No two sports on planet Earth are alike, but it’s safe to say there really isn’t anything like Australian rules football.
Thousands of tourists have endured miserable attempts to explain the game by fervent Aussies, but it’s a sure bet many of these flummoxed foreigners would have heard someone say; “it all begins with the umpire bouncing the ball.”
But that line could soon disappear from the crash course.
Umpires boss Hayden Kennedy made waves after calling for the centre bounce to be abolished, and revealing that the AFL umpires’ association would soon put forward a proposal to the laws of the game committee to have the practice abandoned.
Kennedy’s call had a number of reasons behind it. As a former umpire who retired due to persistent hamstring issues, Kennedy claimed the act of bouncing placed extreme – and unnecessary – strain on umpire’s bodies.
Additionally, several umpires who have otherwise exceptional decision-making abilities and fitness levels are facing an uphill battle to make it to the big time because their bouncing isn’t up to scratch, according to Kennedy.
Social media erupted with anger at the news, with fans bemoaning ‘yet another’ frustrating rule change and the death of a supposedly sacred part of the game, while also harshly criticising the umpires for being ‘soft’.
But even a cursory glance at the amount of hassle the bounce creates versus what it contributes to the game makes it very clear that its role in the game has become untenable.
While fans have been quick to suggest all umpires need to do is ‘harden up’ to avert the strain bouncing places on their bodies, I’m going to take the word of Kennedy, who just so happens to the be umpiring’s all-time games record holder.
Yes, AFL is a professional contact sport and umpiring at the highest level requires an extreme degree of physical exertion. But not to the extent where umpires sometimes require shoulder reconstructions over an act that only occurs at the start of each quarter and after a goal.
While it would, unfortunately, be folly to expect the footy public to feel something resembling sympathy towards the men in green, it can be agreed that at the very least this level of medical attention is disproportionately high.
As far as the umpire selection process goes, it seems fair that those who can perform their job better are rewarded. It seems only right that of two umpires with equal decision-making ability, the better bouncer is given the nod.
But if you asked football fans whether they’d pick an excellent bouncer with average decision-making ability over a superb decision maker who can’t bounce at all – you’d get a resounding no from just about everyone.
While bouncing the ball is often synonymous with umpiring itself, when you really press fans on what’s important in an umpire, their ability to bounce slides down the list very quickly.
When you consider the sheer amount of time it takes to practice and perfect the bounce – time that could otherwise be spent on getting better positioning, studying the rules further or just getting fitter – it starts to make less and less sense that this is criteria by which umpires are judged at all.
But football is arguably more about the heart than it is the head. While it may make logical sense to have the bounce scrapped, surely sentiment still counts for something?
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to keep the game the same as we best remember it, but the bounce isn’t nearly as sacred to the game as it’s made out to be.
Growing fan frustration with bad bounces led to the AFL allowing the recall of offline bounces in 2009, and subsequent frustration with the time taken to recall bounces saw field bounces scrapped in 2013.
Even now, there are few bigger groans that go around the ground after an offline centre bounce, and it’s one of the rare moments during a football match that fans totally switch off from what’s happening on the field as the players reset.
While this is all relevant to the AFL itself, the game of Australian rules football itself has survived just fine without the bounce around the country for decades.
If you attend a suburban or junior football match just about anywhere in the country, you’re almost guaranteed not to see the umpire bounce the ball. Admittedly these aren’t the same umpires we see at the MCG, but the game itself is none the poorer for it.
And of course, even a hint of wet weather sees the bounce abandoned without question in any competition, leading one to question once more just how important to the game it really is.
There’s no denying it’ll be a little bit sad to see the bounce go if and when that happens, and there’s nothing wrong with nostalgia in the world of football.
But the substantial disruption this small motif causes our game, especially behind the scenes, means it’s time to pull the pin on this tradition.
Janice Chapman
Guest
Who cares about the centre bounce? I do. Sick of our game becoming more American every day. Stop changing History, The long break (half time). And all the other references to our players being likened to Gridiron.
Republican
Guest
.....is Jack still above ground?
J.T. Delacroix
Guest
Australian Rules might be the only game where the officials ( field & boundary umpires) are required to show some ball skills of their own. That aside, I'm with Col from Brissie - keep the centre bounce, but throw it up in general play. You know it makes sense.
Norad
Guest
1891 Introduction of centre bounce after every goal as well as at the start of quarters. http://www.afl.com.au/afl-hq/the-afl-explained/rule-changes-18582013 Doesn't say what the VFL had before 1891. Toss up in the air?
Maggie
Guest
Agree. Would keep the dramatic tension in the build-up to the start of the match (particularly relevant in finals/GF) while resolving virtually all the identified problems with using the bounce.
BigAl
Guest
Too right Republican ! Just why the Tiger's won't give Jack Dyer a game anymore has got me beat !
Paul D
Roar Guru
That's the dead hand of parochialism right there folks
Republican
Guest
Tradition v the contemporary and perhaps the practical? The code has compromised so much over the years, so in that regard the thin edge of the wedge began when the game went down the path of big business. Footy is unrecognisable as a spectacle from when I began playing and supporting it back in the late 1950's. I am resigned to change as it is the only constant in this life, however I also believe some historical aspects of any cultural institution should not be the exclusive domain of vested commercial interests, i.e. the AFL. That said it is moot as to whether the bounce fits this criteria and while I will be sad to see it go, I don't place the same magnitude of cultural value on it as say I do the speccy or other aspects of our once distinctive and great game. Sadly these traits are little more than marketing cliches to promote the code and rarely experienced in a round of footy these days, truth be told.
