AFL 2024: Umpires urge AFL to speed up review process for controversial free kicks

Some umpires have been left disappointed about the lack of explanation from head office around some vital free kicks, amid calls for the AFL to step up its handling of controversial whistles.

Umpires have called for greater transparency to the public over if decisions are right or not after crucial free kicks have been put under the blowtorch in recent weeks.

Umpires have been left frustrated that the public has not been keyed in on contentious decisions quickly as the AFL has been urged to speed up the process for feedback on vital free kicks.

The AFL was quick to answer to Saturday’s controversial finish between Carlton and Fremantle, putting CEO Andrew Dillon in front of the cameras and filming a video with footy boss Laura Kane for its website on Monday answering to the calls that saw the Blues escape with a victory.

But one umpiring source told this masthead that whistle blowers are “frustrated” calls are not explained quickly in public and footy fans educated on what goes into some free kicks.

And one distinguished retired umpire said even he wasn’t sure whether some decisions made by current officials were correct or not.

It is common practice for some international sports to issue umpiring reports quickly after contentious games.

In the NBA, any game in which the margin is three points or less during the final two minutes will have a “two minute report” issued, in which every referee call is scrutinised.

These reports are generally posted online within 24 hours of a match and referees are made available to the media following games.

Umpires have called for greater transparency to the public over if decisions are right or not after crucial free kicks have been put under the blowtorch in recent weeks.

The AFL has filmed videos with Kane the day after most rounds this season, including last week when she revealed umpires had missed high free kicks to Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan.

Those videos will continue to be posted after each round this season.

The league did make umpiring bosses available to the media weekly last decade before poor turnouts saw that fade out.

One retired umpire said current officials would largely be happy to cop the scrutiny of a public report the day after matches.

Matthew Head, who stood in 144 matches, agreed that the public could be shown a “filtered” version of an umpire running sheet displaying key decisions.

“That is what I had in mind for the next step in this,” he said.

“Ultimately, with the ARC, this is sort of really futuristic, getting real time reporting would be great as well. Definitely something around that two minute report and something around that is the way they should be going.”

Head said umpires wouldn’t be taken aback by the regular public scrutiny.

“I’d imagine that if you’re an umpire you just want it put to bed because it takes the oxygen out of it, once it is addressed, generally people move on,” he said.

“Umpires should be strong enough to be able to accept that is the job.”

A veteran of more than 500 games, ex-umpire Shane McInerney said whistle blowers had to have a “thick skin” when their decisions were aired in public and “that is the nature of the game”.

But he said “logistics” could stand in the way of a rapid turnaround for umpire reports, as McInerney said during his career reviews weren’t processed until as late as Thursday in the week after matches.

“I think it’s been evolving but I just don’t think the process is there to get an answer straight away,” he said.

“The irony is if it takes a couple of days for a decision to be made, it takes an umpire a split second.

“So I understand there might be a bit of a disconnect there with fans but it is better to spend the time to get the right outcome.

“When they are communicating issues of this nature, it probably pays that they have all the information available to them.”