Let the critics be heard, Andy

Sebastian Hassett believes its time for the AFL to follow its socialist roots and embrace the not-so-radical concept of free speech.

So Grant Thomas is “in strife” for his attack on the umpiring fraternity.

The high-flying Saints have little to complain about after their freight-train finish to the season, but in the best interests of the game, Thomas took a little wander down Media Street.

But you can’t do that, apparently. It’s a crime to have an opinion.

What? Did I miss something? He was honest and told the truth for the betterment of the game – and we’re punishing him?

It now appears that when you sign on to the world of AFL, you sign away your rights to enjoying the privileges afforded to 20 million other Australians.

The AFL has decided, in its infinite wisdom, that it is immune from constructive criticism. Basically, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

What is this? Communist China? Last time I checked, our constitution gave hefty leverage toward free speech. Obviously, the Independent Socialist Republic of AFL House has found a better way to do things.

Truly, this is beyond a joke. It’s absolutely and unequivocally unbelievable.

Make no bones about it; this is the kind of ‘secret police’ behaviour that’s pulling at the seams of football. No, it won’t tear it apart. But it will have coaches and administrators watching everything that comes out of their mouths – where’s the enjoyment in that?

A splash of controversy is not a bad thing. Quite often, it polarizes public opinion and forces people to come up with a better ways of doing things. Why can’t we have a public forum about the standard of umpiring?

Grant Thomas should feel hard done by, on all fronts. Not only should he be the one sending a please explain letter to the AFL in addition to his midweek ‘tirade’, but he and opposite number Dean Laidley should be tearing their hair out after the abhorrent umpiring at the Telstra Dome on Saturday.

It got to the stage where the game wandered into the realms of embarrassment. Free kicks here, a 50-metre penalty there and a soft report thrown in for good measure. Quite simply, the umpires lost the plot.

Don’t mistake this as anti-AFL diatribe – it’s not. Most football lovers and I think of the league’s governing body in quite favourable terms, and we’ll do anything to help them make the sport better.

The game needs to be constantly evolving with the times to ensure it remains healthy and viable into the future. A part of that is recognizing where things have gone wrong; undoubtedly, umpiring is one place where it’s pear-shaped.

Nobody respects umpires. Why? Because they just don’t do their job well enough. Former umpires director Jeff Gieschen said umpires make the right call ‘75 percent of the time’. So basically, they stuff up one in four decisions.

Keep it in mind that Gieschen made these comments while still in power, too. Imagine what he’d say now. Suddenly, 75 percent, a shocking figure to most of us at the time, looks awfully generous.

But let’s not sweep it under the rug any longer. Firstly, let’s admit, yes, there is a problem. Then we can address it, and fix it. Draining $20,000 from the bank balance of James Hird does nothing for the game. Planning ways to make it better at least does something.

The autocratic stance of Andrew Demetriou merely reinforces the ideology among fans that the AFL is so scared of bad press that it resorts to a stalk-and-destroy mentality, even against its own kind.

Demetriou said earlier in the year “It's an organisation that would make Karl Marx happy and Milton Friedman not unhappy." Is that just so Andy?

Well, if you’re such an ardent socialist, why the fastidious gagging of those wishing to improve the state of play?

Marx wouldn’t be happy with that. Joseph Stalin, perhaps.

Makes you think, doesn’t it – maybe Leigh Matthews and his Gestapo quips back in 2000 weren’t too far off the mark after all?

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