Just Throw It Up, Say Coaches

The Age

Monday April 21, 2008

By Adrian Lowe, with AAP

FALLOUT from the wayward centre bounce at a crucial stage of Saturday night's clash between North Melbourne and Collingwood continued yesterday, with Richmond coach Terry Wallace and former AFL umpire Derek Humphery-Smith saying the ball should have been recalled and thrown up.

After a Shannon Grant goal, field umpire Damien Sully's bounce angled towards North's scoring end. The ball was kicked into the 50-metre area by captain Adam Simpson and rookie Ed Lower snapped a goal, putting North Melbourne in front by eight points.

Wallace said he was in favour of the bounce being retained to start each quarter, but then the ball should be thrown up.

"In the situation of last night, there should at least be a callback," he told radio Triple M, saying that if there was such a callback, the ball should be thrown the second time. "You shouldn't have circumstances and situations that are that ridiculous in a game of footy. Throw it up and let us play it in an even playing field."

Humphery-Smith, who was dropped to VFL umpiring in 2003 after a bad bounce, said that when he saw Saturday night's incident, he had a feeling in his gut "that most umpires have had at some stage in their careers".

Collingwood midfielder Tarkyn Lockyer said the ball in question should have been recalled, while Simpson called for the centre bounce to be scrapped entirely and replaced with a throw upwards.

AFL media manager Patrick Keane said the bounce was an intrinsic part of the game and it would be retained.

Collingwood's football operations chief, Geoff Walsh, was resigned to the fact the club would have to accept the decision and "get on with it". -- With AAP

© 2008 The Age

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