Analysis Umpires

[carlton_99]

I don’t think Tex Walker got fined for giving his opinion on Wednesday about not wanting another AFL apology for umpiring errors..

Taylor Walker gives AFL and umpires some very simple advice

With the league boss watching on, the veteran was crystal clear when he addressed the latest blunder.

7news.com.au

Yeh but he wasn't complaining about umpiring he was saying the apologies from the AFL don't help them.

 

[ajb72]

Yeh but he wasn't complaining about umpiring he was saying the apologies from the AFL don't help them.

sure helped him last night...

 

[Gethelred]

Until tonight.
It’s over officiated. It needs to be last disposal, not incidental contact. The jr umps here in QLD can get it right. How come the AFL can’t???

I think that's an easy one: athletic requirements, crowd noise and scrutiny on umpiring.

Here's the thing: I genuinely do not buy that the umpires in jnr footy in QLD are superior umpires than those chosen for AFL games. It's good rhetorical flourish, but it's not really reality. No, the problem has to be other things, and here's where the issues are.

It's been demonstrated scientifically using other codes and we saw during 2020 that umpires are significantly affected by crowd noise. Home ground advantage is definitively a thing, just that the AFL won't ever release the data until a statute of limitations expires and they have no choice, akin to what they did around 5ish years ago IIRC and released all the data collected around free kicks over the preceeding 40(?) years. This becomes worse when - as happens every single year or between rounds - the AFL changes the intepretation of a rule on the fly or deliberately without roadtesting it in lower comps. Any crowd is precisely as intelligent as its most stupidest member when it becomes a mob; the continuous changing of the rules means the audience for the games do not know what will be adjudicated or when, what the action looks like. Suddenly, you have whole home crowds against non home advantaged sides booing every free their side gets and cheering on their own interpretation of events; it weighs on umpires and umpiring.

Secondly, AFL is one of the fastest games in the world, and it's particularly fast this year. Umps are very fit, but they aren't AFL players themselves; they're gonna get left behind, regardless of the systems in place to maintain control and vigilance. Then, add the fitness component: not a single AFL player has never made a mistake on the footy field, but we're expecting umpires to be completely flawless despite the similar running requirements? It's simply not realistic to expect an umpire - who is winded from running all term, who had a single point of view - to get or see everything and adjudicate perfectly.

This one's a problem only due to the aversion from the public borne of around 30 years of ex player media wishing the umps would just **** off. Stop paying frees. 'Seeing to impose themselves on a game.' 'It's marginal, not really there, why can't they just let the game go?' An umpire mistake only stands out because a free kick, particularly one in range of goal, is valuable and in short supply. If they were more plentiful, each error would not cost so much, and it'd be swings and roundabouts rather than an ump changing the outcome of a game.

Then, finally, we have scrutiny.

The amount of commentary each decision by each ump is absurd, and the way these decisions are pilloried by media - I'm not getting into fan discussions here. The media shape the culture; they focus attention - places excessive pressure on them. You know who doesn't make good decisions under pressure? Humans.

This one's a pretty simple fix. The AFL needs to protect their employees. Any commentator who feels the need to opine on any individual umpiring decision gets muted and barred. Umpires are explicitly protected in commentary the way the 'good blokes' are onfield. They do a job; they're allowed to do it without getting bullied in the workplace.

There will be a point in time where an umpire or their family sues the AFL for not protecting them adequately. The moving of the targets and letting the worst exponents of behaviour onfield dictate what this sport becomes is slowly corrupting the game into an untractable state.

 

[Andonis1997]

Adelaide Oval umpiring.

I´m not sure what you all expected.

Nah, they copped the rough end of the stick against the Bulldogs there.

 

[Aphrodite]

Disgraceful from the AFL's official acc - WTF

No mention of Tex’s throw to Rankine

 

[DangerousD]

It baffles me that in every game of footy we have instances of clear infringements but all four umpires just happen to miss. It doesnt make any sense and is a cop out for actually fixing the issue.

You can’t have last week an umpire see the 6-6-6 infringement in Crows v Dockers, be told of the infringement repeatedly, then just throw the ball up, stuff like this should be a droppable offence.

Too miss the hold on Cripps in the square last night was poor but for all four umps to miss the biggest rugby pass I’ve seen in a long time is a joke, just like with other jobs in other industries, they see it, but they wont speak up, it needs to change.

Some of the free kicks paid at the start of the second quarter last night were farcical.

 

[DangerousD]

From the AFL's official acc - WTF

It was actually good to hear these calls called out at the time and referenced a few times as being a mess by a few of the commentators, so often the commentators totally ignore ridiculous decisions to the point i assume its a directive.

 

[SurreyBlue]

AFL: we are sorry, all these plus another 20 decision were incorrect.

