Latest news with #CamRayner
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michael Voss calls for rule change as Carlton player could be sent to AFL tribunal
Carlton coach Michael Voss believes it's "common sense" that a ball-up should be called when an AFL player collides with an umpire and play is affected, rather than play continuing. The Blues conceded an early goal in controversial scenes on Thursday night in their 15.13 (103) to 9.12 (66) loss to Brisbane. Lachie Cowan accidentally collided with umpire Andrew Heffernan, and Nick Haynes' kick sailed straight past Cowan into the lap of Lions player Cam Rayner. The Lions player then set up Charlie Cameron for an easy goal, leaving the Blues fuming. It came less than one week after Essendon player Nate Caddy was involved in a similar collision with umpire Robert O'Gorman. Caddy was later cleared of wrongdoing over the accidental contact, despite the league issuing a recent crackdown and handing out more fines. Lions player Will Ashcroft could be facing a fine for accidentally tripping an umpire on Thursday night. And Carlton midfielder Adam Cerra might find himself being sent straight to the tribunal. Cerra also made contact with an umpire in a separate incident which could draw attention from the match review officer. Because Cerra has had three previous fines in the past two years, he might be sent straight to the tribunal if he cops another charge for Thursday night's incident. Under a controversial new edict issued by the AFL this month, a player charged with careless umpire contact for a fourth time or more during the past two seasons can be referred directly to the tribunal and face possible suspension. It comes after a significant increase in fines for such incidents, with the total amount to exceed a record $1 million over the past 24 months by the end of this season. Speaking after Thursday night's loss, Carlton coach Voss said: "Not so much specifically Adam, but we've addressed [the crackdown] as a football club. The correspondence has been pretty clear coming out of the AFL, so obviously the first thing we do is make sure we have that covered off. "It's been something that we've all been really mindful of in the industry. Unfortunately the mids are the ones that are probably going to be copping the brunt of it, so we just have to be cautious there." In regards to the Cowan incident that led to a Lions goal, Voss said it showed there's an obvious need for a tweak to the rules. "If you're interrupting the passage of play, I would've thought it's common sense to make that a ball-up," he said. "It didn't cost the game, so we move on. But if there's an adjustment that I'd be suggesting, I'd say that if you're a genuine interference in the play, in the direct line of the ball, then I would've thought the common sense thing to do is to ball that up." RELATED: AFL world reacts as axing sparks sad 27-year first for Cornes family Family of AFL and Sydney Swans legend set to sell Brownlow Medal Brisbane coach Chris Fagan disagreed slightly with Voss and said more ball-ups might create more danger for umpires due to how unpredictable they are. 'The things that the AFL are talking about that we've now put in place, I think they're good,' he said. 'But I'm a fan of not bouncing the ball. I think that would help some of those collisions that happen at centre bounces. 'If the ball-up is predictable, then it makes it so much easier for the umpire to get out, for players to read the ball. As soon as you bounce it, it could go anywhere, players are watching the ball, they're not even looking at the umpire because they're under pretty strict instructions to get that ball out of the centre as often as you can so I think we need to talk about it a little bit more.'
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘What's he doing?': Umpire act torched in Carlton clash with Brisbane Lions
The Carlton footy club has enough issues without the AFL umpire's getting in the way. But that's exactly what happened early in Thursday night's clash with the Brisbane Lions, leading to an outcry from the footy world. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Less than five minutes into the first quarter at Marvel Stadium, Carlton defender Nick Haynes spotted Lachie Cowan in acres of space on the edge of the defensive 50m arc and sent a simple kick in his direction. No one had taken field umpire Andrew Heffernan into account, however, who was trying to back away from the congested area and only managed to clatter straight into Cowan. Watch the collision in the video player above Making matters much worse for the battling Blues, who came into the match under intense pressure, the ball sat up beautifully for Lions star Cam Rayner. He handballed over to Charlie Cameron, who snapped truly on the run for his side's second goal of the night. 'It's kept in play and then Cowan slams into the umpire!' Matt Hill said on Fox Footy. 'Picked up by Rayner, over the top he goes to Cameron and Cameron slams it through. 'There's going to be a real spotlight on this, Haynes and Cameron go at it. Haynes threw his arms up in desperation after the collision before doing his best to get back into defence, giving Cameron a shove in the back as he takes his shot on the run, leading to a brief spotfire on the ground. Contact with umpires has been a hot topic in the game, with players including Matt Rowell and Nate Caddy having high-profile incidents with the whistle blowers last weekend. Bombers coach Brad Scott said last Saturday he'd 'lost count of the amount of times I've contacted the AFL about moving the umpires out of the corridor'. The issue blew up all over again after Thursday night's incident. 'I can see (analysts and former coaches) Adam Simpson and John Longmire saying 'what is the umpire doing in the corridor where we want to take the footy?'' David King said during the game. 'He's in the way, he causes a clash that creates the turnover. It was going to be an easy mark to Cowan and all of a sudden it's an easy goal for the Lions. 