Thomas became the first player this year to be suspended by the AFL tribunal for making reckless contact with an umpire, with the Power defender copping a one-match ban and a $2600 fine for the incident from his team’s clash with Hawthorn.
On Wednesday Port Adelaide midfielder Travis Boak said the League could expect more collisions this season as players – including teammates – sometimes attempted to use the officials as shields.
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson reiterated that players were rolling the dice every time they stood behind umpires at stoppage situations.
"If you set up behind an umpire at a bounce – regardless of what your role is – and then you make contact you may be referred directly to the tribunal," he told afl.com.au.
He added that the match review panel had looked closely at umpire contact and warned clubs in the off-season that it would be clamping down.
"It has been a problem and that’s why at the start of this year (match review panel chairman) Andrew McKay wrote to all the clubs advising them that players could be referred directly to the tribunal if they set up behind the umpire and then make contact with them," he said.
"We had a number of umpire contacts in recent years and the majority of the problem relates to where a player sets up behind an umpire at a centre bounce.
"As we saw on the weekend, a player can be suspended for setting up behind an umpire and making contact. If they put themselves in that position then they run the risk of being suspended as well as giving away a free kick."
Thomas and Brisbane Lion Simon Black were the latest players to have their umpire contact charges referred directly to a Tuesday night tribunal hearing.
Earlier this season, Sydney Swans co-captain Brett Kirk escaped with a fine after pleading guilty to his charge of making contact with an umpire.
In his incident, Kirk had jostled for position with Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell.
Kirk's advocate, Terry Forrest QC, told the tribunal the Swans tagger "didn’t have too many other places" he could be other than beside his opponent.
He also made a point of telling the tribunal – attended by McKay that night – that it was "smart footy if you can use the rules to slip your opponent".
However, Anderson sounded another warning to players thinking of employing such tactics.
"I don’t think it's smart footy to set up behind an umpire and then make contact which has the potential to cause the umpire to be injured and the player to be suspended," he said.
