Umpires cop a raw deal.
More to the point, they cop a raw deal from me. I admit it.
In recent weeks, I have opted to vent my frustrations about umpiring with those who engage with our social media outlets. After all, I am a supporter of the game, just like you. I get flustered and annoyed when I see blatant free kicks missed or ignored, only for the complete opposite to happen moments later in a situation that is more a grey area than it is black and white.
People will state that to highlight poor umpiring decisions is low-hanging fruit, and they have a point – it is low-hanging fruit.
But there is just so damned much low-hanging fruit that I cannot avoid it! It’s everywhere. If we don’t pick it, you’ll get vermin around the place!
However, is the standard umpiring getting worse, or are these poor buggers being backed into a corner by those running the game?
Part of me – a large part, the more I watch – believes that it is the second option at fault, and it’s the umpires who cop all the flak, as a result.
Over the past couple of seasons, we’ve seen some new rules or interpretations introduced to the game that have made the job of umpires increasingly difficult.
- The ‘Stand’ rule has added another layer of complexity to the role of the umpires, as they are now forced to focus on the player without the footy to see whether he moves. This often allows the player with the ball to almost run past him before “play on” is called, because the umps are busy with their attention on the bloke that should not really be part of the equation. You can see the frustration by the man on the mark as he points to the bloke with the footy, who has now moved five metres off his mark, and the ump is allowing him to do so.
- The protected zone has brought with it a raft of issues, as players tailing an opponent, or those who are outside the protected area are often the subject of a 50-metre penalty. It is the harshest on-field penalty in the game, and it is the same for a misstep as it is for someone caving a bloke’s head in after he takes a mark. Crazy.
- Dangerous tackles are now being awarded for tackles that, simply, are not dangerous. Players are accentuating contact with the ground, and umps are terrified to be the person that doesn’t pay it, as if a player is legitimately hurt by an action, they look like they’re careless in missing it. As such, they pay it far too often.
- The holding the ball/illegal disposal rule has been chopped and changed to within an inch of its life, with situations that are close to exactly the same being officiated in completely different fashions within 20 seconds of each other. This one drives supporters up the wall, as they can watch their player tackle a bloke, hold him in the tackle for several seconds, only to see the ball “spill out” (meaning dropped), and then their own player tackled immediately and have a free kick awarded against them.
- And then there is the “insufficient intent” rule, which has seen some of the harshest free kicks in the game awarded, recently, with clear accidents penalised, despite being skill errors, or disposals under immense pressure with little or no recourse. It’s as close to the “last touch” rule as we’ll find without calling it that.
- Or how about the “dissent” rule, which was the rule of the week for about ten weeks last year, and has now completely disappeared? The umpires were told to crack down on this facet of the game, only for the stance to be abandoned like an old toy when those driving the game found something shiny and new to play with.
And that brings me to the next point – the newest crackdown on umpire contact.
From this week, players who make contact with umpires will no longer be fined. They’ll be suspended. Apparently, there has been an increase in umpire contact, with players flying a little too close to the sun and in the hustle and bustle of the game, they’re colliding with umps.
There only happens to be four of them out there, now, too. Is that a bit of a factor, you think?
Damien Hardwick has already voiced his displeasure with the decision, on the back of his young star, Matt Rowell, already having several instances where he has made contact with umps. Matt Rowell… the Red Menace of the umpiring fraternity. He’s after you blokes!
Make no mistake about it – this will cost a player a finals game, and there will be an uproar. You can see it coming on the horizon like a hurricane.
And the unfortunate thing about it all is that the umpires will cop it again for this occurring, and it simply is not their fault. They’re being asked to do a job that is consistently made more difficult by those in charge.
On top of all that, we also rushed through the system that we cannot assess at the moment due to insufficient evidence – the score review system.
Years down the track, the AFL are yet to invest in goal line technology that rivals my old Nokia 2210 in terms of video quality. Goal umpires now appear shit-scared to make a decision, and defer to the score review for decisions they used to be confident in making. This has devoured the confidence of goal umpires, and has gone close to making them redundant.
Still, the “edge” technology is a positive. Personally, I’d be tempted to smack the post as the ball went through now and again, just to cause a spoke, but players haven’t cottoned onto that one, just yet. Consider this a helpful tip from your old pal, HB.
