Hardwick claims umpires influenced by Geelong crowd (opens original article in a new tab)

Gold Coast and Geelong coaches criticized umpiring decisions in a match, with Hardwick blaming the Geelong crowd's influence and Scott addressing a holding-the-ball error.

• Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick accused umpires of being influenced by the Geelong crowd
• Hardwick criticized two free kicks awarded to Geelong as 'soft' and compared the crowd to a 'Roman Colosseum'
• Geelong coach Chris Scott also expressed frustration with an umpiring decision involving Bailey Smith
• Both coaches called for changes to the lasso rule and acknowledged that mistakes happen in umpiring