LAST weekend during the Ajax – East Malvern, a number of supporters were questioning the field umpire’s interpretation of holding the ball. It was interesting to note the supporters never queried any inconsistencies in the interpretation, but more that the umpires weren’t paying any holding the ball free kicks. I actually took that as a compliment, as the most difficult aspect of umpiring is to remain as consistent as possible in our approach to interpretations to rules that are not black and white! Many supporters, players, coaches and commentators it seems, can get a little caught up in the AFL’s strict approach to holding the ball. But at the SMJFL, our players skill levels don’t allow our umpires to be strict. We need to give the players every chance to dispose of the ball, or at least attempt – assuming they haven’t had a prior opportunity. The ground conditions, too, have a direct impact on the players’ skill levels, with the ball being slippery and spending long periods of the game in dispute. There are a number of grounds in our league that are small which results in massive numbers around each and every contest, making it extremely difficult to officiate. Sure, there may have been the odd error here and there. But both umpires remained consistent throughout the entire match, which is what fans – and most particularly players and coaches – want. The following is a small snippet of the feedback the umpire received after the game: Umpire (Corey Rich) awarded at least 10 excellent head-high free kicks, including one during the second quarter where the other field umpire’s view was blocked. Corey did miss an Ajax player being tackled without the ball which resulted in some remonstration. While the contact was minor, this should have been paid to ensure that players understood such an act wouldn’t be tolerated and could have had serious consequences. When you look through this feedback, please note how well Corey protected the ball player with numerous head-high free kicks being picked up. When you consider our umpires are instructed and coached to protect the ball player as the number one priority, isn’t that of far more importance than missing the odd holding the ball? Special thanks to Michael Vozzo for allowing me to use inserts for this piece.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 07:41:27 +0000
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