So, if all this is not the umpires’ fault, then who is to blame for the mess that constitutes the AFL’s current rules and interpretations?
Let’s explore.
THE AFL COMMISSION
The role of the commission (as far as I can tell) is to oversee the entirety of the game. This is a massive task, as it involves all aspects of the competition.
One of the those aspects is the Laws of the Game. These people have the sign off on new rules introduced to the sport.
Currently, the commission contains the following people.
Richard Goyder
Andrew Dillon
Paul Bassat
Robin Bishop
Denise Bowden
Matt De Boer
Andrew Ireland
Andrew Newbold
Gabrielle Trainor
Simone Wilkie
Who?
I’ve heard of Ireland, De Boer, Dillon, and Goyder, but the others, I have no idea about. Their biographies can be found on the AFL website, here. Make of it what you will – they’re the people who make changes to the game.
LAURA KANE/GEOFF WALSH/NICK CARAH/GREG SWANN
Well, it seems they’ve taken the role of footy operations away from Laura… because she was doing such a great job. She is still part of the team, but her role is diminished. Footy Operations is now sitting with Geoff Walsh, whilst Nick Carah is the General Manager of Football. Greg Swan is also a part of this team.
STEVE MCBURNEY
He heads up the umpiring department. After years of cocking up decisions on the field, he is now responsible for cocking them up off the field, too. Just kidding… he is responsible for the training of umpires, as the head of officiating. He now oversees the umpiring department, as well as the score review system… and how good is that going!?!?
So, those are the people in the gun. Or that should be in the gun instead of the poor people out there trying to enforce the rules.
Of course, they are like teflon, and none of them are held to account for the standard of umpiring or its direction. They just leave it to the umps to cop shit from people like us (yes, I am in there with you) whilst they get catered meetings to discuss what other rules should be included in the game.
Sigh…
So, HB is always big on the criticisms, right? I’m told I am, anyay. How about some solutions?
Okay… here we go. Get ready to tear me apart.
The Ruck
Remove all blocking, holding, and shepherding free kicks in the ruck. Allow size and strength to win the contest. Only pay free kicks for too high, and re-introduce the third-man-up rule. This means we get no pissy touchy free kicks at stoppages all over the ground. Lets the big boys play.
That should save about eight free kicks per game.
Also, get rid of the rule that wastes an umpire’s breath, and everyone’s time. The rucks are never one-metre apart at a stoppage. They’re basically pressed up against each other, the ump says “a metre apart” and then throws the ball up. The players don’t listen, and the umps don’t care. It is a nonsense rule that is treated like the nonsense it is.
Get rid of it.
Holding the ball
If you are tackled with the footy and fail to dispose of it legally, it is holding the ball. If you are the tackler and you are holding it in, it results in a stoppage. If you’re on the deck and drag it in, you’re gone – just as it is now. Cut and dry. No need to worry about prior opportunity. Holding the ball free kicks are harsh, and they are meant to be harsh. It’s a penalty – a punishment. Stop trying to soften it to spare people’s feelings.
Stand rule
Gone. Players can move sideways or backwards on the mark again. Encroach over the mark, and get penalised. Easy.
Protected zone
If you impact the player with the ball, or the disposal, fifty metres is awarded. This includes putting your arms up to prevent a kick or handball. If you’re cruising through with zero impact on the play, play on.
Dangerous tackles
Pay the obvious ones. Don’t guess at the borderline ones.
Put me on the rules committee, right?
Aussie Rules is a complicated sport to officiate, and it feels like it is made more difficult by the AFL attempted to add nuance to every situation. The more you ask the umps to weigh up, the more iffy decisions they’ll make. Asking the umpires to interpret the intent of a player is a fool’s errand. Give them a set of criteria that is simple and easy to understand, and I’ll tolerate the occasional mistake from them. However, if you’re making their lives more difficult by muddying the waters they have to wade through in every game, then heat needs to go on those people listed above, rather than the people trying to implement rules and interpretations that are difficult to understand.
Put it this way – at the moment, we’re more like the people in a shop yelling at the cashier because management decided to have six registers available but only one open. That person is doing their best with what they’ve got, whilst those in charge sit in the office and sip lattes.
Maybe it’s time to spill some lattes and give the front of house staff a break?
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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