Allow honest umpire talk, says Wallace
Lyall Johnson | May 2, 2007
The Age
RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace has suggested players, in particular captains and coaches, should be allowed to comment "honestly" on umpiring after games. At the same time, he took a swipe at the AFL for action that may result in Tigers skipper Kane Johnson being fined when others had recently not been fined for "dishonesty" and for bringing the game into disrepute.
Johnson has received two "please explain" letters from the AFL over his comments about the umpiring of the Tigers' match against West Coast and his approach to the umpires at half-time to point out the discrepancy in the free-kick tally. Each incident could cost $5000.
Wallace said yesterday he believed Johnson felt he was simply being honest and should be allowed to do so about umpiring if it were done without personally attacking umpires.
In doing so, he pointed to what he believed was hypocrisy on the part of the AFL for not fining players who had recently been dishonest about their illicit drug-taking and brought the game into disrepute as well as other players who may have been dishonest in their evidence to recent tribunal hearings.
"I think it's a sad thing that you've got a captain of a football club who is trying to be honest, who hasn't tried to belittle anyone, who's therefore going to get probably fined over and above some of the other major things that have happened in the game; he's going to end up getting hit worse for that, for being honest, than people who are being dishonest in the industry who are not getting whacked," Wallace said.
"If you're asked a question about the state of the game and about where you believe anything that was part of the game (had had an impact on it), what are we having press conferences for?
"Why are we actually coming along? We don't actually set up the press conferences, we're asked to be there. What we try to do as a club (is) give you our thoughts and opinions about where the game is at any one time. Why are we doing it? That's the question I would ask back, what's the point of having (press conferences) if it's (umpiring) a no-go zone?
"We know we're not allowed to (comment). All I'm saying is the point is, you're sitting there with someone trying to be honest, absolutely honest, and he's going to be fined for his honesty when other people in the industry are not being fined for dishonesty.
"My personal opinion is I don't think Kane actually thought he was doing anything wrong and I legitimately feel that that was the case and that he was just putting up his point of view "
AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said the league rejected Wallace's argument, saying umpires were off limits for comment because of the negative impact criticism had on umpiring at all levels of the game.
"At every level of the game, the biggest challenge we face is being able to attract people as umpires," Keane said. "The vast majority of under-age competitions in every part of Australia can't attract officials and that's because of the constant negative feedback they receive … and our view is that at the elite level, with players and coaches, negative comments give every other person a licence to think they can say what they like about umpiring.
"So we take an absolute zero-tolerance policy approach to any comments about umpiring. There are official channels you can go through. (On the field), players can approach umpires at any time they like during the quarter, when umpires are not involved in the play. Not in breaks and they can't make any comment about them after a game."
Wallace was aware that players could approach umpires during the play, but suggested it was an extremely difficult proposition. "It's difficult for the player. When does a player get the opportunity to voice his opinions to the umpire. I would have thought at an in-game situation is fine, but it's difficult," he said.
"How does he go and voice any sort of opinion, whether it's an interpretation or anything else, (when) he's running around playing on Chris Judd. It's fairly hard to leave Juddy and go off and have a conversation with an umpire behind the play."
Richmond will reply to the AFL's letters by midday today. The AFL will decide whether to fine Johnson by the end of the day.
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