Hawthorn winger Isaac Smith doesn't understand what all the fuss is about - he likes the deliberate rushed behind rule and reckons it's pretty clear what AFL players can and can't do.
The AFL on Monday evening endorsed the umpire's decision to penalise Richmond's Jayden Short for rushing the ball through the goals in the tight tussle with the Bombers. Essendon forward Josh Green was pursuing Short as the ball bounced toward the goal line but he pulled up as the Tigers defender lunged to push the ball through for a rushed point.
The decision was met with howls of disbelief by Richmond supporters at the MCG and has been hotly debated since, with Tigers skipper Trent Cotchin speaking out against the confusion surrounding the interpretation of deliberate rushed behinds.
A spokesperson for the AFL said the decision was on the harsher end of the scale but, based on the rules, it was a correct call by the umpire.
Smith defended the rule on Monday.
"I'm not sure if I'm speaking out of school here, but I like the rushed behind rule ... I think it's good for the game and the spectators if the ball is kept in," Smith said.
"We've been told if you've got clear air behind you, then don't rush the ball behind.
"It's actually a little bit of a bugbear of mine - I'm sick of the commentators and everyone speaking about it.
"I think 'keep the ball in as much as you can, if you're not under too much pressure'."
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick labelled the Short decision a mistake and called for greater clarity.
But Smith believes he has a firm grasp on how not to run foul of the rule.
"I feel like that but I feel like the karma bus is going to come around now and I'll probably rush one on the weekend and I'll be in a bit of strife," he said.
"But I think if you're not getting tackled or there's not a hand on you, I think the feeling in our playing group is that you've got to keep it in."
The decision didn't cost the Tigers the game, Hardwick's side going on to record a hard-fought 15-point win in the Dreamtime at the 'G clash.
The AFL's umpiring department held its regular Monday morning review, and was expected to discuss whether the rush behind rule needed clarification.
In Short's case, the umpire presumably ruled that he was not under "immediate physical pressure" when rushing the behind, therefore paying a free kick.
However many criticised the decision and the interpretation of the rule, arguing that Short couldn't know Green had stopped pressuring him because Green was behind him.
However, laws of the game committee member Kevib Bartlett believes change is needed.
"Common sense should tell us that Short had every reason to believe he was under physical pressure from the presence of Green breathing down his neck," Bartlett said on SEN.
Bartlett said the players were clearly confused about the rule and suggested a tweak to the penalty.
"It seems the simplest remedy for this lack of common sense and total confusion is that when a deliberate rushed behind is paid, it stands as a point and then the ball is bounced five metres from the top of the square."
"With that, everyone, players, spectators and umpires would all be on the same page and not confused.
Short was caught in a similar furore following Richmond's round seven loss to the Western Bulldogs. The Tiger was penalised for a question deliberate out of bounds call which effectively allowed the Bulldogs to ice the game for the final seconds.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick believed Saturday's deliberate rushed behind decision was a "mistake".
"It's tough. They have got a tough gig. You have got 85,000 people yelling one way or another. I guarantee you I would rather be playing than umpiring. They do a pretty good job," he said.
