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“It’s hard,look,the game is,there is a reason I sit up in the coach’s box. I don’t want the umpire’s job because it is that bloody tough,” he said.
“But we’ve got to figure out a way to make it easier. I don’t know what that is,but,you know,today,there was a couple of situations,you know,for both sides where we have just got to be mindful of those. It is definitely dangerous.”
Hardwick said that allowing so many tackles without reward was causing more stoppages and a more congested game.
“We watch a lot of footy,obviously,and we notice it. Once again,what we do about it,I am not too sure. Like,it is hard,it’s incredibly challenging.
“But we’ve got to look at it and make sure we can sit there and look after the players’ health and safety.”
Carlton fans were livid at Marvel Stadium until half-time with the free-kick count 9-2 in Gold Coast’s favour. Then during the third quarter,they almost lifted the roof off the stadium in disgust after a 50-metre penalty was paid against Harry McKay for knocking over Jarrod Witts at half-forward in a marking contest.
It appeared to be incidental contact,but Witts was taken to the front of goal and converted. The free-kick count finished 16-11 in favour of the Suns across the match.
Blues coach Michael Voss said Carlton would follow up some of the umpiring decisions with the league during the week.
“I don’t say that often,but we’ve got some things to follow up because either,clearly,we’re not getting it right,or we are educating it wrong,” the Carlton coach said.
“So we’ve got a couple of things to follow up,just to make sure we have clarity as well,that we’re seeing it the same way.”
Voss would not be drawn on which decisions he was referring to in his post-match press conference.
“No,I’ll wait and hold. And we’ll go through the right channels as well,because this isn’t about,you know,it’s about sort of taking our time,having a look through the vision,let’s be really clear,and we’ve always had really good discussions.
“So I can’t see that changing. We’ll just probably seek a little bit more feedback this week than what we normally have.”
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When asked if he agreed with Hardwick about umpires needing to make faster calls on holding-the-ball decisions,Voss said it was a position that coaches had raised before.
“There’s an element where the player and the umpire can make that environment a bit safer with everything that’s going on,” Voss said.
“That’s been raised before. I know,it’s absolutely a talking point. So I’m not too worried about that.
“There’s a genuine intent to provide the environment as a really safe environment. I think we’ve done that amazingly well,in more recent times.”
The Blues bounced back from their trouncing at the hands of Sydney last week by dominating the Suns’ midfield. Skipper Patrick Cripps had 31 possessions,16 of them contested,while Sam Walsh amassed 32 disposals as they put Gold Coast trio of Noah Anderson (21 possessions),Touk Miller (21) and Matt Rowell (15) to the sword.
The only thing that could stop a rampaging Cripps was an umpire’s elbow just before three-quarter-time … and even that was temporary.
Cripps was running through the centre square after a centre clearance and accidentally ran headfirst into umpire Daniel Johanson’s outstretched arm a minute before the final break. He was sent sprawling to the turf and looked momentarily dazed before lifting himself up and having a light moment with Johanson when the three-quarter-time siren sounded.
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