Rohan Connolly on Umpires - Real Footy

Rohan Connolly

Rohan Connolly, a senior football writer for The Age and radio broadcaster with sports radio station 1116 SEN, has been covering the game since 1983. A multi-AFL Media Association award-winner known for his passion and love of the game, he analyses the AFL for the newspaper and contributes a blog and weekly video, "Footy Fix", for The Age's football website, Real Footy.

Free kicks for a push in the back or high contact will be awarded more frequently against players who sit or lay on a tackled player, even if they end up in that position after a tackle.

Umpires blow whistle on congestion

Rohan Connolly Ugly rolling mauls that have marred AFL football as a spectacle in recent years may be on the way out.

Rohan Connolly

Umpires key to speeding up game

Rohan Connolly Do we really need another twist on another recent rule change to clear up moveable scrums?

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Live blog: Umpires the key

Rohan Connolly Do we really need another twist on another recent rule change to clear up moveable scrums? Which might lead to yet another unintended consequence and another rule change to counter it?

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AFL

Suck it up and move on

Rohan Connolly There's scarcely a week of any AFL season that goes by without some sort of umpiring controversy.

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AFL

Tigers sound warning

Rohan Connolly This was just the sort of game that last year, would have had Richmond more than a little anxious. Against an opponent in Adelaide down but capable.

AFL

Lions' pride stuns Dons

Rohan Connolly Two statistics best sum up Brisbane's stunning 10-point upset of Essendon.

AFL

Another winter, and still the old Lion is roaring

Rohan Connolly Have we really sung Lions champion Simon Black's praises loudly enough?

Dogs relish a win at last

Rohan Connolly This was a win in which the Dogs just kept coming, again and again.

AFL

Roos put bite on Dogs

Rohan Connolly North Melbourne's 54-point win over Bulldogs a pleasant reversal of fortune.

AFL

Essendon stymies Pies attack

Rohan Connolly Bombers held sway in general play and on the scoreboard the entire afternoon, but that didn't necessarily make their eventual 46-point win a comfortable exercise until the final 10 minutes.

Dons hand out a lesson

Rohan Connolly St Kilda has regularly found itself short of sufficient height and strength in recent times.

AFL

Dogs take it up to Cats

Rohan Connolly Western Bulldogs put up a good fight but in the end the Cats take the points.

Enough, just get it right

Rohan Connolly Goal umpiring decisions have been mired in controversy for far too long.

AFL

Quicker, cleaner and a few surprises

Rohan Connolly What we have learnt from the on-field action in the first month of the AFL season.

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AFL

Cats inflict more pain on Hawks

Rohan Connolly It's a familiar tale for Hawthorn as it slumps to a 10th straight loss to Gelong.

Ruthless Bombers

Rohan Connolly Two passages of play a couple of minutes apart said all that needed to be said about Melbourne and Essendon.

AFL

Rule changes help to clear up the congestion

Rohan Connolly Early indications that rule changes to help reduce congestion having an impact.

AFL

Bulldogs end the drought

Rohan Connolly Few NAB Cup wins of recent times will have been accompanied by as many smiles as greeted the Western Bulldogs’ one-point thriller over Hawthorn on Friday night.