Ex-St Kilda coach Grant Thomas lashes finals umpiring and urges officials to stop warning players
Grant Thomas says some umpires are “trying to play their own footy careers” and called on whistleblowers to stop lecturing players and focus on correctly applying the rules.
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Ex-St Kilda coach Grant Thomas says the infiltration of on-field “umpire coaching” is ruining the finals.
Saturday’s night’s Brisbane-Greater Western Sydney thriller was overshadowed by a series of audible directives from the men in green captured by the TV microphones.
“I just find it extraordinary some of the things I hear said during a game of football by the umpires,” Thomas said.
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“Some of them out there are trying to play their own footy careers through AFL players.
“During a hotly contested game of AFL football, especially during finals, you shouldn’t have umpires coaching and telling players where to stand, what to do, ‘don’t do this’ and ‘don’t do that’ — or ‘if you hold him again, I’ll pay a free kick’.
“I mean what does that even mean? Does that mean everyone is allowed to hold a player once and then the free kick is paid the next time?
“Just pay the free kicks. Just adjudicate the game, but unfortunately the umpires have been put into a situation by the AFL of ‘we are the kingpins, we are the controllers of the game’.
“I said it 15 years ago and I got a $20,000 fine but the same thing applies these days — I don’t see many kids in schools running around with umpires outfits on.
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“It’s not about them — so let’s just apply the rules and not get involved in giving any directions or warnings.”
Thomas said he was contacted by former AFL umpire Matthew Head on Saturday night and told the coaching of players was a directive from head office.
“Matthew confirmed to me that the level of instruction and coaching by umpires is actually a trained item,” Thomas said.
“It’s something the AFL umpires department actually trains and encourages.
“This isn’t a gripe against umpires, I’ve been told it’s a really, really difficult job to do, but I don’t think it’s rocket science and it could be made a lot easier if they just stepped away from trying to coach and instruct the players.
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“All this stuff like, ‘Don’t go there’, ‘Move away here’, ‘Stop doing that’, ‘Keep your hands to yourself’ — it’s atrocious.
“Stay right out of it. Of course, you’re allowed to say ‘play on’ and the mandatory things that you have to say, but there should be no coaching because it’s a grey area — where do you start and where do you stop?
“Last time I was involved in footy I thought the coaches coached and the umpires umpired.”
Umpire Shaun Ryan triggered a storm on Saturday night after warning Giant Adam Kennedy to stop hitting Charlie Cameron’s injured elbow.
“Do not be knocking his arm, OK? You’ve been warned,” Ryan told the Giants defender.
“You knock his arm, it’s against the spirit of the game, OK? If you continually knock his arm, I will pay a free kick. You’ve been warned, I’ve told you.”
Thomas said: “What is that about? I mean you don’t wear red tape on your shoulder to say to players, ‘That’s red tape so you can’t bump me’.
“If a player is injured and he’s got a sore spot, well that’s bad luck. How can the AFL adjudicate whether a player is injured or not? Or whether he can or can’t be targeted?
“It’s completely illogical and completely irrational and just more evidence of the AFL meddling and trying to control the game.
“But I’ll reinforce — it’s not the umpires’ fault. It’s how they are coached and how they are directed by the AFL.”
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