Umpiring perplexities

[westozfalcon]

Some umpiring traits that I find bemusing:-


- For most of the season umpires give soft free kicks and make pedantic interpretations but when it comes to a preliminary final or a grand final they suddenly change their application of the rules and allow teams to play no-holds-barred, tough, physical football. Why can't they umpire EVERY game like it was a grand final?

- It is uncanny how at the end of a game the number of free kicks for each team is virtually equal.
A team could have a free kick count of 10-1 in their favour by quarter time (which is possibly completely justified), then by half time the count evens right up even though there may be no change in the balance of play. Similarly, you know your side’s in trouble if they’re leading by a goal at three-quarter time and they’ve had ten more free kicks than the opposition!

- So often an umpire, the man supposedly right on the spot, makes a report only for the player to get off the charge.
The umpires might as well ignore on-field incidents unless they're flagrant king-hits or infringements obvious to blind Freddy because it seems that most of the tribunal's guilty verdicts come from match review panel referrals rather than umpire reports. They may as well let the match review panel earn their money and just umpire the game.

[Hondo]

- For most of the season umpires give soft free kicks and make pedantic interpretations but when it comes to a preliminary final or a grand final they suddenly change their application of the rules and allow teams to play no-holds-barred, tough, physical football. Why can't they umpire EVERY game like it was a grand final?

It's the same reason there's less errors by the players and a better game (usually) .... you have the best performed teams playing and the best performed umpires umpiring. Everything just works better.

[jackpot jim]

I've given up trying to work out the numerous perplexities of the umpires decision making processes and hence will be making NO COMMENT on this matter in fear of copping a fine and a 'please explain' from the AFL.