'Carlton fans are not happy.' Dwayne Russell added: 'Well they can't be happy with that.' For a Carlton side coming off 56 and 50-point losses to Collingwood and Port Adelaide respectively, Leigh Montagna called the moment 'flattening' for Michael Voss' troops. 'When it's all going against you, it's all going against you,' he said. 'They don't need this, the Blues. They're scrapping as hard as they can to stay involved early in this contest and then for that to happen. 'Flattening for the group, Charlie Cameron up and about early, Blues under the pump.' Russell predicted: 'There will be more talk about the four-umpire system again coming this week.' Former Collingwood and Lions chief executive Greg Swann is joining the AFL later this month as the sport's new executive football manager. Working out a way to prevent umpires making contact with players will surely now be high on his list of priorities, although Montagna stated it's just a part of the game. 'There's no simple solution,' he said. 'It's not easy. You've got four umpires out on the field with 36 players out here. 'At times this is going to happen, they can't just hang outside the boundary line the whole game, they need to get into position to make the right calls. 'They are working on it, it's something the umpires are really focusing on, unfortunately this in this instance it's cost the Blues a goal. 'Sometimes these things will be part of the game.' Those watching on weren't quite so forgiving, with many left saying the same thing after the incident blatantly cost the Blues a goal. Shannon Gill wrote on X: 'The umpire positioning is one thing … but what about some common sense of one of the four to blow the whistle and ball the thing up? Everyone can handle mistakes if there's feel for the game around it.' Adam Doherty wrote: 'Surely play should have been stopped here? This umpire was in the wrong position.' Jarrod Clemson tweeted: 'This needs to be a ball up.' Another user said: 'That's horrific, if the ump clearly gets in the road like that it should be a ball up.' A couple of other footy fans used some stronger words for the situation. X user Eric wrote: 'As a lions fan, that's f**ked.' An account with the unfortunate handleï¸� @baggersflag2025 said: 'Umpires need to get the f**k out of the way.' Other fans were saying there are too many umpires out on the field. The competition only moved from three to four field umpires ahead of the 2023 season.
Perth Now
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
AFL great pinpoints big issue ‘bogging down' Harley Reid
The Brisbane champion believes the media is too harsh on the Eagles young gun Brisbane premiership player Dayne Zorko hopes that Harley Reid can rediscover his love of football before the end of the season. But the West Coast young gun will not do so until he settles his future and releases 'the shackles', according to AFL great Nick Riewoldt. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Dayne Zorko 'genuinely feels' for Harley Reid. Reid's performances remain under the spotlight towards the end of a solid if unspectacular second season featuring just one Eagles win to date. The 20-year-old had just five kicks — his second-lowest tally of the season — against Collingwood, recording 17 disposals, four tackles and three free kicks against. Despite being contracted until the end of 2026, there is constant speculation around a potential move to Victoria. Reid in comparison to other players from the 2023 draft class. Credit: Channel 7 Riewoldt agreed with fellow panellist Kane Cornes that he appears to be struggling at the moment, but believes once he signs a contract, then it will change. 'What it looks like to me for Harley there is so much talk about what he is going to do, the contract offer that we are told is hanging out there, $2m,' Riewoldt said on The Agenda Setters. 'To me, it looks like there is a mind set almost that his career is going to start when that decision has been made. And the time in between now is just waiting to get to that moment. 'I can understand how that happens, the psychology for a young player but that is what it looks like. 'I don't think he's reached anywhere near the heights that we saw when he was a fresh-faced kid excited to play AFL football. 'To me it looks like all of that is weighing so heavily. It's like he can't start his career properly until his that decision was made. 'What we have seen of him at his best, he is not near that at the moment. To me, he looks bogged down. 'The sooner he signs a long-term deal the better. Then the shackles will be off.' Brisbane champion Zorko threw his support behind Reid and pointed out a comparison with teammate Cam Rayner. Rayner was taken with pick No.1 in the 2017 draft but hasn't faced nearly as much as scrutiny as Reid. 'For me and working with younger players ... we had Cam Rayner at the club, a No.1 pick, a lot of expectation this guy has to come in and change the club almost. It is a lot of weight to put on a kid's shoulders,' 'It's still really hard to see that this kid is going to pick up West Coast and take them to the promised land.' Zorko then said the media were too harsh on Reid. 'Yes, because what we are seeing is not real. The expectation, no other kid is getting this at 19 years of age. No other kid in the competition is getting this,' he continued. 'So we are pumping this kid up that he is going to be this person, and it is very hard not to read that. You are on the page of the WA for 50 weeks or 50 days, that is a lot for a kid. 'Cam Rayner, No.1 pick for us, maybe twice on the back page of Brisbane. 'It is just a different expectation level here. 'I genuinely feel for Harley. I know his numbers are not reading great, but there is no doubt, if I was in his camp I would be looking to strip it right back and ask him, 'why do you love playing football?' 'How are we going to get the best out of you and let's build the last eight games and see what we can turn you into it.'
