Noticed this a lot myself not just this year.

AFL just have to get the umpires do do what they do in the AFLW….stand 5m in from the boundary line.

But hey! Why would they do something sensible?

I've noticed a few which gave a huge advantage to one side and should have been recalled.

7 minutes ago, george_on_the_outer said:

AFL just have to get the umpires do do what they do in the AFLW….stand 5m in from the boundary line.

But hey! Why would they do something sensible?

At the moment I suspect many umps are at the limit of what they can do, so it is hard for them to be consistent.

Unless you are a believer in 'the more randomness the better for the competition' the simplest solution is for each ump to work out the distance they can comfortably and reliably throw it (in normal and in wet conditions) and then stand x metres in so as to reach the standard (15m) like some (all?) of the female VLF umps do. But that would be perceived as wimpish I fear and never happen with male AFL umpires.

Like everything, we just want consistency!

23, 20, 18m …ok

30,28,34 …..ok

20, 40, 18,…..not so much

Edited May 25May 25 by DiscoStu17

52 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Noticed this a lot myself not just this year.

Can’t 7 afford proper clothes for their people?

the throw in has been shown to be potentially damaging to the back over a long period. Probably less of a problem these days with four umpires and the lack of intent rule meaning less throw in per umpire.

No problem with throwing from 5M in.

Meanwhile bring back the white coats and hats for the goal umpires (they were world famous)

Looks worse as well due to the players who are rucking run in from nearly the centre of the ground.

The boundary throw-ins are a disgrace. The ball is tossed higher than they need be which diminishes the distance traveled and takes too long.

How often are the ruckmen required to run in tio reach the ball above ground level? Its ugly and destroys the spectacle and purpose of boundary ruck work.

Toss the ball lower, further and quicker and change the rules to encourage ruckmen to avoid the ugly wrestle and return to the days when the ruckmen ran in and competed in the air.

Just this year? Reckon it's been happening for at least the last 3.

Couldn't bounce it anymore so that got ditched. Next they will go last touch free kick for convenience.

Just give boundary umps a big lacrosse stick to launch it back into play with 100% success rate, problem solved.

20 hours ago, Demonland said:

Noticed this a lot myself not just this year.

That one Hopper was complaining about was a goal assist, shocking throw

Watch state league football and the standard of Throw Ins is even worse.

I think as @binman has touched on during the Demonland Podcasts, there is simply not enough investment into improving the standard of umpiring and encouraging those to pursue it as a career path.

And for some reason the media do not want to talk about this?

I'd fix the problem in another way. Remove the nomination rule and just let anyone go for the tap out. More often than not it will still be the ruckman, but if the throw is a bit wayward...what's the big deal? Randomness with an oval ball is part of the joy of football. Randomness of the throw-ins can be likewise.

20 hours ago, sue said:

I've noticed a few which gave a huge advantage to one side and should have been recalled.

At the moment I suspect many umps are at the limit of what they can do, so it is hard for them to be consistent.

Unless you are a believer in 'the more randomness the better for the competition' the simplest solution is for each ump to work out the distance they can comfortably and reliably throw it (in normal and in wet conditions) and then stand x metres in so as to reach the standard (15m) like some (all?) of the female VLF umps do. But that would be perceived as wimpish I fear and never happen with male AFL umpires.

Well, they definitely have no idea where the bloody boundary is.

A few years ago my son started doing boundary umpiring in the Southern Tasmanian league for some extra pocket money. He was 13 when he started.

I got sick of driving him around to games so after a while I decided to join him, I was there anyway. We spent a few year running either side of the boundary for the Tas Community Seniors.

This year my son is playing too much in the U18 and Reserves to umpire anymore, so I have started to move to junior football as a field ump. I am 46 years old now and I can't keep running 15-20km a game with the amount of arthritis in my feet, and the throws do hurt the back and shoulders, albeit I find the sling shot throw better than the over the head throw.

I can only speak for Tassie, which is a shadow of Victoria football, but here are the issues regarding boundary and umpires in general:

·         80% of the boundary umpires in the south of Tasmania are primary school, or early high school age. Of those, around 90% will either transition to Field where the pay and prestige is greater or they start playing too much footy, leave school and get work and don’t need the money etc. Basically, who wants to be a Boundary umpire???

