Monday Morning RPH - Shane Harris interview

[CK]

On the Monday Morning Sports Show this week at 8.30am on 1197AM RPH, we will be speaking to SANFL Umpires Director Shane Harris, looking at a range of issues with umpiring, including the transition period currently being undertaken, how 2009 has gone with umpiring and a number of other issues.

[MightyEagles]

You should ask how the umpires got it so wrong during the Rd 22 games eg Eagles v Glenelg.

[smac]

You should ask him his thoughts on Umpire Woodcock's contribution to umpiring in SA and why he chose to run him in the reserves for so long leading in to this weekend when Woodcock retired from umpiring.

[dedja]

You should ask how the umpires got it so wrong during the Rd 22 games eg Eagles v Glenelg.

[bluegirl2002]

Or ask why umpire Pfeiffer last week at Elizabeth called "play on" after a Central trainer had handled the ball inside the field of play on the south western flank Has the rule about officials interfering with play been removed from the rulebook or is it only applicable in AFL( when runners run across the mark?)

[Mickyj]

I will be have been at work for 2 hours( a 10 hr work day Monday) at 8.30 Monday morning .Could you please ask Shane a question which has often been asked on this forum.
Why the umpires stand and look straight into the sun and not move so they can see!! And if possible could you post the answer or send me a pm with it .As they wont let me listen to am radio station at work .

Cheers
Mick

[am Bays]

Ask him how he copes with num nuts on on-line forms or in the print media (no I haven't forgotten Partlands crap after the 2007 Elimination final) making ill-informed comments on umpiring when they haven't read the book of Australian football laws, aren't aware of the intent of the laws, and have no idea on how umpires are suspposed to position themselves...

[bayman]

I will be have been at work for 2 hours( a 10 hr work day Monday) at 8.30 Monday morning .Could you please ask Shane a question which has often been asked on this forum.
Why the umpires stand and look straight into the sun and not move so they can see!! And if possible could you post the answer or send me a pm with it .As they wont let me listen to am radio station at work .

Cheers
Mick

agree with that question, fortuneately i'll be listening


fwiw, i don't think the umpiring is nearly as bad as what some people on here make it out to be.....if you play in front you'll generally end up with a free kick presuming it is warranted.....i saw one big blunder today in the norwood v central game from the umpire but i can tell you that players from both teams made more big blunders than that

[nickname]

I think a key question to ask him is are they umpiring the way he wants them to? i.e is he happy that he's got them carrying out his instructions. If his answer is no, then why doesn't he resign? If his answer is yes, then why doesn't he resign?

[Columbo]

Ask him how he copes with num nuts on on-line forms or in the print media (no I haven't forgotten Partlands crap after the 2007 Elimination final) making ill-informed comments on umpiring when they haven't read the book of Australian football laws, aren't aware of the intent of the laws, and have no idea on how umpires are suspposed to position themselves...

I see your point here...its probably why we are num nuts on a forum and not out there umpiring games.

Im with Micky though regarding positioning, surely common sense says if you have the sun in your eyes...move so it isnt, if you are putting a hand up to sheild your eyes more than likely your sight is impaired and it makes it harder to make a correct decision, which hopefully is what they hope to do 99.9% of the time. It seems this year that they are umpiring from further away from where the ball is too, guess this would be a dircetive though.

Doubt I will get to hear this tomorrow as i get very ordinary AM reception in my office at work, but having said that I dont expect there will be anything but comments about how well the guys are going, think with the retirement of a few senior guys the next 1-2 years are going to be very interesting for the men in white.

[Columbo]

The reception i had was ordinary but i heard most of what Shane Harris had to say.
Was good to some of the stuff that was in this thread get a mention.

Interesting to hear the reason for the positioning and being 25M away that it gives the opportunity for the umps to see the lead up to the contest and pay frees accordingly, thats logical and I see why they do it.

Although it sounded like he understood the frustration of seeing the look into the sun, I didn't understand what point he was trying to make with respect to it, yes if the play is on the boundary line they cant be 25M away from the play and not looking into the sun (they would need to be in Oval Ave @ Woody Oval). Surely the sun would obstruct their vision as much as being 10M closer to the contest does if that means they loose a bit of peripheral vision as Shane suggested. Maybe they could get side on and one of the other 2 umps (the closest one) could come to the other side of the contest and cover situations like that, which im sure they do to an extent anyway.

All up an interesting interview and well done to Chris and John for pressing Shane a bit especially on the issue of the guys comming through to take the place of those who will be retiring at the end of the year, pity they can't get some more retired players involved but as he said once they have retired from playing its probably the furthest thing from their minds, unlike the cricket guys.