7NEWS
01-07-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
AFL great Nick Riewoldt pinpoints big issue ‘bogging down' West Coast star Harley Reid
Brisbane premiership player Dayne Zorko hopes that Harley Reid can rediscover his love of football before the end of the season. But the West Coast young gun will not do so until he settles his future and releases 'the shackles', according to AFL great Nick Riewoldt. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Dayne Zorko 'genuinely feels' for Harley Reid. Reid's performances remain under the spotlight towards the end of a solid if unspectacular second season featuring just one Eagles win to date. The 20-year-old had just five kicks — his second-lowest tally of the season — against Collingwood, recording 17 disposals, four tackles and three free kicks against. Despite being contracted until the end of 2026, there is constant speculation around a potential move to Victoria. Riewoldt agreed with fellow panellist Kane Cornes that he appears to be struggling at the moment, but believes once he signs a contract, then it will change. 'What it looks like to me for Harley there is so much talk about what he is going to do, the contract offer that we are told is hanging out there, $2m,' Riewoldt said on The Agenda Setters. 'To me, it looks like there is a mind set almost that his career is going to start when that decision has been made. And the time in between now is just waiting to get to that moment. 'I can understand how that happens, the psychology for a young player but that is what it looks like. 'I don't think he's reached anywhere near the heights that we saw when he was a fresh-faced kid excited to play AFL football. 'To me it looks like all of that is weighing so heavily. It's like he can't start his career properly until his that decision was made. 'What we have seen of him at his best, he is not near that at the moment. To me, he looks bogged down. 'The sooner he signs a long-term deal the better. Then the shackles will be off.' Brisbane champion Zorko threw his support behind Reid and pointed out a comparison with teammate Cam Rayner. Rayner was taken with pick No.1 in the 2017 draft but hasn't faced nearly as much as scrutiny as Reid. 'For me and working with younger players ... we had Cam Rayner at the club, a No.1 pick, a lot of expectation this guy has to come in and change the club almost. It is a lot of weight to put on a kid's shoulders,' 'It's still really hard to see that this kid is going to pick up West Coast and take them to the promised land.' Zorko then said the media were too harsh on Reid. 'Yes, because what we are seeing is not real. The expectation, no other kid is getting this at 19 years of age. No other kid in the competition is getting this,' he continued. 'So we are pumping this kid up that he is going to be this person, and it is very hard not to read that. You are on the page of the WA for 50 weeks or 50 days, that is a lot for a kid. 'Cam Rayner, No.1 pick for us, maybe twice on the back page of Brisbane. 'It is just a different expectation level here. 'I genuinely feel for Harley. I know his numbers are not reading great, but there is no doubt, if I was in his camp I would be looking to strip it right back and ask him, 'why do you love playing football?' 'How are we going to get the best out of you and let's build the last eight games and see what we can turn you into it.'
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Cam Rayner and Zac Bailey keen for Lions to return to winning ways to ensure memorable 150-game milestones
With last weekend's 'wake-up call' fresh in their minds, Brisbane Lions milestone men Cam Rayner and Zac Bailey don't want their 150th AFL appearances spoiled by another lacklustre performance on Sunday at the Gabba against Melbourne. The first-placed Lions were held to a 71-71 draw by competition battlers North Melbourne in Hobart, with Rayner admitting Brisbane was 'lucky' not to lose. 'I just felt like we were just a little bit of a step off with our reaction time and things that we really pride ourselves on,' the Lions star said. 'We probably could have been playing a lot better, and it's probably a good wake-up call for us just to get back to what we know really works – that's our hunt and that's our mindset, to come out and really attack teams. 'We get a really good chance to do that again on Sunday.' Bailey said despite Brisbane's lofty position, the Lions still had plenty of improvement in them. 'We haven't really been playing at our best,' the Darwin product said. 'The way we're moving the ball at times is probably suiting the opposition. We kicked back to them (North Melbourne) a lot. 'We didn't really change the angles and test out their defence at all, and that's our game, just being able to change angles with uncontested marks. 'That's something we'll try to change this week.' It's fitting that Bailey and Rayner, both 25, will reach 150 AFL appearances in the same game, having both been picked up by the Lions in the 2017 national draft and gone through the lows and the highs that culminated with last year's premiership win. 'It's great. We came into the league together, and he's been one of my good mates at the club since then,' Bailey said of his bond with Rayner. 'We started at the bottom and been on the journey together, so to play 150 (games) together against Melbourne is really good.' Rayner echoed Bailey's sentiments. 'It's something we're always going to remember, especially for both our families as well,' Rayner said. 'Coming up here at the same time, I feel like throughout our careers we both probably had a little bit of a different journey, but to match up on the same day that we get to play 150 (AFL) games, it's pretty cool.' While Bailey was the 15th selection in the 2017 draft, Rayner had the added pressure of being the first pick. 'It's probably built me into the player that I am,' he said. 'It's something that, at the time, you probably don't understand how much it's going to take a toll on your career as you get older. 'It's always something that someone brings up or speaks about, even though when you're out there, it doesn't really matter what pick you've gone. 'It's just made me focus on it a little bit more and really tap into that side of it because if you don't, it can chew up in you.'
