Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty Images
When the weather turns, the injuries mount and the big grind sets in, you can set your footballing calendar to three things. There’ll be a call for the return of State of Origin football. There’ll be a discussion about congestion and interchange caps. And there’ll be an industry-wide conversation about umpiring. The AFL will send out a memo, the umpires will crack down, and the AFL will tick it off.
Round 11 was supposed to be a celebration of Indigenous footballers, but at times it was overshadowed by the pettifogging and the bewildering. Before I go on, I’m wary of making this an umpire bashing column. Every time a coach, journalist, fan, parent or social media lurker lashes out, we have to factor in the wider umpiring ecosystem.
