Tony Shaw says the 50m penalty should be cut to 25m
Tony Shaw thinks the AFL should do away with 50m penalties and reduce the sanction to 25 metres.
Hawthorn kicked two pivotal goals from contentious 50m penalties in its narrow win over Sydney on Thursday night after opponents entered the 10m exclusion zone after a mark.
Dwayne Russell has proposed that infringing into the protected area isn’t serious enough to warrant the full 50m, but Shaw says all penalties should be cut in half.
‘It’s too big a penalty. 25m is enough in any circumstance,’ Shaw said.
Dwayne said the public sentiment is that the Hawks have had a good run with the umpires this season, as evidence by the popularity of the hashtag #FreeKickHawthorn.
But umpires boss Luke Ball said that might have more to do with ‘tall poppy syndrome’ than anything else.
‘Their integrity is what umpires hang their hat on,’ Ball said.
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