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Mornings from 10am todayThe “incredibly disrespectful” post that has angered AFL umpires
Andrew Slevison • July 16th, 2026 10:42 am
Senior AFL umpires are believed to be unhappy with a post made by the AFL social media team earlier this week.
It relates to umpire Matt Stevic and the fallout from his error in Saturday night’s clash between Hawthorn and Carlton when awarding Jack Ginnivan a questionable 50-metre penalty.
The AFL admitted Stevic had made a mistake when he adjudicated that Adam Cerra had encroached the mark when Ginnivan feigned to handball after going back to take a set shot.
Matchday specifics aside, the umpiring anger has come about after the AFL posted an article by Josh Gabelich with the caption: ‘Veteran umpire Matt Stevic is set to umpire in round 19’. The post included a graphic with the text: ‘AFL makes call on umpire after controversial decision’.
SEN’s Tom Morris insists there is no issue with Gabelich’s story, but the ‘clickbait’ nature of the post which has annoyed the umps.
Morris believes there is a wedge being driven between the umpiring fraternity and the league at the moment.
“This is about the social media post,” Morris said on SEN Breakfast.
“The wedge that exists between the umpires and the AFL hasn’t really been fixed since Greg Swann arrived. It’s not Swann’s fault necessarily, but there is still a wedge that exists between the umpires and the league on a number of different issues.”
Co-host Sam Edmund asked: “Would you say that wedge is as big as its ever been?”
Morris replied: “The biggest I can remember.
“The umpires feel like the pile on is out of control towards them. They feel like they are being treated, in many ways, as second-class citizens when it comes to decisions they get right and wrong.
“Matt Stevic is a 12-time Grand Final umpire with 60 finals. In the eyes of his colleagues, he’s the clear GOAT, he is the gold standard umpire.
“Their view is that the hot take society is killing umpiring and severely impacting talented young umpires pursuing it at the top level.
“These umpires don’t want more money or to be full-time, they just want people to understand there will always be errors, no matter what. Just like there will always be player errors.
“The umpires I spoke to compared Stevic’s error to Marcus Bontempelli missing a set shot from 15 metres out. Yep, an error, yep, he’ll be criticised, but everyone moves on.
“The fact that the industry in the view of the umpires is unable to move on days after Matt Stevic makes a clear error, it’s actually on the AFL in many ways, as well as it is on the media, the fans and others.
“That brings us to the social post from the official AFL account this week.
“The real issue with this is the clickbait. The view of the umpires is, and I believe a few of them have relayed this to the AFL, that this post is incredibly disrespectful and in their eyes ridiculous.
“This is not a journalism issue. It’s more the way they sold it on their official channels. They sold it as clickbait and it’s angered the umpires.”
The league’s Executive General Manager of Football Performance, Greg Swann, spoke of the incident on Fox Footy on Wednesday night.
He told Gerard Whateley that Stevic simply made an error and should not be hung for the offence.
“Look, he made a blue,” Swann said on AFL 360.
“What he should have done is reset the mark. He called it because he (Ginnivan) faked to play on - that rule’s been in for five years.
“He just got it wrong. He admitted it, put his hand up and said he got it wrong.
“He’s umpired 12 Grand Finals, he’s a star of umpiring. He’s made one blue, and I don’t think we should hang him for that.”
Stevic will this weekend umpire the North Melbourne v Melbourne clash at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
