Ray Chamberlain - hang your head
April 28th 2008 12:57
UMPIRES have the most thankless job in the AFL. They are verbally abused, ridiculed and torn to shreds by AFL players, supporters and probably even coaches (under their breath of course, so as to not be fined).
The best compliment umpires can receive is someone telling them they hadn’t noticed them on the field.
Wow, what a nice feeling that must be.
They are employed by the AFL and do their best to make sure games run as smoothly as possible, within the rules. Of course, they make mistakes, but so does everyone in their chosen professions.
Players, we all know, make errors all the time. They miss targets by hand and foot, they drop marks they should take, they make errors of judgment and take the wrong options.
Coaches make mistakes, too, and their blues are pored over by analysts, commentators and board members. Coaches are always a few bad defeats away from becoming ‘this close’ to getting the sack.
That’s just the way it is.
Umpires, though, are the most reviled creatures in the AFL but more often than not, the criticism they cop isn’t warranted.
But sometimes, an umpire makes an error so awful, so baffling and so frustrating that it makes your blood boil.
On Saturday, Ray Chamberlain got noticed in a big way.
Chamberlain penalised Carlton’s Jarrad Waite for punching the ball into the crowd after it had been kicked through for a goal by Bernie Vince.
Chamberlain - in a decision fuelled by ego and a desire to be part of the action - judged the Carlton defender to have caused a delay in the play. The ball was then given to Richard Douglas at the top of the goal square for another shot at close range.
Bang. Game over.
At the time, Carlton was a couple of goals behind and would’ve needed all the time they could to claw their way back into the contest. Why then, would Waite deliberately waste time?
It was one of the most petulant and ridiculous displays of over-officiating I can remember and it cost the Blues dearly.
Last week, umpire Damien Sully paid for his skill error after his shocking centre bounce in the closing stages of the Collingwood-North Melbourne clash.
Sully’s bounce gifted North Melbourne an entry into their 50-metre area, where rookie Ed Lower snapped a goal, putting North Melbourne in front by eight points, a lead they held onto.
Amid much outcry, especially from the Collingwood faithful, Sully was dropped to the VFL for what AFL umpires director Jeff Gieschen said was a series of bad bounces.
That’s fair enough. If a footballer performs basic skills badly repeatedly, they are dropped to the reserves.
I doubt many would have a problem with Silly’s demotion, probably not even the man himself.
Chamberlain’s case is different altogether. One can only hope Gieschen will dish out the same medicine to Chamberlain, who, in one arrogant action, gave every AFL fan a valid reason to bemoan the men in white.
The best compliment umpires can receive is someone telling them they hadn’t noticed them on the field.
Wow, what a nice feeling that must be.
They are employed by the AFL and do their best to make sure games run as smoothly as possible, within the rules. Of course, they make mistakes, but so does everyone in their chosen professions.
Players, we all know, make errors all the time. They miss targets by hand and foot, they drop marks they should take, they make errors of judgment and take the wrong options.
Coaches make mistakes, too, and their blues are pored over by analysts, commentators and board members. Coaches are always a few bad defeats away from becoming ‘this close’ to getting the sack.
That’s just the way it is.
Umpires, though, are the most reviled creatures in the AFL but more often than not, the criticism they cop isn’t warranted.
But sometimes, an umpire makes an error so awful, so baffling and so frustrating that it makes your blood boil.
On Saturday, Ray Chamberlain got noticed in a big way.
Chamberlain penalised Carlton’s Jarrad Waite for punching the ball into the crowd after it had been kicked through for a goal by Bernie Vince.
Chamberlain - in a decision fuelled by ego and a desire to be part of the action - judged the Carlton defender to have caused a delay in the play. The ball was then given to Richard Douglas at the top of the goal square for another shot at close range.
Bang. Game over.
At the time, Carlton was a couple of goals behind and would’ve needed all the time they could to claw their way back into the contest. Why then, would Waite deliberately waste time?
It was one of the most petulant and ridiculous displays of over-officiating I can remember and it cost the Blues dearly.
Last week, umpire Damien Sully paid for his skill error after his shocking centre bounce in the closing stages of the Collingwood-North Melbourne clash.
Sully’s bounce gifted North Melbourne an entry into their 50-metre area, where rookie Ed Lower snapped a goal, putting North Melbourne in front by eight points, a lead they held onto.
Amid much outcry, especially from the Collingwood faithful, Sully was dropped to the VFL for what AFL umpires director Jeff Gieschen said was a series of bad bounces.
That’s fair enough. If a footballer performs basic skills badly repeatedly, they are dropped to the reserves.
I doubt many would have a problem with Silly’s demotion, probably not even the man himself.
Chamberlain’s case is different altogether. One can only hope Gieschen will dish out the same medicine to Chamberlain, who, in one arrogant action, gave every AFL fan a valid reason to bemoan the men in white.
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Comment by Tyronne
Sydney Fun
Melbourne DiaryStar
Comment by Anonymous
I pray to God this mongoloid looking freak gets his ass whooped to China & he gets paid 2 cents a day: that's how much this piece shit is worth.