Terry: Ump stance hypocritical
22 August 2005
Herald Sun
Trevor Grant
RICHMOND Terry Wallace yesterday accused AFL bosses of a double standard over the ban on umpiring criticism.
Wallace said it struck him as hypocritical that AFL boss Andrew Demetriou could make derogatory comments about the tactics of Sydney coach Paul Roos, while coaches were fined if they commented on umpires.
"I'm a paid employee. People are speaking about me or my team. People who are involved in the AFL have spoken about Paul Roos and his team," Wallace said.
"The AFL umpires are paid employees; some earning six-figure sums like coaches.
"I just wonder why some people can have a say and some can't," he said.
Wallace was responding yesterday to post-game media questions about the possibility that umpires had been unduly influenced yesterday by the heavy criticism.
He was asked whether he thought that there had been any detrimental effect yesterday on full-forward Matthew Richardson after Western Bulldogs' coach Rodney Eade's observation last week that Bulldogs' full-back Brian Harris was given a raw deal in contests with the gun forward.
He declined to answer the specific question but added: "I've got to say when I took up this job no one told me I wasn't entitled to have an opinion."
Wallace said it was time to even things out.
"I don't mind not having an opinion about the umpires and not putting a public opinion, so long as we all play under the same rules," he said.
"I don't think the AFL and their adjudicators should speak necessarily about coaches if coaches aren't allowed to speak about umpires.
"We'll play under the rules, so long as everyone plays under the same rules.
"I don't necessarily think we should say anything but I don't know whether it's an equal playing field at the moment."
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,16336683%255E19771,00.html