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Is the AFL kidding? Surely they jest. They have launched an investigation
into St Kilda coach Grant Thomas over his comments made not about
drugs, sex, Andrew Demetriou but ... wait for it ... umpires.
Among other things, Thomas opined that umps should ``put their
ego in the locker when they start their career and pick it up
when they finish their career''. More pointedly, he said yesterday
that it was ``pathetic'' that coaches are not allowed to make
observations about them. He faces a $5000 fine. Or, worse still,
a suspension.
This is lunacy because Thomas is no lunatic. Neither is Mick Malthouse,
Dean Laidley and Rodney Eade, all of whom have been censured for
being critical of umpires this season. Nor are most of the clipboard
holders in the game. Sheedy, Matthews, Roos ... They are astute
men who know the game better than anyone, especially more than
the pencil pushers at AFL headquarters. To gag them is, as Thomas
intimated, juvenile.
When are the powerbrokers of the major sports in this country
going to realise that it is not wrong to critcise match-day officials?
At least the NRL has changed their tack somewhat, reminding coaches
that they cannot claim bias. Fair enough, too. But this zero tolerance
edict employed by the AFL something not all dissimilar to that
used by Cricket Australia is absurd.
It is a further sanitation of the games at a time when they need
as much passion as possible. ``I thought it was pretty poor and
unacceptable, and I thought it was demeaning to umpires and it
was not necessary,'' Demetriou said. Demeaning? Maybe the AFL
boss should imagine what it's like being a respected coach, in
Thomas' case potentially a flag-winning coach, being sent to the
corner like an errant school boy. Play on.
What do you think? Click your way to
our Comebacks
page and tell us. You could win an audio logic CD player.
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