Western Bulldogs forward Aaron Naughton crunches AFL umpire in bizarre collision
Western Bulldogs forward Aaron Naughton may have some questions to answer after he crunched umpire Nick Foot in a heavy first-quarter collision.
With the Bulldogs under siege early in the first quarter of their elimination final against Hawthorn, Marcus Bontempelli sent a dump kick high to the edge of defensive 50 with Naughton looking to give an out for their defence.
However, he wouldn’t have expected Foot to be standing in the way after the umpire had looked to get out of the way of the contest.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Unfortunately for Foot, and Naughton, the Bulldogs forward only had eyes for the ball and did not see the umpire straying into his path.
Foot appeared to brace for contact but that didn’t stop him from being spun around after crunching into the 196cm big man.
“He looks to have copped one in the ribs or perhaps the shoulder,” Brian Taylor said on commentary.
Naughton escaped without injury while Foot was attended to by a physio who he quickly waved away and continued to officiate the match.
AFL players may be charged with careless contact with an umpire which can draw financial penalties and possible sanctions though it is unlikely Naughton would face suspension given the accidental nature of the incident.
