State of umpiring

[amaz199]

This game is ****ed.

 

[shintemaster]

What do you suggest the umpires do from 9-5 every single Monday to Friday for 11 months a year if they went full time?

But your second point is spot on. Not many other sports would acknowledge that umpiring their game is bloody hard, and then seemingly go out of their way to make it harder.

My biggest gripe with it.

I'm less worried about the side gig aspect, although I do think if it was a proper development pathway that sort of wage could entice plenty who fall by the wayside of professional sports into the job. It's a better wage than many of the last players on a list and I do believe that casting the net wider will encourage more talent (same theory they use for AFL player growth).

Regards bold - my biggest issue with the game. We should not be chasing aesthetics (goals, the "look" or this type of stuff at the expense of simplifying and making the game easier to adjudicate and understand - for umpires, supporters, players, everyone. Rules like stand, deliberate behind, insufficient intent etc just make the job harder and are not required. There are plenty of others. Different allowance to kick the ball at 60m vs 30m from goal - why? Just give players a set time to move it on or call time off. If that's 15 seconds for a goal or a field kick - so be it.

 

[Devington]

What do you suggest the umpires do from 9-5 every single Monday to Friday for 11 months a year if they went full time?

Pre-season: Each one can delegated a club and attend their main training sessions (and then not umpire them during the year), maybe sometimes they just sit in the corner and smoke, sometimes they can do the throw ins etc, other times actual full on umpiring, they can look in on tackle training and give real time feedback, they can go over footage with coaches and players. When not at a club's training they can be doing their own skill training, going around and training umpires in the lower leagues, attending seminars on how not to get their feelings hurt or influenced by crowds.

During the season they can keep on attending the main training sessions of their delegated clubs, peer review umpiring footage of the previous weekend, etc etc etc.

They can have the same off season the players have and still get paid for it for all I care. Yeah I think they would struggle to get 40 hour weeks in regularly when on the clock, but if they have the added responsibilities I mentioned in the above, then It's going to help justify a full time salary while also having them contribute around the league.

Lets be real though, they could be kept part time but if they were given a ridiculous wage the standards would go up due to attracting more applicants. Imagine being a rookie desisted after a couple of seasons but having the chance to earn just as good money transitioning to umpiring. The AFL could afford it too.

 

[big_e]

What do you suggest the umpires do from 9-5 every single Monday to Friday for 11 months a year if they went full time?

But your second point is spot on. Not many other sports would acknowledge that umpiring their game is bloody hard, and then seemingly go out of their way to make it harder.

Umpires are the most important people in the game, and it's odd that it's apparently unthinkable for them to be treated as such. Elite umpires should be paid extremely well - the maximum being $180,000 is nowhere near enough.

Considering the games are on weekends, they'd get a couple of days off during the week. And in that time, it's the fitness work, game reviews and skills work they currently have to fit around the rest of their work and family life. They can go out to schools to get more kids interested in it, and to junior clubs to show parents how bloody hard the job is (and hopefully get those parents to stop abusing junior umps). They can go to AFL clubs to umpire match sims, etc.

I'd also like a proper open press conference each week where reporters get to ask the umpires coach about contentious decisions, but I doubt the AFL would allow that, even though it would show the umpires get it right far more often than they are given credit for.

And they can have a couple of months off at the end of the year in recognition that their job is physically and mentally demanding, and to ensure they can get back to pre-season training in full health.

And we'd only be talking field umpires, as that's the most demanding, so that's only 40 or so people - easily affordable in a billion-dollar industry.

 

[big_e]

Lets be real though, they could be kept part time but if they were given a ridiculous wage the standards would go up due to attracting more applicants. Imagine being a rookie desisted after a couple of seasons but having the chance to earn just as good money transitioning to umpiring. The AFL could afford it too.

Yeah, imagine being someone who didn't get drafted - you either ply your trade for a bag of chips in the state league in front of a few hundred people a week, and train after work, or stay involved in footy, at a high level and a decent wage.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Yeah, imagine being someone who didn't get drafted - you either ply your trade for a bag of chips in the state league in front of a few hundred people a week, and train after work, or stay involved in footy, at a high level and a decent wage.

And like Leigh Fisher, you can still have a great impact on the game.

 

[Samsquanch]

Yeah, imagine being someone who didn't get drafted - you either ply your trade for a bag of chips in the state league in front of a few hundred people a week, and train after work, or stay involved in footy, at a high level and a decent wage.

Like Leigh Fisher?



