Laidley backs 'stoppage police'

NORTH Melbourne coach Dean Laidley has urged the AFL to introduce a fourth field umpire to police stoppages and make taggers play by the rules.

Laidley’s idea would see the extra official keep an eagle-eye on throw-ins and ball-ups to ensure playmakers aren’t prevented from strutting their stuff.

Critics of heavy tagging have grown in number in the past year and last month West Coast premiership coach John Worsfold reportedly made a submission to the AFL asking them to examine the issue in the light of treatment dished out to some of the game's elite stars.

The fourth umpire question is one of two rule changes expected to be on the agenda at the next AFL Commission meeting. The other is the vexed issue of rushed behinds after Hawthorn conceded 11 behinds to stymie the Cats in the 2008 grand final.

"I would like to see four umpires, but I would like to see one of them as purely a stoppage umpire," Laidley told the Herald Sun.

"He would just watch the stoppages. The only thing that changes is we have a stoppage ref sitting off and if he sees something he blows his whistle and pays a free kick because there are so many stoppages and so many numbers around them."

However, Laidley was not so keen about the possibility of changing the rushed behind rule, with one option seeing a free kick paid at the spot where the ball was rushed through the goals. "Nah, leave the game alone," he said.

Essendon coach Matthew Knights was similarly cautious.
"I think what we saw in the Grand Final is not representative of how the year was played so we need to be a little bit cautious we don't change things at the drop of the hat," Knights said.

Any rule changes are likely to be tested in the NAB Cup pre season competition before being used in the regular season.