Lyon: The rule that must be sorted out before the finals

SEN • July 22nd, 2025 10:59 am

Garry Lyon has called for the AFL to make the umpire dissent rule ‘black and white’ before the start of the 2025 finals series.

The rule was again put in the spotlight on Sunday after Fremantle’s Karl Worner had a 50-metre penalty paid against him for pointing to the scoreboard when pleading his case about a high free kick.

While the rule was adjudicated to the letter of the law, dissent 50m penalties haven’t been paid often at all this season, with the new AFL football boss Greg Swann stating on Monday that 13 have been paid across the length of the season so far.

Although Swann was happy with the umpire’s call to pay the 50m penalty, stating that, "Everybody knows you’re not allowed to do that", Lyon isn’t so sure it’s that clear for coaches and players.

Given the current confusion around the rule, Lyon called for Swann to establish a clear line for players not to cross when it comes to dissent.

“In his mind, it's clear, but it's not clear,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.

“When he says there's 13 that have been paid, I only took five minutes trying to find one that could have been (that wasn't paid) from the weekend.

“This is what needs to be established before the finals.

“You're going to need to sit your players down to say, 'Don't point to the scoreboard, because clearly, that's back on the agenda, which it hasn't been all year'.

“There are so many genuine examples (of it not being paid), I could have shown you Clayton Oliver for the last three weeks, his dissent has gone through the roof.

“It's been left up to us to try and work out what is dissent and what's not.”

While the dissent rule can be particularly hard to adjudicate, especially when it comes to umpire abuse, Lyon thinks that the AFL can simply confirm that all pointing to the scoreboard is now a 50m penalty, given how easy that action is to identify.

“I think the point to the scoreboard thing is very easy to adjudicate,” Lyon said.

“So I don't care, (if it's that bad), players don't need to point to the scoreboard, so just make a rule on that because it's easy.

“Make it black and white. 'Don't do it'. I'm happy with that.”

Listen to Lyon and Tim Watson discuss the umpire dissent rule here.