·         Boundary umpires are taught to throw 15-20min and the higher the better. Some of the throws in that footage were perfectly legal throws with the rucks setting up further back so they can run in. Throws are normally only re-done if they heavily favour a direction left or right, if it is straight and high both rucks have equal opportunity to run in. Even at community level here in Tas, I’ve noticed rucks setting up further and further back. I can’t throw it to the centre square.

·         Umpire recruitment, support and training is terrible, at least here in Tas. We get little support from the AFL. The pay is not great and there is no pathway to a career, it’s not like you can be a full-time umpire. But for example, we are so short of umpires that I no longer even need to attend boundary training and I’ll easily get a gig in seniors every week. I have never trained as a field but the fact I have done boundary and I am not 12 years old and they threw me straight into junior football as a field (it’s a work in progress, I’ll admit it’s a lot harder to do then critique. I prefer sitting in the stands and shouting OMG ump how did you not see that).

·         Which leads to the last thing. At the community entry level, the abuse is real and starts at about the U15’s from players and the parents and crowd are happy to shout advice and opinions lol. We had a U16’s game called off on a Friday night when a brawl broke out between players, a runner and parents (thanks parents for hitting the beers on Friday night kids game).

i saw one throw in that was so ridiculously short on the afl members side (right! in front!! of ME!!!) that the field ump called it back and made him do it again

the bloods fan in front of me and i couldn't think of the last time we'd seen a boundary throw-in given a do-over

i think it's inevitable that 'between the arcs' it'll be an automatic free kick from the last player touch - the same approach they use for the 'lasso' in aflw, which seems to work okay

Edited May 26May 26 by whatwhat say what

On 25/05/2025 at 13:39, Demonland said:

Noticed this a lot myself not just this year.

Is there any other game in the word where an official or umpire requires a significant skill like in AFL?

It's ridiculous when you think about it. And when they have to run 8-12 kms a game.....

Speaking of throw-ins it's about time the AFL changed the rules for ruckmen no more grapling it's a blight on the game there should be no contact until the ball is thrown in, i also agree with La Dee no more nominated ruckmen at ball ups just throw it up and if a third ruckman goes up pay a free.
P.S. Also, get rid of the stand rule. Players are getting too much of an advantage.

Problem 1: Inconsistency

Problem 2: Backs

Problem 3: Grappling

(Problem 4?: Wind?)

Solution: Ball up where throw-in in existing system should arrive

16 minutes ago, demon3165 said:

.....
P.S. Also, get rid of the stand rule. Players are getting too much of an advantage.

I am bamboozled by the stand rule. Sometimes the umps say '5 metres' when they seem to mean "go there" and sometimes it seems to mean 'you are 5m away'. They often say stand when the player 'on the mark' hasn't got to the mark. If anyone can explain exactly what is going on, I'd be grateful. And them there is the 50m penalty of the sort Salem was hit with. I bet if he came in 1 metre more to the left it would have been OK. But he'd still be moving into the proteted zone. A guide to the perplexed would be appreciated.

Edited May 26May 26 by sue

2 minutes ago, sue said:

I am bamboozled by the stand rule. Sometimes the umps say '5 metres' when they mean go there and sometimes it seems to mean 'you are 5m away'. They often say stand when the player 'on the mark' hasn't got to the mark. If anyone can explain exactly what is going on, I'd be grateful. And them there is the 50m penalty of the sort Salem was hit with. I bet if he came in 1 metre more to the left it would have been OK. But he'd still be moving into the proteted zone. A guide to the perplexed would be appreciated.

I believe he was short of the mark and moved to the right as if he was outside the 5,

1 minute ago, demon3165 said:

I believe he was short of the mark and moved to the right as if he was outside the 5,

I though it was because he came from behind of the player with the ball and didn't loop around far enough. At least I've seen that paid elsewhere, and sometimes not paid.

What about the standard of central bounces yesterday. Hardly any went straight up. The majority seem to bounce off towards the southern stand. Not one was recalled.

7 minutes ago, old dee said:

What about the standard of central bounces yesterday. Hardly any went straight up. The majority seem to bounce off towards the southern stand. Not one was recalled.

They used to always be recalled.

16 minutes ago, Demonland said:

They used to always be recalled.

They certainly weren't yesterday.

Get rid of the bounce altogether.

Appoint umpires who are best at decision making, not those who (supposedly) are better at the tricky art of bouncing the footy.