UMPIRES PLEASE

by Little Boy Blue

NOTHING like taking a good look at the umpiring after an unexpected defeat, although, given history, no Carlton supporter has a right to expect victory at the SCG. All year, I've feared that lack of height will hurt the Blues and that deficiency is cruelly exposed on a ground as small as Sydney, with lots of marking contests in packs and not many wide open spaces.

Anyway, hardened Blues watchers could detect a lack of intensity from the first bounce on Sunday. This is not yet a team that can perform at the required level week after week, and big wins over Port and the Dogs clearly made this danger/letdown time. When our best defender (I won't name him) decides not to chase, get ready for a bad day.

The loss of Whitnall could prove very costly. To date, Carlton has been lucky with only one long term injury (Matthew Allan) from the elite group this season, but maybe luck is about to run out.

But, I digress, back to the umpires. Why is there no enforcement of the rule that requires a player to release his grip once a player takes a mark ? The reversal of the kick decision against Andy McKay would not have been possible if umpires insisted that once a mark is awarded, the opponent must "let go" immediately (not five seconds later). Instead, we have this inconsistency in which Sunday's incident would have resulted in a fifty metre decision from some umpires and (as on Sunday) giving the ball to the "hanger on" from others.

And, while on the subject of fifty metre penalties, what about umpires doing a Physics course and getting some ideas on space and distance? It is my assessment that umpires apply the penalty on the following basis:

Standard penalty: something approximating fifty metres.
Umpire angry: fifty five to sixty five metres.
Umpire very angry: sixty five metres plus, anything up to ninety.

Maybe, we don't want officials with measuring sticks as in American football, but hey people, this is supposed to be a professional sport. We don't have the siren blown when some bloke thinks we've had twenty minutes plus time on (we measure it by the second), so why do we leave the estimate of fifty metres to umpires' imaginations ? If some umpires seriously think the distance they measure is fifty metres, these are very strange people and that's why I think they must be adding to the penalty based on how pissed off they are.

On a related theme, I have identified holding the ball in the pack cases where apparently identical breaches went unpenalised. The only difference was that in the case where the free was paid, the trapped ball followed a skill error by the team being penalised. If I'm right (and watch for this one, fans), then umpires have now taken on the role of self-appointed skills coaches. Pity we can't penalise them!

While dealing with rules, I can never understand the inconsistency on holding the ball whereby if a perfect tackle is laid, but the player has no chance to dispose of the ball, it's a ball-up, but if a player is grabbed by one arm, rendering him incapable of disposal, a free kick is paid. As someone once said, "Please explain".

Finally, who is the umpire who wobbles his backside before he bounces the ball, and why does he do it ? Could be a case for Roy and HG.

australianrules.com.au

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