Referees who inadvertently stray in the passing- or moving-lane of the players usually feel embarrassed. In another league [NRL], a player flattened the referee, and this incident is getting a review. Have a read here about how the process is carried out - http://bit.ly/j2JyeB. Footy rules does require players to not endanger the safety of the opponent(s) with or without contact, and no where in the LoTG it reads that the player must also avoid contact with the officials. However, NRL has had a change in rules for current season that now places the responsibility on players to avoid contact with a referee, and players get hauled in if the match-review committee figures that the contact was ''careless, reckless or intentional''. Other thread has dealt with apologies by player to assistant referee and vice versa, the notion about violent conduct against official, and that referees are part of the field (moving appurtenances, anyone?): While getting blind-sided by a heavy-weight is not itself a pleasant experience, do any referees on this forum officiate in leagues that explicitly state "players will not make physical contact with officials?" This physical contact not to include the pre-match fair-play hand-shake, or even the "bonding" gesture as a man-management practice after some ornery behaviour between opponents.
If a player intentionally makes contact with me, he's seeing red for VC. There are differences between (1) intentional collision, (2) friendly/natural contact, and (3) inadvertent contact. That said, I've been run into a number of times, sometimes strong enough to make me lose my breath for a second, but I've not once felt that there was ill intent to it. There are 21 people running in (approximately) the same direction and collisions are going to happen. I'm not a small guy (6'1", 250#) so I usually don't get thrown by it. I don't like the feeling, but I use it as a reminder to myself to watch the whole damn field, moron!