VAFA ROUND 2.indd - Victorian Amateur Football Association

UMPIRES
Opening Round has come and gone, and
amateur footy once again reigns supreme across
Melbourne on Saturday afternoons. Down at the
VAFAUA there were the usual moans from old
blokes who keep swearing ‘this is my last year’,
some great performances from the experienced
umpires, and some very encouraging debuts
across all sections.
Steve McCarthy & Cam Davidson
IT’S ON (SO CONGRATULATIONS)!!
The new polo shirts adorned with the sponsors
logo (Boag’s Draught) were quite eye-catching
giving us a professional look as we arrived at
games and attended the after match functions.
Well done to our fantastic President Luke Holmes
for his organization and promotion of this great
initiative.
Chuck obviously has worked his magic and got
the troops to a great level of fitness, although our
physio Raj is wondering about the record numbers
waiting to jump on his table. We’re obviously
pushing our bodies hard. The results will be out
there on a Saturday afternoon.
Melb ourne turned on its best weather for the day,
well, until about 4:30 anyway, when the heavens
opened. Don’t think a lot of time-on was blown in
the last few minutes of most games.
In particular, we congratulate Andrew Heffernan
(F), Rebecca Brown (G) and Matt Dervan (G) for
their respective promotions into Premier. To reach
the top echelon is no mean feat, and we have no
doubt there’ll be plenty of new faces wearing the
blue and white at grounds like Toorak Park, The
Trott and Brindisi Street in 2011. No doubt this will
be a year of opportunity.
We’d also like to congratulate those umpires who
graced VAFA grounds for the first time. You’ve
joined a sensational competition in the VAFA
which just so happens to have the best Umpires
Association in Australia (OK, I suppose we’re a bit
biased.)
Looking good
Quite a few comments last weekend in relation to
how well decked out our umpires were “off field”.
He said what now?
Quote of the week time, and this week it’s a
no-brainer from esteemed boundary umpires
coach, Bob Sebbens who we suspect will
feature prominently in Umpire’s Corner this year.
During a break at the Uni v De La game, Bob was
congratulated on his efforts in recruiting plenty
of new boundary riders. His response? “Yeah it’s
been fantastic to see so many people come out of
the closet”. We think you meant woodwork, Bobby!
(Not that there’s anything wrong it!)
Rowdy’s Rule of the week - Advantage
Not really a rule, but more of an interpretation
of Rule 17.3 in the Laws of Australian Football.
This year when a free kick is paid, it becomes the
player’s decision rather than the umpire to decide
if they will take the advantage and play on. If play
is continuous and the players do not pause, but
continue to keep moving when the umpire blows
the whistle, then the umpire will call play on. If the
player then has a skill error, the ball will not be
recalled as that was a risk the player was taking.
This should be an interesting one to monitor this
year.
If you have any requests for rules to be highlighted
that may be causing you confusion, feel free to
contact us through the VAFA.
58 THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2011
“Umpiring is Everyone’s Business”