MRO findings anticipated before tribunal for NTFA umpire incident

The match at Bracknell was suspended at half-time following the incident with the hosts declared 40-21 winners against Rocherlea shortly after.

Northern Tasmanian Football Umpires Association president Sarah Shepherd said AFL Tasmania have a process to go through and the matter has been referred to the match-review officer.

"It's an incident report sent through to the MRO for the tribunal on Wednesday night. The umpires are okay, they're not injured or anything like that and that's the main thing," she said.

With six reports in total over the weekend, including another incident of alleged umpire abuse, the MRO is set to have busy week, with Shepherd giving a potential explanation as to why players are falling foul of unacceptable behaviour.

"My opinion is that their senses are heightened because it's coming into finals and I think emotions do get away from people sometimes, but who knows what goes through their mind? Honestly, sometimes it's absolutely laughable for grown men to behave the way they do," she said.

"At the end of the day, it's a game of local football, you're not in the AFL, you're going to get up and go to your real job on a Monday morning and it's no different for us.

"We're umpires, we are family members, we are respectable members of the community, no different to the football players."

Following confirmation that the umpires involved were "shocked" but uninjured, Shepherd's attention turned to the repercussions, stressing that she will not "hope or wish" for harsh punishments but does expect a "fair result".

"It's just more getting the facts together and in making the correct decisions based on the evidence in front of them," she said.

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