Umpiring has never been under more scrutiny, with fans, players and coaches regularly debating controversial interpretations of the code's rules. Umpiring can be a huge factor in how a game ends.
While mistakes will always be made, there are several ways, in my opinion, the AFL could improve the standard of its officiating.
5. Introduce full-time, professional umpires
AFL umpires are not full-time employees. Most are part-time while balancing external careers. Turning umpiring into a full-time profession would allow officials to dedicate more time to training, fitness, game review and development. The quality of umpiring would be increased, and fans may be able to walk away from it at least satisfied with calls made. Players are full-time athletes, so it makes sense for umpires to be full-time as well.
This!!! Make them full time. Get them in their prime and train them to be good. The Freo Syd game was such a good example of how poor the standard of umpiring has become. Case in point, umpire contact free kick paid at CB. Literally the next CB, umpire contact not paid.
Rather than the usual garbage about “fans not knowing the rules”….. there are three things the afl could do:
1) clarify the rules and do away with the idiot “interpretations” (and anything else the moronic “rules committee has infected a simple game with).
2) cease the stupidity in the umpires having the discretion of not applying the rules in order to “free up the game”.
3) scrap the umpiring program and use the SANFL program……. In the SANFL, one might not agree with an umpire – BUT you always know why the decision was made (in the “AFL” the whistle blows and no Fu(&er knows what for……)
Of course – they could also make the job easier by restricting the interchange rotations, making the game a touch slower (that’d also cut down the number of concussions as well).