'No graver insult': Dale Thomas fined for 'cheat' barb at umpire

Dale Thomas was fined $7,500 after pleading guilty to a verbal tirade at the umpires during Carlton’s loss to Greater Western Sydney on the weekend.

Thomas was frustrated after he lost a contested mark and goal to Giants midfielder Lachie Whitfield and launched a verbal tirade at the umpire Michael Barlow.

A statement from the umpire read out at the AFL Tribunal revealed the extent of Thomas’ tirade.

“He [Thomas] turned in my direction and said ‘you can’t tell them that, you can’t tell them that dickhead’,” it read.

“I didn’t respond. Kept yelling and said ‘you’re a f*****g cheat, you can’t tell them that, you’re a f****g cheat’. Again, I did not respond, but took a mental note about what he had said.”

Thomas’ counsel said the action was a “spur of the moment” reaction and he had reached out to Barlow to apologise for the outburst.

But league counsel Jeff Gleeson QC said there was no reason to call an umpire a “cheat” for doing his job.

“There is no graver insult or accusation to level at an umpire than to accuse him or her of cheating,” he said.

“It strikes at the heart of the impartiality and fairness and integrity that umpires are required to bring to their role, do bring to their role and believe that they bring to their role.

“For a boundary umpire who effectively has no voice on the field to suffer a repeated accusation of cheating when he is doing no more than performing his role is a serious matter for the conduct and integrity of the game.”

Thomas had his original fine of $10,000 reduced to $7,500 after acknowledging he had pleaded guilty and apologised to the umpire.