Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick has hit out at umpiring decisions in his side's heavy loss to Geelong, claiming the Cats' crowd behaved like a 'Roman Colosseum' and influenced key free kicks.
Hardwick's post-match outburst
The Suns led by 12 points late in the first quarter at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night, but conceded seven unanswered goals to slump to a third-straight defeat, eventually losing by 45 points.
Rather than focus on his team's concerning form, which could see them drop as low as 10th by the end of the round, Hardwick took aim at umpiring decisions late in the second term.
The triple Richmond premiership coach exploded in the coaching box when Geelong star Jeremy Cameron was awarded two free kicks described by commentators as 'reasonably soft' before halftime.
'It was like the Roman Colosseum,' Hardwick said when asked about his frustrations. 'I reckon they (the umpires) were waiting for the crowd to do this one (thumb down) then, all of a sudden, free kick. At the end of the day it is what it is, home-ground advantage, we understand that, we know you're up against it from the start, but a couple of them weren't there.'
Lasso rule criticism
Hardwick admitted umpiring was not the sole reason for the loss, but called for the lasso rule to be changed if the ball accidentally comes off a boot.
'I think it's a ridiculous look where the ball accidentally trickles off a guy's toe that's been hit into; it's not as if he's deliberately trying to kick it out of bounds,' he said. 'This is not the reason we won or lost. They (the AFL) change a lot of things, just change that.'
Fans turn on Hardwick
Fans quickly turned on Hardwick, who has a reputation for ranting in post-match press conferences. Many pointed out that questionable decisions went against both teams.
Geelong fans were particularly aggrieved when Ollie Dempsey took a mark in the goalsquare but a dubious free kick was paid against him. Cats star Max Holmes was also unhappy when a 50-metre penalty was awarded against him, gifting Matt Rowell an easy goal.
One fan said: 'My gosh he can sook.' Another added: 'Hardwick's a sook ... Swings and roundabouts in this game. Geelong were robbed a few ... Ollie Dempsey!' Another commented: 'How can Hardwick get away with such comments? He is a spoilt brat and got hammered by 7 goals, and blames umpires.'
Another fan wrote: 'Got beaten by 45 points in an absolute pea-hearted effort ... yeah, the umpires.' And another said: 'Spare us. You got gifted two frees in the 3rd quarter and capitalised on them. It was a 12-18 point swing in your favour and you still couldn't capitalise. Don't worry about Roman Colosseums.'
Scott also frustrated
Geelong coach Chris Scott was also caught in a furious state with a third-quarter decision when Bailey Smith was denied a holding-the-ball free kick. Scott addressed umpiring for about five minutes during his post-match press conference, attempting to explain the AFL's interpretation to fans.
'One of the things that, I think, is frustrating for fans, in general, is they don't quite understand the nuance that maybe the clubs do, because we have it explained to us in great detail,' Scott said. 'The Bailey Smith one, that's just an error, and we should ignore that. Everyone who understands the nuance of that rule should just say, 'OK, ignore that, because it's an error. Mistakes happen all the time. If you're going to get frustrated, make sure it's not your own ignorance you're displaying for everyone.'