 

[FlowersByIrene]

I think that's an easy one: athletic requirements, crowd noise and scrutiny on umpiring.

Here's the thing: I genuinely do not buy that the umpires in jnr footy in QLD are superior umpires than those chosen for AFL games. It's good rhetorical flourish, but it's not really reality. No, the problem has to be other things, and here's where the issues are.

It's been demonstrated scientifically using other codes and we saw during 2020 that umpires are significantly affected by crowd noise. Home ground advantage is definitively a thing, just that the AFL won't ever release the data until a statute of limitations expires and they have no choice, akin to what they did around 5ish years ago IIRC and released all the data collected around free kicks over the preceeding 40(?) years. This becomes worse when - as happens every single year or between rounds - the AFL changes the intepretation of a rule on the fly or deliberately without roadtesting it in lower comps. Any crowd is precisely as intelligent as its most stupidest member when it becomes a mob; the continuous changing of the rules means the audience for the games do not know what will be adjudicated or when, what the action looks like. Suddenly, you have whole home crowds against non home advantaged sides booing every free their side gets and cheering on their own interpretation of events; it weighs on umpires and umpiring.

Secondly, AFL is one of the fastest games in the world, and it's particularly fast this year. Umps are very fit, but they aren't AFL players themselves; they're gonna get left behind, regardless of the systems in place to maintain control and vigilance. Then, add the fitness component: not a single AFL player has never made a mistake on the footy field, but we're expecting umpires to be completely flawless despite the similar running requirements? It's simply not realistic to expect an umpire - who is winded from running all term, who had a single point of view - to get or see everything and adjudicate perfectly.

This one's a problem only due to the aversion from the public borne of around 30 years of ex player media wishing the umps would just **** off. Stop paying frees. 'Seeing to impose themselves on a game.' 'It's marginal, not really there, why can't they just let the game go?' An umpire mistake only stands out because a free kick, particularly one in range of goal, is valuable and in short supply. If they were more plentiful, each error would not cost so much, and it'd be swings and roundabouts rather than an ump changing the outcome of a game.

Then, finally, we have scrutiny.

The amount of commentary each decision by each ump is absurd, and the way these decisions are pilloried by media - I'm not getting into fan discussions here. The media shape the culture; they focus attention - places excessive pressure on them. You know who doesn't make good decisions under pressure? Humans.

This one's a pretty simple fix. The AFL needs to protect their employees. Any commentator who feels the need to opine on any individual umpiring decision gets muted and barred. Umpires are explicitly protected in commentary the way the 'good blokes' are onfield. They do a job; they're allowed to do it without getting bullied in the workplace.

There will be a point in time where an umpire or their family sues the AFL for not protecting them adequately. The moving of the targets and letting the worst exponents of behaviour onfield dictate what this sport becomes is slowly corrupting the game into an untractable state.

I don't agree that more censorship is the fix, and believe the complete opposite, we need to stop fining teams from fairly criticisng umpiring decisions, hold umpires to account and not allow them to hide behind mafioso protection of the AFL.

That being said, they should also be paid more, made full time and the rules should be simplified to make their job easier.

But somethings like rugby passing the ball with two hands off the ground isn't an issue of complicated rules, it is simply just negligence to not make the right call. It was seen by everyone. You cannot appease negligence.

 

[Aphrodite]

 

[DangerousD]

Am i correct that the last touch free kicks paid is called a lasso? I thought it was was something the commentary team referenced but i swear i saw the boundary umpire doing some stupid signal for the free kicks paid.

I know its a small thing but this is supposed to be a professional sports league and so much just feels like a gimmick.

 

[agro]

I thought I saw Kevin Bartlett reborn last night playing for Adelaide.

 

[Bletch]

Happens every time there's media scrutiny over umpiring during the week, and moreso if the affected club complains publicly. Next match, there's an over-correction. So predictable.

 

[agro]

Where is the “crows were robbed right in front of me” bozo

 

[Gethelred]

I don't agree that more censorship is the fix, and believe the complete opposite, we need to stop fining teams from fairly criticisng umpiring decisions, hold umpires to account and not allow them to hide behind mafioso protection of the AFL.

I feel like an aspect of this is not footy related, so discussion of it would fall beyond the scope of this board.

What I will say is that the problem isn't commentators pointing out flaws, it is that this is all they do. Comms deliberately highlight apparent mistakes and openly disagreeing with decisions encourages the same in the fanbase. If you want to remove the pressure from the umpires - one of the methods to get improved decisions from them - you need to reduce the level of crowd involvement and exposure to only their mistakes.

That being said, they should also be paid more, made full time and the rules should be simplified to make their job easier.

Agreed.

But somethings like rugby passing the ball with two hands off the ground isn't an issue of complicated rules, it is simply just negligence to not make the right call. It was seen by everyone. You cannot appease negligence.

