No backdown on umps

TIGERS coach Trent Baumeler stands by his criticism of the standard of umpiring in the TSL after receiving a suspended fine for his outburst last weekend.

Baumeler questioned the professionalism of the whistleblowers after his side’s onepoint loss to Lauderdale, with the Bombers kicking the goahead point deep into time-on after a contentious 50m penalty.

“This is the best competit- ion in the state, we are playing senior State League footy, and the umpiring is probably at an Old Scholars standard,” Baumeler said. “It’s just not good enough … they need to come up to the level of the players and the competition because at the moment it is poor.”

His comments saw him handed a fine by TSL management for behaviour detrimental to football, with it wholly suspended. A fine of no less than $200 can be applied for a first offence.

It also comes three weeks after he said he didn’t “condone umpire bashing” after Tiger Tyler Carter’s two-match suspension for using insulting comments towards an umpire.

While admitting he could have expressed his views in a better manner, Baumeler was not backing down ahead of his team’s clash with the Glenorchy this weekend.

“I don’t think anything I said, and some people will disagree, but I don’t think it was demonstrative or abuse. It was feedback, it was strong, and probably some things in hindsight I might have worded or said a bit differently. I own that, they are my comments.

“You lose a game by one point, you have to speak to the media pretty much sometimes straight away. Could I have done things differently? Yes.

“But I stand by what I said and I stand by the way I went about it.”

Baumeler believes the bigger issue in the competition is coaches and players being un- able to express true opinions for fear of being penalised.

Fellow coach Darren Winter is also under investigation for his blast of the tribunal and Match Review Panel last week.

“You guys [the media] want us to come up here with a bit of personality … promote the game, but sometimes we have handcuffs on us,” Baumeler said. “You can’t always come up here and be yourself.

“I will do the best I can to be myself within the constraints that are on all of us coaches.”