Why video reviews are making our game worse

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Save this article for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

At last Friday night’s Geelong-Bulldogs game, yet another ball that sailed over the point post was referred to the AFL review centre.

Gerard Whateley could not contain his frustration in the commentary box. “Look where the goal umpire is, look where the boundary umpire is, just make your call!”

I, too, have been frustrated since the introduction of this technology. It came in soon after Tom Hawkins hit the post in the 2009 grand final, which we were broadcasting at Ten. It was ruled a goal, the deflection not picked up until later.

How would you like to be the umpire smashed on live TV and watched by hundreds of thousands of people last Friday night?

In my view, the simple reason umpires in that position don’t want to decide is because they’re scared of making a mistake.

The goal umpire knows if he or she gets it wrong, they could be talked about for days and face the prospect of being dropped. Get it wrong, get smashed for days in the press. Don’t decide, get smashed for days in the press. Great fun!

Video reviews have not made our game better. In my view, they have made it much worse. Here’s why.

Umpires are now judged against unrealistically high standards, which no one else in the game is subjected to. Split-second decisions are looked at in........

© Brisbane Times