Body:
Having once again seen two matches on the weekend umpired so poorly, I think the time has come to do away with the 50m penalty in the VFL and replace it with 25m.
Williamstown were the beneficiary of some dubious 50m penalties on Saturday which saw the ball go from defence to attack - risk free!
A 25m penalty is a decent movement forward. It also removes the issue of a side being penalised heavily for minor infringements.
There was one yesterday against Sandringham that highlighted how out of touch the VFL umpiring department are when it comes to instructing their staff to use common sense.
I have noticed that most of the current umpiring panel seem very young. Which is great for the future of umpiring, but not great when the game is seemingly being placed in the hands of guys who look like they recently swapped their high school uniform for a bright fluro umpires one.
The VFL should have a 'mentor' umpire in each game. The amateurs and local comps do have a lot of older umpires, many who I suspect wouldnt pass the VFL fitness requirements. But their experience would be invaluable. And with three on the ground at once, I'm sure they could carry one 'plodder' in each game.