But on a more serious note (Fisher is woeful) there would be people who don't quite make the cut who the AFL should be doing their darndest to retain as potential umpires. The most important element, having a "sense of the game" would be there already, and in reality, if that's present then the majority of decisions will flow naturally. Apart from one of the goal umps I used to know, the majority, if not all were fitness fanatics and long distance / endurance runners. I guess that level of fitness is essential, but some of them hadn't really been interested in footy until it offered a paid gig and they still got to do what they really loved doing, which was running all day long.

If the AFL and lower leagues and associations could recruit "almost" and "ex" players as umps, and pay them well enough that they can make a career of the caper, then surely the game would be better for it?

 

[koshari]

Not bad last night except for a advantage rule howler that should have been bought back but was against * so i can live with it

 

[ferball]

Not bad last night except for a advantage rule howler that should have been bought back but was against * so i can live with it

There's still no consistency about htb decisions or what counts as illegal contact (in the back or taking someone out of a marking contest.)

 

[Horizons_00]

Cheating ****ing scum

Should be investigated for betting and being paid by the AFL to call a certain way

You can clearly see it’s rigged and there is zero accountability

 

[norfnuffie]

It is unreal how it’s same every f***kin time we play Carlton, can they make it any more obvious

 

[bringbackboomer]

Free kick Carlton.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

You can’t tell me that there isn’t someone in the ear of the umpires dictating the momentum of the game. It’s so ****ing clear. The way Carlton, Sydney, Geelong and WB are officiated compared to other teams is ridiculous.

It’s not just the calls, it’s the non calls. We had between 10/12 free kicks that didn’t go our way yet it fires back the other way for 6 cheap free kicks on goal.

The state of the game is in disarray.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

This game is ****ed.

Sure is.

Front and centre is Ray.

 

[Horizons_00]

You can’t tell me that there isn’t someone in the ear of the umpires dictating the momentum of the game. It’s so ****ing clear. The way Carlton, Sydney, Geelong and WB are officiated compared to other teams is ridiculous.

It’s not just the calls, it’s the non calls. We had between 10/12 free kicks that didn’t go our way yet it fires back the other way for 6 cheap free kicks on goal.

The state of the game is in disarray.

At least 5-6 goals was from absolute bullshit goals

It’s when the maggots can tell when we are on top and about to topple Carlton, we see none of the most obvious bullshit calls being paid. You can see the momentum being dragged out of us every bad call. It’s deflating.

And then all of a sudden blues get the most ridiculous free kicks I’ve ever seen in my entire life being paid

Carlton are ****ing pretenders and won’t win without the maggots

 

[shintemaster]

Got a ride again. I actually hate this game it is full of incompetence and corruption.

 

[rippersnipper]

Some serious shockers, but the worst was Larkey having his head taken off a foot away from an umpire and it being called play on. There's absolutely no excuse or reason for that to be ignored.

 

[Reagan Smash]

How elite was the five minute period in the 4th ?

Dangerous tackle
Unrealistic attempt
Two blind maggots miss Larkey getting slapped
Then the coup de grace , Carlton dropping the ball cold in their d50 and nothing
Get ****ed

 

[King Corey]

No no, I'm assured there's no intentional bad umpiring in the AFL.

I also believe in fairies and unicorns.

 

[gokangas]

Sigh.

 

[Jimmy's Hot Dogs]

Must be hard to blow the whistle when Curnow is invading your personal space.

 

[Kanga Glory]

Laura Kane and Dillion are fine with it. Lower clubs will never get 50/50's or the rub of the green. Alot of the inexperienced maggots are intimidated by the bigger clubs and the name players
We all wear kangaroo glasses but this was ordinary the ones they didn't pay to us.

 

[showusyacunningt]

Hope the Motlop unrealistic attempt and no free, and then PC's 20 minutes later and instant free is on the tape we send to the AFL.

Perfect snapshot of the double standard.

 

[Horizons_00]

How elite was the five minute period in the 4th ?

Dangerous tackle
Unrealistic attempt
Two blind maggots miss Larkey getting slapped
Then the coup de grace , Carlton dropping the ball cold in their d50 and nothing
Get ****ed

And

• that 50m penalty against LDU for nothing
• 2X HTB calls should have been called inside our 50

(Maybe last 10 mins)

 

[shimaburnsgrieg]

I thought we got such a good run from the umps in the first qtr I said to my fam - something is up here.

And it was.

 

[leighlee13]

When non North supporters are commenting on how bad it is, it's bad.