See, this isn't negligence now. It's been almost 30 years since the crow throw. This is a deliberate policy enacted by the market - the coaches, the umpires, and the officials who govern the sport, acting in sequence but not conspiracy - to reduce both the amount of frees in a game of footy and to move the ball ever faster. Disposal of the ball by hand has been redefined then redefined again; Patrick Cripps, for example, would be called for throwing every single time he went for the over the head handpass in the 90's, to say much, much less of the myriad feigned gestures at handpassing that happen every week.

This is not negligence. This is choice. Your choices are threefold: become an umpire and combat the new interpretation with a traditional one; become an administrator or media figure and promote your opinion within the discourse, seeking to take it over; give up on trying to get it changed.

I suppose there is a fourth option: give up on the sport itself. I tried that. It didn't stick for long.

 

[CCurnow3picks]

The AFL have become unbearably unprofessional & dictatorial.

Stupid rule changes are destroying the game - stand rule & last touch OOB’s (with “arc” reviews) make the game a farce.

Why add more rules when you can’t even adjudicate the current rules correctly.

Seriously - how hard is throwing the ball - it’s been a rule since the Jurassic Era.

Stupid Stupid AFL!

 

[GenYBlue]

The AFL have become unbearably unprofessional & dictatorial.

Stupid rule changes are destroying the game - stand rule & last touch OOB’s (with “arc” reviews) make the game a farce.

Why add more rules when you can’t even adjudicate the current rules correctly.

Seriously - how hard is throwing the ball - it’s been a rule since the Jurassic Era.

Stupid Stupid AFL!

Not the game or league I fell in love with...

Was already thinking another rebuild might be too much for me mentally, but if this is the kind of quality of product the AFL is moving forward with I am 100% out

Very sad state of affairs, but at least I'll save money?

 

[agro]

When you have umpires with the integrity of initials M. P. is it any wonder you get what you got last night.

 

[GoBlues!]

Yeh but he wasn't complaining about umpiring he was saying the apologies from the AFL don't help them.

the article says:

Taylor Walker doesn’t want to hear another AFL apology for an umpiring error against his club.

Instead, Walker wants solutions to be found for umpire errors which have plagued his Crows in recent years.

He’s still complaining about the bad run of umpire errors they’ve copped, it’s just under a veil of wanting solutions not apologies. Given the AFL has apologised for these umpiring errors makes the errors a documented fact and protects him for commenting (complaining) about errors acknowledged by the AFL.

Anyway the timing was impeccable (Wednesday morning) and probably put the umpires on notice last night.

 

[ajb72]

You could go through each free paid and some of them were so ridiculous slight it was ridiculous. And then you get ones which are greater infringements and they arent paid. The issue is they started off paying a free on every contest it made the game a friggin farce.

I mean some of the ones we got were farcical too. The reversal because of the Cripps hurting his arm one was a joke. The Williams high contact which he kicked a goal was a joke and I think it was Ollie Hollands got a goal and 50m from something ridiculously slight too.

 

[NavySteel]

That is damning, damning, damning.

Has someone from the club been forwarded this vision?

FFS it needs to be an enquiry from the club. If Adelaide is allowed to whine in the media during the week, what sort of case does our club have??? Not going to change the result, but puts in the spotlight either incompetence or umpires influenced by crowd/location etc.

Of that vision, 6 goals result from incorrect payment of a free kick or infringement by Adelaide (Thilthorpe, throw by walker resulting in goal).

Don't tell me that's not the difference, because THAT was the difference.

Umpiring had a MAJOR influence on the outcome.

 

[NavySteel]

You could go through each free paid and some of them were so ridiculous slight it was ridiculous. And then you get ones which are greater infringements and they arent paid. The issue is they started off paying a free on every contest it made the game a friggin farce.

I mean some of the ones we got were farcical too. The reversal because of the Cripps hurting his arm one was a joke. The Williams high contact which he kicked a goal was a joke and I think it was Ollie Hollands got a goal and 50m from something ridiculously slight too.

Umpires probably told at HT to calm down. Damage already done.

 

[Blue_Fusion]

FFS it needs to be an enquiry from the club. If Adelaide is allowed to whine in the media during the week, what sort of case does our club have??? Not going to change the result, but puts in the spotlight either incompetence or umpires influenced by crowd/location etc.

I'm baffled why people feel the need to say this when it's just not true...

 

[Gointocarlton]

Just disgraceful

 

[NavySteel]

I'm baffled why people feel the need to say this when it's just not true...

What I mean is the AFL won’t turn a result around of a completed game. It might influence future games for us if we have a go and Voss alluded to seeking some clarification on some of the attention Harry was getting last night so that’s a good start I guess