AFL umpire Andrew Whetton injured in ugly collision with Suns star Touk Miller; toughs out rest of the match

AFL umpire Andrew Whetton appears to have suffered a shoulder injury during the Gold Coast versus Essendon match on Saturday afternoon.

Whetton had his eyes on the ball out on the wing and his back to Suns star Touk Miller, who was attempting to run past him to get to it.

The umpire however at the last moment shuffled to his right leading to the collision with the midfielder.

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Whetton went down and immediately looked in significant discomfort.

"An umpire's gone down. Touk Miller has hit him hard," Brisbane great Alastair Lynch told Fox Footy in the moment.

The umpire bounced back quickly, awarding a free kick for a separate indiscretion only moments later, though he was still holding his injured shoulder.

With only 90 seconds left in the first half, Whetton came towards the boundary line and exited the play, with Lynch fearing the shoulder might be dislocated.

However, he returned to the contest in the second half, reportedly with strapping tape on the shoulder.

Whetton was able to take part in the remainder of the match, though the extent of the injury is yet to be confirmed.

The AFL will certainly take a closer look at the collision. They have cracked down hard on player-umpire contact and collisions across the last two seasons, fearing they have become more commonplace.

Collingwood forward Beau McCreery was fined $3,125 for careless contact with an umpire during Thursday night's win over Carlton.

A tweak in the rules during the 2025 season allows the AFL to send umpire contact incidents directly to the tribunal for evaluation.

These will still likely result in a fine, though a suspension is also possible.

Miller and the Suns will likely argue the contact was unavoidable, given Whetton had his back to the player and innocently moved into his path, should it come to that.

The 30-year-old found 26 disposals and kicked a goal in Gold Coast's nine-point win over Essendon on Saturday afternoon at People's First Stadium.