James Brayshaw takes public shot at AFL over 50-metre penalty ‘disgrace'

7NEWS

23-06-2025

Former North Melbourne president James Brayshaw has fired a shot at the AFL for wildly inconsistent umpiring which culminated in an 'absolute disgrace' on Friday night.
The Channel 7 commentator was calling Brisbane's win over Geelong when Dayne Zorko gave away a 50-metre penalty that started a trend for the night that was an outlier to the rest of the season so far.
Zorko was penalised for running into the protected area when Geelong's Shannon Neale was going back to have a shot at goal, despite appearing to run through about 10 metres away from the kicker in an action that had no impact on the play.
Neale was taken to the goal line where he booted through Geelong's first goal of the game.
At the time, Matthew Richardson called the ruling 'nonsense'.
'It wasn't going to affect anything, I really don't like that, it's just a bit of nonsense there, really,' he said on Channel 7.
'Shannon Neale was just going back for a shot at goal, he wasn't affecting anything in-board of the ground there, Zorko.'
Speaking on Triple M the next morning, a frustrated Brayshaw said it started a trend for the night which is at odds with how the game has been officiated for the season at large.
'What I will say to this, and I don't dive into umps too often, but we haven't had a running into the protected zone infringement all season — has not been one for 13 weeks, suddenly they ping four in three quarters,' he said.
Bernie Vince added: 'We always say this, whenever they are hot on something, why don't they come out and tell us? Do they tell the teams? Do they tell us?
'Why does it just, all of a sudden, it just starts.
'So, you see that on a Friday night, does that continue across the weekend maybe? I don't know.'
Brayshaw was the Kangaroos president between 2008 and 2016, and saw first-hand the frustration that builds at AFL clubs over such blatant inconsistency.
'Having been inside the four walls, nothing drives footy departments madder than that,' he said.
'They're like, 'You have studiously ignored this rule for 13 weeks, and suddenly, on a Friday night, you ping four of them'.
'The one against Dayne Zorko was an absolute disgrace, and it marched the bloke to the line.'
The protected area infringements have been a contentious rule since their inception, particularly during periods where umpires seemed to be following a directive to be trigger-happy with them.
But Vince praised the AFL for how they had softened this season, paying less of them where play was not affected.
That's why it made Friday night's sudden escalation more peculiar.
'And that's what happens, quite often it's the 50-metre that puts you to the goal line, it's a certain goal,' he said.
'I actually haven't minded the way they haven't paid free kicks for it (this year). I think it hurts you too much, so I actually don't mind the way they've been doing it.
'Why they changed it last night — I didn't see any Thursday night either, so I don't know why Friday night they ping them all.
'I don't know, I can't talk for them.'
Brayshaw also added: 'And then we get a dissent (free kick) — we haven't had one of them for two months either.
'So therefore, what you said was ruder than what everyone else's said for 10 weeks? I don't get it, that's the stuff I don't get.'