Has the Umpriring Standard slipped?

[sainter35]

I know many will see this as a veiled whinge (no veils here....) but after watching the deplorable effort Friday night where the difference in interpretations between sides was enormous.... and tonight watching some weird umpriring late in the game of Hawks V Eagles........Im starting to think umpiring in general is just going backwards.

It's strange, we have more umpires than ever, who are supposedly more professional and paid way better........yet IMO the gap between a well umpired game and a shocker is wider than ever......and no one discusses it??

You can't help but wonder what Jeff Gieschen does - was he or has he ever umpired at this level?? if so how long ago?? cause if not.....shouldn't he be moving on and the AFL looking to replace him with perhaps an ex senior AFL Umpire who knows what the role demands??

Thoughts?

 

[Oneiros]

No, I think we just don't know the rules any more, cause they've changed too often!

 

[Chopperdave]

To be honest I don't think it is any worse than it used to be its just far more scrutinised now. We have a dedicated footy channel and heaps of footy shows with 10 pages a day in newspapers and the internet to discuss every little decision thats made. In the past we would all have a whinge and moan but we didn't have the ability to look up all these stats and figures like we can now. Or watch numerous replays on youtube and such. Added to that is the constant changing of rules and their interpretations makes it very hard for umpires.

And finally with 3 umpires on the field they each umpire separately which leads to inconsistencies within a game, which I find more annoying than bad umpiring.

 

[jonoman89]

Had a few lolz today and watching WCE v Hawks tonight.

I've come to just accept it as the nature of the game. The rules are incredibly complicated and invite human error at nearly ever occasion.

 

[Toffee Lion]

Noticing a lot more free kicks that are resulting in goals.

 

[Tas]

I think the umpiring the first few weeks was okay. 55 free kicks in a game is pretty ridiculous.

 

[Quinz]

Pay umpires more, make it a full time profession.

 

[Rack Watts]

This weekend had SO many 50/50 decisions made in clinch situations, the umpires are effecting the game to the extent that it's just plain frustrating.

 

[HawkMongrel]

lol.

Slipped implies they were good at it at some stage.

The majority of them are complete w***ers.

 

[The Casey Cat]

Thought it was pretty good Friday night. But was ordinary in the Dons v Blues game and then absolutely putrid in tonight's Eagles v Hawks match. Just absolutely disgraceful. Umpires were paying frees at every single hint of an opportunity. Fifty six free kicks were paid. With 4 thirty minute quarters that's a whistle going off every bloody two minutes! Just disturbing.

Yet the utter muppets in charge of the game only ever seem to encourage the umpires to have way more influence than necessary. Despite there being little chance of winning over these all important Queensland and NSW viewers with infuriatingly over umpired piles of garbage like we got today.

 

[Evelyn208]

The umpires just need to put the whistle away for 50-50 decisions. I would much rather free kicks missed than incorrect frees paid.

 

[juppy]

Pay umpires more, make it a full time profession.

Agree with this. Wouldn't cost much in comparison to the total running costs of the AFL.

Was shocked at the Betts 'Sling" tackle call but generally I think the desicions even out over the year.

Put more money into it and it should get better.

 

[The Falcon Strike]

someone messaged into perth radio and made a great comment.

we had two of last year's top 4 playing and one side kicked 5 21 and the other 5 16

there were some shocker calls, but none as bad as the players efforts in front of goal

 

[Ducky Tie]

Disagree with the thought of making it full time job. Would only make them more obsessed with making technical decisions. They need to let more things go.

 

[The Casey Cat]

Disagree with the thought of making it full time job. Would only make them more obsessed with making technical decisions. They need to let more things go.

Tend to agree. Definitely look to pay them a fair amount (which probably means more than they're getting) but they already take themselves waay too seriously and look to over officiate.

 

[Ochre]

Pay umpires more, make it a full time profession.

It's so simple that the AFL would never consider it.

 

[refresh]

I think the changing rules has a lot to do with it. For instance ducking or dropping into a tackle to receive a head high tackle infuriates me no end. But the interpretation is correct to the rules.

We also have three umpires each week that would not have got a game last year.

 

[Bosk]

The worst part is that because umpires are calling far, far too many free kicks players are now looking over their shoulder at the umpires after every contest. Players from some teams do it more than others, but every team has blokes who do.

It disgusts me. Staging is rampant because it is being consistently rewarded. Such shameful behavior has no business in our game and must be punished, harshly if necessary.

I HATE seeing umpires decide the outcome of any game, I don't give a shit which team they favor either, it should never ever ever happen.

.....yet it's happening more and more often.

 

[Bosk]

Tend to agree. Definitely look to pay them a fair amount (which probably means more than they're getting) but they already take themselves waay too seriously and look to over officiate.

Give me a break.


How many industries can you think of where part-timers outperform professionals? Maybe we should we go back to part-time players too huh?

Umpires SHOULD be taking their jobs extremely seriously. Football is big business now, the days of suburban footy are gone and there are big bucks involved.
Underpaid part time umpires in this day and age are a joke, a joke which is reflected in the current standard of umpiring.

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

 

[The Casey Cat]

Give me a break.


How many industries can you think of where part-timers outperform professionals? Maybe we should we go back to part-time players too huh?

Umpires SHOULD be taking their jobs extremely seriously. Football is big business now, the days of suburban footy are gone and there are big bucks involved.
Underpaid part time umpires in this day and age are a joke, a joke which is reflected in the current standard of umpiring.

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

I see what you are saying and anything that will get them making better decisions (hopefully less) I am all for. Just feel that it could possibly go the other way in that being 'full time' and 'professional' they will feel the need to pay everything that might (which seems to be the case often) be there as opposed to just bloody leaving the play alone.

 

[longsuffreosupp]

I think just pay the obvious obvious ones, and use a bit of common sense. That HTB in the Eagles/Hawks games where the 3 players were genuinely trying to wrench the ball out was awful.

IMO, the play on of dropping the ball has been alright, allows the play to continue, and lessens the free kick count.

 

[Simple Jack]

I think one of the biggest problems is the retrospective 'crowd' umpiring.

In the Carlton v Essendon game today there was one bit in the Blues forward line where Betts and some Ess player had a (fair) marking contest where the ball was spoiled, to which the umpire (correctly) called play on. Right after that the crowd cried bloody murder and a free kick was randomly plucked out to the forward.

It happens most in Perth/Adelaide, but it happens enywhere.

Umpires are far too influenced by the crowds.

 

[Plugger35]

Yes and it has slipped alarmingly in recent years and has now become a joke.

Saints supporters will be aware of the shit incompetent umpiring we suffered against Port which cost us a win and then the same thing happened against Freo last night.

We've already been robbed of 8 points through shithouse umpiring and we are only in Rd.4

Cue nuffies saying that the umpiring is great and St Kilda were shit last night and stop whinging.

The umpiring in the AFL is worse than ever and people need to wake up to it.

 

[blackhead&boil]

bring in a tennis style review system. that'll work!





pay em more, but deduct 5% for every bogus free kick they pay. then we will see a much more free flowing game...

 

[saladodger]

While I tend to agree with the sentiments expressed in this thread, I'm
sure the Geisch will easily explain it all away as correct 'technical' interpretation.
Some decisions and when and where they are made make me suspect corruption sometimes.