Respected former AFL umpire Ray Chamberlain has highlighted the significant flaws with the argument

The quality of umpiring has been a significant talking point this year, with many around the industry disappointed with the standard.

With a pool of 44 umpires to select from and 36 required each week, a school of thought which has received coverage is going back to the three-umpire system which was in place prior to 2023 - a solution which Chamberlain highlights would not have the desired outcome.

"You take 10, you toddle them back, and we go back to three umpires - just be aware is what you're saying (means), eight of the top 12 umpires who currently hold that list together and have done for 20 years, they're gone. They're gone. They can't umpire a three umpire system," Chamberlain said on AFL 360 on Tuesday.

"It is exponentially physically harder than a four (umpire system). It busts you. They are 50-years of age, those blokes. They can't umpire a three.

"So you have to get rid of 10, eight are going to fall over, they're out, so you have to go back to the best eight you had, that you said weren't good enough, you're going to bring them back in, they're going to umpire in a three umpire system where they've got to now make 25 per cent more free kicks because there's not four of them out there now, there's only three.

"They're physically in a worse position than what they were with the four, they're knackered, they're making more decisions from poorer positions and you're saying they can't make those decisions now. So reverting back to the three isn't the answer.

 

 

1 COMMENT

  1. You could have ONE central umpire – if the FOUR boundary umpires blew whistles on the infringements they saw…. increasing the number to FIVE sets of eyes adjudicating the game and cutting the number of umpires needed overall.

    But the best way to improve the umpiring – so that it somewhat resembles the rules of the game.

    (1) Scrap the system and ask the SANFL or WAFL to take it over.
    (2) Scrap the “rules committee” – they’ll have to find another something to justify their existence

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