Overview

• Umpires halted Friday’s Adelaide vs Hawthorn match late in the game to allow Hawthorn star Will Day to leave the field with cramp, a decision that contradicts AFL guidelines.
• Under AFL umpiring rules outlined by Steve McBurney, play should only stop for injuries occurring within a kick’s distance of the ball or for head knocks, not for cramps.
• Will Day, who had recently returned from a long-term foot stress fracture, was ruled out for the rest of the season after scans revealed a bone stress injury in the same foot.
• Former players Jason Dunstall and Garry Lyon denounced the cramp stoppage as an open invitation for tactical abuse, while Kane Cornes warned teams could exploit the loophole to reset play.
• The AFL is facing urgent calls to clarify and amend its play-stoppage regulations to restore consistency and integrity to umpiring decisions.