Agent11
Guest
True, yet there are Rugby fans who think Union is akin to listening to Bach, while League is AC/DC.
Cat
Roar Guru
The 'roar' you speak of isn't because the ball is being bounced, it is because the game is starting. The roar need not stop whether the ball is thrown up or bounced.
Ryan
Guest
Best thing is on grand final day, the anticipation and roar when the ball is bounced. Our game is unique, stop changing it for the sake of changing, umpires need to suck it up.
Craig Delaney
Roar Pro
I love the centre bounce too. Even so, the spectacle has decreased over the years as rucks dispensed with long runs into the leap, the collision of the big men. We no longer see the checkside ruckman who runs in from the same direction as his opponent. The clincher for me, though, is the thought that some of umpirings best may not be contributing at the highest level because they can't maintain the bounce. We are at a point where umpiring is part of the next development of the game - professionalism and better adjudication. So, farewell, bounce. It was great while you lasted.
Perry Bridge
Guest
"No two sports on planet Earth are alike"..... Rugby Union and Rugby League!!! More alike than Basketball and netball, even more alike than Baseball and softball (arguably). The bounce - I like it. I like - having rucked myself - the variability of it. I like the theatre of it. There's a wonderful imagery of that ball being belted into the ground (when replayed in slow motion). But - we have so much wonderful action that doesn't get time to be replayed in slow motion that I'd best not get too hung up on the bounce.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Col's idea isn't a bad one.
Ben
Guest
Ah the theatre. I would like to see the bounce retained, if only at centre bounces, purely for the theatre of it. DK Lillee holding up the ball before he runs in for the first time. Even the odd bounce that goes the wrong way? play on. Good luck to whatever team comes out with it. Call me old fashioned, stuck in a time warp, whatever, but I love the centre bounce.
Col from Brissie
Roar Guru
Simple solution. Start the game with the traditional bounce and then put it away and throw the ball up for the rest of the game.
Stirling Coates
Editor
Siding with Paul on this one. It seems every counter-argument to abolishing the bounce either starts with or revolves around 'what next?' Slippery slope fallacy plain and simple.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Triggered much, me too? No-one is arguing to get rid of tackles, ovals, point posts or change the ball. Nothing is being changed except how the ball is put into the air before play commences. It’s going to be amusing watching you and others cling to the bounce like a drowning man clings to a life preserver. What is the harm in getting rid of it? Kennedy has outlined benefits to be gained from getting rid of it, the only argument for keeping it appears to be the hoary old tradition argument and an appeal to scaremongering
saywhatayoyo
Roar Rookie
It's obvious that the bounce will be a thing of the past as from next year. This week the AFL department of propaganda were running 2 articles simultaneously on the evils of bouncing the ball. I'm not saying the arguments against the bounce don't have some merit however lets look at the bigger picture. When a bounce goes wrong it's a delay of 20-30 seconds-OMG! That's time better spent checking the Facebook status, lighting a fag or gulping a beer! Better yet if time is that important why waste it watching footy at all? It's time better spent sitting at a red light or waiting for a train, queuing at a bank, etc etc, etc. There is no denying that bouncing the ball puts stress on the body but lets put it in to context What about the people who work on production lines, dig ditches, load and unload pallets or any other number of repetitious manual labouring jobs and don't get paid $150,000 or more a year. It's like joining a club that requires you to wear a tie and then complaining that you have to wear a tie. If you don't like it don't do it! I happen to like the little nuanced tradition's that make up our game. Things like 'the bounce' or scoring a point just by hitting the goalpost are among the many little things that make up our unique. Personally I would like to see a 10 year moratorium on any rule/tradition changes. That could be time umpire's spend perfecting the adjudication of the rules as they stand now, such as the art of distance. i.e. what is 15 metres etc.
me too
Guest
The 'wear and tear' argument is ridiculous. where does it end - more umps so none have to run as much? the physical stress of umpiring would be amongst the lowest of any sports profession. The other argument is also very debatable - there are a number of qualities an umpire needs - if he or she is deficient in one to a detrimental effect that umpire won't become elite. i would suggest the tiny, tiny percentage of umpires that make the afl roster should be elite in all facets. practice, pratice, practice. imagine players arguing to remove the tackle - would save a heck of a lot of injuries, many career threatening; and some very good players aren't good enough at the skill and miss the opportunity to become professional as a result. the tradition argument should not be devalued - youn knock off one thing, it makes little difference. But over time one thing falls after another, and the game loses much of its character. why do the umps wave flags - not needed at all. why play on giant oval abandoned in winter? much cheaper to build and play on a soccer field sized pitch. point posts? slows the game down and rewards mediocrity. heck even the ball could do with a rethink. imagine how much easier deliberate out of bounds would be to call if the thing didn't bounce at right angles? keep the bounce, i've seen literally thousands of umpires at all levels successfullly bounce it across the country, surely we have enough that can do that as well as umpire the game decently.