Opinion
Imagine you demonstrate astute judgment, enormous courage, make the correct decision, and for that, you get bottles hurled at you.
Doesnโt feel right, does it?
Thatโs what happened to umpire Hayden Meyer and his mates, Brett Rosebury, Nathan Williamson and Jacob Mollison last Saturday night. They umpired one of the greatest games ever seen and, as such, played a small part in it being so great. They werenโt โthe Wizardโ, obviously, but in a game of that magnitude and pressure, they played their role.
The conversations Iโve had with people since the game have followed a similar tone.
Them: โItโs a shame the umpire made that call at the endโ.
Me: โIt would have been a bigger shame if he hadnโt, because it would have been wrongโ.
Them: โYeah, but itโs just a shame that it gets decided by an umpiring decisionโ.
Me: โIt would have still been decided by an umpiring decision โ it just would have been the incorrect decisionโ.
Them: โShut up, Wayneโ.
Football is an irrational game, especially in the stands. Itโs tribal, and thatโs one of the things that makes it so great.
Iโve written before that halfway through my time as head of umpiring at the AFL, it dawned on me that the very thing people wanted from umpiring โ consistency โ is fundamentally unachievable.
And itโs unachievable for three reasons:
1. Most fans donโt know the rules. I didnโt, either, until I went into umpiring.
2. We see each decision through the lens of the team we barrack for. (For the record, I think this is awesome. Who wants to be rational at the footy?)
3. Umpires make mistakes.
When looking at the holding-the-ball decision against Jarman Impey, my sense is only the second reason comes into play. We all know thatโs a free kick, donโt we? The only out I give fans here is that this type of decision should be paid more often.
No.3 doesnโt come into play, so that leaves us with reason No.1. Ah, the irrationality of it all.
What is going through the umpireโs mind at a moment like that?
Umpires are incredibly process-driven โ especially so with holding the ball as itโs a family tree of options that can only be worked through by a process of elimination.
Before we get to the actual decision, a couple of broader questions.
Are the umpires aware itโs tight, itโs a preliminary final, and itโs close to the end of the
game? Obvy, as my daughters would say.
Are the umpires aware that every decision is even more critical and magnified? Yes. And are they aware that Hawthorn will want to take it to stoppage and the Lions will want it in free play? Yes.
Does it change the decision-making process of the umpires? Iโm not in the mind of every umpire, but I can say comfortably that, on this occasion, Haydenโs decision-making process was sound.
Impey is tackled immediately, so thereโs โno prior opportunityโ, which brings into play the โgenuine attemptโ part of the holding-the-ball rule. The umpire notices his arm is free, so holds his whistle. If the ball was pinned, the umpire may have blown his whistle more quickly to stop a potential dangerous tackle.
Impey does not make a genuine attempt, so a correct free kick is paid against him.
What mistakes did Impey and Hawthorn make?
1. He must make a genuine attempt to dispose of the ball; that is, he must kick or handball, or attempt to kick or handball.
2. If you want to fool the umpire, turn your back to him, so he canโt see your arm is pinned. Impey opens his whole body up to the middle of the ground where the umpires are. If he turns to the boundary, we may have seen a different decision.
3. Impeyโs teammate, Jai Newcombe, must join the tackle to put confusion into the umpireโs mind. You must give him a reason not to pay the free kick.
A couple of further observations on the enigma that is umpiring. On Saturday, the four umpires did their job extremely well but found themselves dodging bottles as they exited the stadium, while a family in the crowd dodged a plate of nachos.
I loved the way they all held their heads high as they walked off. Maybe this was to ensure they could see the projectiles, but I also think it points to their resilience.
The Swans-Freo preliminary final on Friday night was also a classic; it just wasnโt a top-
three classic like Saturdayโs. There were clear umpiring errors in the Friday game โ a missed holding the ball on Caleb Serong was one, and Tom McCartin got away with a crude spoil on Josh Treacy. Saturdayโs game was brilliantly umpired, yet thatโs the one that erupted. Again, irrational.
Saturdayโs grand final will be the first without an opening bounce. As a card-carrying advocate for ditching the bounce, I think the game has lost nothing this year through its omission. In fact, it has been better. Both rucks have an equal run at the ball-up, there are no call-backs after wonky bounces, and scoring from centre ball-ups has increased.
But I might miss the theatre of the first bounce on Saturday. I know the umpires wonโt.
And finally, to umpire Brett Rosebury, who in his 587th game will umpire his 10th grand final. Thatโs an extraordinary achievement by an even more extraordinary person โ one of the best Iโve had the privilege of knowing and working with in football.
He is what footballers call a great teammate. He has a passion for umpiring, for the game and for his fellow umpires that has made him an outstanding leader of that group for more than 20 years. Congratulations, Brett.
Wayne Campbell is a former Richmond captain and All-Australian, ex-Gold Coast football manager, and the current boss of the Sydney Swans academy.From our partners
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