Umpire Selection Policy

[mjp]

Has anyone got any idea how the final 27 umpires - and the 'teams' - are worked out each week.

I am 100% exhausted by Umpire Chamberlain and he is genuinely one of the least effective umpires I have ever seen. Yet he continues to be allocated 'key' games (was a finals umpire in 2020) despite continually making himself the focus of the game...One of the commentators (Lewis I think) mentioned this yesterday after the Gardner catastrophe. The fact he changed his mind on his own decision 5-minutes later (as Adam Treloar pointed out - Jeremy McGovern played the Gardner role note-for-note...but was not penalised) just seemed to be more of the theatre to Chamberlain. He loved talking to Treloar and offering a short-sighted explanation about 'diving for the mark'...

I generally couldn't care less about umpires and umpiring decisions - but there is one umpire in the game who always seems to want to make the 'BIG' decision in front of goals...and he is continually rewarded with selection. Why? Umpires should be seen and not heard. Award the free-kicks (playing with a straight bat) and keep your mouth firmly closed.

So - how is this stuff worked out?

On a related/unrelated note, I know a couple of umpires have decided NOT to retire due to the greatly reduced game day running in the last few years...which has me petrified I am going to be watching the same guy perform the same grand-standing act for years to come.

[Hotdog60]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

No idea how they work it out but great umpiring is when you don't even notice that they're out there

[Topdog]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

It's really the same as the teams.

There is a selection committee of sorts and you are selected based on how you perform each week

[Twodogs]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

This doesn't answer any of your questions but it's an interesting article about the problems that AFL umpires face.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/02/25/who-would-want-to-be-an-afl-umpire/

Yesterday morning, the AFL’s footy boss Steven Hocking joined Garry and Tim on SEN Breakfast to discuss the biggest issues confronting the game as we inch closer to the start of the season.

The new rules, in particular the change to the manning of the mark, were a hot topic.


There was much to dissect from that interview, however I was partially taken aback by Hocking’s comment about the challenges facing the AFL umpires.

“It’s a difficult game to officiate. There’s a responsibility on players and coaches to get this right. It’s not all at the umpires’ feet,” Hocking said.

The responsibility doesn’t just rest on the umpires to officiate the game accurately but it also lies at the feet of the coaches and players!

[EasternWest]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

Has anyone got any idea how the final 27 umpires - and the 'teams' - are worked out each week.

I am 100% exhausted by Umpire Chamberlain and he is genuinely one of the least effective umpires I have ever seen. Yet he continues to be allocated 'key' games (was a finals umpire in 2020) despite continually making himself the focus of the game...One of the commentators (Lewis I think) mentioned this yesterday after the Gardner catastrophe. The fact he changed his mind on his own decision 5-minutes later (as Adam Treloar pointed out - Jeremy McGovern played the Gardner role note-for-note...but was not penalised) just seemed to be more of the theatre to Chamberlain. He loved talking to Treloar and offering a short-sighted explanation about 'diving for the mark'...

I generally couldn't care less about umpires and umpiring decisions - but there is one umpire in the game who always seems to want to make the 'BIG' decision in front of goals...and he is continually rewarded with selection. Why? Umpires should be seen and not heard. Award the free-kicks (playing with a straight bat) and keep your mouth firmly closed.

So - how is this stuff worked out?

On a related/unrelated note, I know a couple of umpires have decided NOT to retire due to the greatly reduced game day running in the last few years...which has me petrified I am going to be watching the same guy perform the same grand-standing act for years to come.

Whenever the commentary mentions the call was made "not by the umpire nearest to the play" it's always Chamberlain.

He's intolerable. Not because he's a turd, though he is, but because he's actually not very good.

I blame the commentators for creating this stupid cult of celebrity around him.

[jeemak]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

Whenever the commentary mentions the call was made "not by the umpire nearest to the play" it's always Chamberlain.

He's intolerable. Not because he's a turd, though he is, but because he's actually not very good.

I blame the commentators for creating this stupid cult of celebrity around him.

Yes, for some reason half-witted commentators like BT think adding colour to the game and personalising or promoting umpires like Ray - who as you say isn't very good - is something you do.

I've seen off Bruce, BT has to be next. Without the likes of BT we don't have this crap in our game.

[Ozza]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

I don't think anyone notices Matt Stevic, ever.

[mjp]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

I don't think anyone notices Matt Stevic, ever.

I have no idea who that is.

I assume he is an umpire? If so, he must be doing a brilliant job.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

I have no idea who that is.

I assume he is an umpire? If so, he must be doing a brilliant job.

Ask a swans fan

[Twodogs]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

I have no idea who that is.

I assume he is an umpire? If so, he must be doing a brilliant job.

Believe it or not Matt Stevic has umpired 400+ AFL games and 8 grand finals (including 2016) in 15+ seasons. He is the ultimate professional.

[Bornadog]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

I would hate to be an umpire with the current AFL rules, it is too hard

[Twodogs]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

Ask a swans fan

When they say "free kick Bulldogs" remind them that we kicked the sealer only to have it overturned and still won the game. They never seem to have a response to that.

[Twodogs]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

I saw an argument on twitter last week. Someone accused Luke Darcy of calling an AFL umpire "that lady" when he'd accused her of getting a decision wrong. Turns out he'd called her Eleni which happens to be her name.

[EasternWest]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

I saw an argument on twitter last week. Someone accused Luke Darcy of calling an AFL umpire "that lady" when he'd accused her of getting a decision wrong. Turns out he'd called her Eleni which happens to be her name.

Can see how that could happen.

Plus Luke is a terrible, terrible caller, so maybe that person was waiting to pounce on him.

[Twodogs]

Re: Umpire Selection Policy

Can see how that could happen.

Plus Luke is a terrible, terrible caller, so maybe that person was waiting to pounce on him.

Yep the twitterer wasn't Darce's biggest fan. Accused him of favouring us in his commentating which I personally can't see. I think he's just a lousy commentator. Not as bad as some of the others but that's not a huge achievement, being a better commentator than BT or JB is a bit like being the tallest dwarf in the world.