There’s no doubt that Baker and Johnson hit each other several times during their fiery clashes last Friday night. It’s a shame that their behaviour has overshadowed the match itself. Due to the wet conditions, the match probably suffered a little as a spectacle however, it was still a tough match played between the 2 Grand Final favourites.
What stood out to me about the several incidents between Johnson and Baker is that it should never have been allowed to escalate to the heights that it did. The Umpires have a lot to answer for not paying a free kick against one of the many rule breaches that occurred between the two players. At one stage Umpire Number 8 was no further than 15 metres away when Baker hit Johnson flush on the chin with his fist – no free kick! You have to be joking Umpire! Is this the same game where a defender putting his hands (even ever so lightly) into the back of the leading forward results in a free kick? If Umpire Number 8 had’ve paid a free kick at that time, the issue wouldn’t have escalated much further. A coach would not allow a backman to forfeit a shot on goal to his opponenet nor would a coach allow a forward to give up their team’s forward thrust.
I’ve heard that Matthew Knights (Essendon Coach) is advocating the introduction of a 4th Field Umpire. What’s the good of having an extra Field Umpire when the ones that we have now don’t lay reports or pay free kicks? Would the presence of another Field Umpire allow Umpire Number 8 to do his job better? I doubt it as he had a clear view of the incident and failed to do his job.
If Baker and Johnson have to serve time on the sidelines so should each and every umpire who officiated in that match as they did not do their job. The umpires had it within their control to stop this escalating but unbelievably decided not to do so. This should extend to all Field, Boundary, Goal, and the Emergency umpires. One or more of them would’ve seen enough to warrant a free kick or a report.
Is this rant the result of my team losing the match or losing a player for some weeks? No. I follow Richmond and I’m a football lover. Umpires today seem to eager to take the easy way out and that disgusts me to the extreme. I also used to be an Umpire having officiated for many years as a Field Umpire, then a Boundary Umpire, and finished my career as a Goal Umpire.
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