sport news Adam Cooney says fans are deserting the AFL because they're sick of stupid ... trends now
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Former Bulldogs enforcer Adam Cooney was no stranger to the tough stuff in his playing career and now the Brownlow Medalist has slammed the AFL for scaring off fans with increasingly soft rules and umpiring calls.
Crowds have been down in 2022 and Cooney said a recent spate of ridiculous decisions like the widely slammed free kick awarded against Lachie Neale in Sunday's Hawthorn vs Brisbane match are driving fans away from the game.
'Forget Covid, people aren't going to the footy because the rules have been tweaked to a point that it's turning fans away from the game. Some of the free kicks & 50m paid are so frustrating. It's also filtering down to community levels with umpiring,' Cooney posted on Twitter.
Lachie Neale clashed with Jai Newcombe near the boundary just over a minute into the first quarter of the Lions AFL clash with Hawthorn on Sunday.
Both players shoved each other in the chest - something that has happened in practically every Aussie Rules game ever played - but the umpire blew the whistle and awarded the free kick to the Hawks midfielder.
You would see heavier contact in AusKick practice at your local primary school.
The push from Neale that resulted in a free kick going the way of Hawthorn
Fans were quick to vent their spleen on social media.
'Not a Lions fan, but that decision was absolutely ridiculous and the Hawks player did it four times before Lachie Neale retaliated which makes this far worse. It resulted in a charity goal that cost the Lions the match. This umpire must be dropped for next week. Please explain AFL,' Tweeted one AFL fan.
Another posted: 'This was clearly an even up for the ridiculous free against Tom Mitchell just before this incident.'
Former Port Adelaide champion and current AFL analyst Kane Cornes agreed, saying on SEN he didn't want to see decisions like that on the big stage.
'We cannot have a situation where we have a grand final decided by a decision like the one paid against Lachie
