bontempelli kicks it 60m into his forward 50 over the top of his running teammate who tripped over, and gets called ‘deliberate out of bounds’ ??♂️#AFLDogsBlues
“If you are in your front half, there are not many teams trying to kick it out of bounds, until the end of the game I suppose, where you let it roll over and get a stoppage.
“I wasn’t sure about a couple tonight.”
On Saturday a decision against North Melbourne’s Cameron Zurhaar was labelled the ”worst decision I have ever seen” by Hawthorn premiership star Jordan Lewis.
Despite the decision against Bontempelli on Sunday, the Bulldogs have conceded just 134 free kicks the season, the least among the 18 teams in the AFL.
The Dogs have received 158, which places them 11th in the league.
Richmond is least awarded team in the AFL so far this season, receiving just 129 free kicks through the opening eight rounds of the season, of just over 16 a game.
? Reacting to some of these deliberate out of bounds decisions this weekend…
(Courtesy Fox Footy)#AFLDogsBluespic.twitter.com/9QiDltf6wS
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