Brownlow double medalist Nat Fyfe will almost certainly face scrutiny from the MRO after Fremantle’s skipper contacted a referee.
Fyfe was involved in a fight with Carlton players late in the third quarter of his team’s loss at Marvel Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
When the Dockers superstar verbally protested to several Blues players, he was pushed by Blue Matt Cottrell, with the impetus that led Fyfe to contact the referee.
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Due to Cottrell’s push, it looked like Fyfe was pulling his arm out instinctively, with his hand touching referee Robert O’Gorman.
Fyfe could argue that he stretched his arm to stop his momentum or rebalance.
How Herald Sun. Journalist Jon Ralph noted on Twitter that a player will face problems if he disrespectfully, aggressively, despises or intentionally touches a referee.
“Gill McLachlan sat on the exchange bench last night in part to support the referees,” Ralph wrote on Twitter. “Given the major crackdown, it’s not the best time to touch a referee if it’s possible to avoid it. I don’t know where he lands.
“For me it’s a fine at worst. But when double medalist Brownlow touches a referee in the midst of the current crackdown, it’s a point of discussion.”
The last player to be suspended for contact with the referee was Giants star Toby Greene, who got a six-game sanction for his contact with referee Matt Stevic during the elimination final. last year.
While Fyfe’s contact does not appear to be as intentional, the ban handed to Greene indicated that the AFL is determined to eliminate any physical contact between the referees and the players.
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