The week in football was characterised in many ways by the absence of competence. There wasn’t much competence over at Kayo, which had more crashes than Leslie Nielsen. There wasn’t much competence in the umpiring on Friday night. There wasn’t much competence at the AFL tribunal, with its barking dogs and house inspections. There wasn’t much competence, or basic decency, at its appeals board.
“Competence porn” is a term we hear a lot these days, mainly in relation to television and film. In a world run by people who temperamentally and intellectually aren’t far from the sandpit, it’s the craving for content that showcases craft and care. It’s there in shows like The Pitt where doctors and nurses under incredible strain maintain both their excellence and (mostly) their sanity. The AFL should poach primary charge nurse Dana Evans from Pittsburgh to run their score review system, or their tribunal, or the whole competition. She’d ship it into shape in half a shift.
