The AFL's controversial new rules on umpire respect has found support from St Kilda coach Brett Ratten, who believes the competition's stance on abuse against officials will help increase umpire levels at local and junior level.
AFL umpires have been instructed to pay 50m penalties if players show dissent toward their on-field decisions, both verbally or with physical actions.
It saw two controversial 50m penalties paid in round five against Brisbane and Hawthorn which were given on the basis of the player holding his hands out in frustration at an umpire's decision.
Despite widespread criticism of the new rules from players and media commentators, AFL coaches have generally avoided commenting on the issue, except Ratten, who feels respect toward top level umpires will filter down to the grassroots level and encourage more people to umpire game.
“I think it’s fantastic. I really applaud the AFL for making a stand,” Ratten said.
“We’re 6000 umpires short at community level and we need umpires out there. I went the other week to watch my son play and there was a 15-year-old umpire – and every decision he made; nobody booed or cried out.
“They just let him umpire and it was so pleasing to see and that’s what we want.
“It’s going to take a little bit of time to get used to it, but you look at other sports and other codes in Australia and around the world – the respect for the umpire is critical.
“We need to start at the top, which is the AFL, and hopefully within a short period we see it at local level and umpires aren’t getting abused and ridiculed, [because] we need umpires to facilitate the game and it is the damn hardest job there is.”
