MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos has declared the rules of the game are being ignored in favour of football "philosophy" after his side received just five free kicks in its loss to Collingwood.
Just 17 free kicks were paid in total during the Magpies' 33-point win in the Queen's Birthday clash, with the victors winning more than two-thirds of the free kicks paid.
Roos said there had been a noticeable shift in the umpiring department's directions this season and the game was suffering as a result.
"The philosophy at the moment is overriding the rules of the game. Fans are frustrated, players are frustrated, coaches are frustrated," Roos said at AAMI Park on Tuesday.
"I must admit I didn't know that the rules were going to change so significantly.
"I've voiced that concern to [AFL umpiring boss] Wayne (Campbell) throughout the course of the year.
"I would've thought if they were going to tell us that they were going to make some significant changes.
"There have been some dramatic changes, I think everyone's noticed it. But it's not going to change."
Roos – who was criticised for creating the dour struggle that ensued against Collingwood at the MCG on Monday – believes the game would benefit as a spectacle if umpires paid the obvious free kicks.
"There is no doubt, that if the umpires paid the free kicks, the game would flow better," he said.
Roos also voiced his concern about how having one runner was influencing the game, in particular for his young side.
The Demons' score of 3.10 (28) was the club's lowest of the year.
"There is no doubt, that if the umpires paid the free kicks, the game would flow better," he said.
Roos also voiced his concern about the AFL's policy to limit teams to one runner in 2014.
The League introduced the mandate at the start of this season, in a bid to reduce on-field congestion.
But Roos noted that runners were now spending too much time out on the ground – highlighted by the last-minute incident featuring Geelong's runner Nigel Lappin on Friday night – because of all the messages that needed to be delivered from the coaches' box.
"I think the problem at the moment is that he (the runner) spends more time out on the ground," Roos said.
"It's an AFL change that was made that wasn't very well thought through."
The Demons' coach believes the instant feedback he needs to provide his young side has been hampered as a result.
"There's no question that it's a lot harder to coach a young team when there's only one runner and that's a significant advantage for the experienced sides," Roos said.
