Umpires

I had a thread running on the old ABC AFL Forum last year about the umpiring standards and after only two rounds in 2004 it's time to revisit.

I am pi$$ed off to the max with the poor standard of umpiring in the game at the moment.

Three umpires on the park, they continually miss frees or their interpretations are inconsistant. It's a bl00dy disgrace.

Granted that I have a bee in my bonnet cos the two WA sides lost this weekend but I have seen both of those games, most of the Melb/Rich game and a bit of both the Carlton/Geelong and Roos/Hawks games and the inconsistancies in the umpiring are rediculous.

What is classed as a hold by the umpire at one end of the ground is let go by the umpire at the other end. Push in the back seems to go to the best "falling forward" effort while a ruckman can be wrestled to the ground wothout a free.

It's about time that the AFL got rid of these Tax Office clerks and got some professionalism into the umpiring ranks. We expect our players to be professionals and devote their time to the game but allow the controllers to be rank amateurs.

And don't get me started on Goldspink!! What a loser.