GOOD football umpiring is generally when you realise you have barely noticed them.
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Do not get me wrong - good umpires work hard on and off the field physically and mentally to allow a fair game. If their control is too tight, this restricts the flow of play. Too loose and a game develops a sense of anarchy.
There will always be haters. Australian Rules is a game steeped in an inexcusable parochialism and an outdated culture of hating the whistleblower. Typically, most haters are those who believe they know the rules best - the armchair commandoes - who are more often than not basically clueless.
Largely unnoticed in Ballarat this past week was the full contingent of AFL goal and boundary umpires in an intense and rare training camp. Unlike field umpires, these specialist teams tend to remain state based for official duties and, particularly the past three pandemic-affected seasons, generally do not gather much as a whole.
We barely noticed their hard work
Umpires undertook on-field session on St Patrick's College's much-hailed turf, workouts in Federation University's world class gym, or the long lectures to fine tune their games.
This time, it might have been nice for Ballarat to notice them a little more, to actually see up close the hard work and skills required to be called up on game day.
Former AFL umpires' boss Jeff Gieschen described umpiring our beloved game to Press Box as one of the most demanding and unpredictable sports in the world due to speed, change in direction and physicality - particularly for field umpires.
These demands go from the top right down to the grassroots where our Ballarat umpires are putting in a strong pre-season without the attention for headline recruits or form potential under scrutiny already hitting our back pages from the Central Highlands and Ballarat football leagues.
For all the players, male and female, pulling on the boots this coming season, we need good solid and fair umpiring for a truly good game.
To boost this, we need more people to better appreciate umpires.
In terms of the AFL visit in town, the word from some who did watch them train reported being impressed.
In many ways, the importance of seeing AFL umpires up close is no different to having the Western Bulldogs men's team training in Ballarat later this month, or Western United's A-League women's team hit Morshead Park for two in-season matches within four days.
It is about perspective
Spectators and fans can get a much truer appreciation for the game and what it takes to be at a higher level when they see it up close.
But it is a catch-22 for umpires, too often an easy scapegoat for one's own team's failings or general life frustrations. This is not excusing such behaviour by any means.
It is a great nod to Ballarat - our sporting culture and our facilities - to host such teams, even if we did not realise they were here.
AFL umpires might not typically be a team for signing autographs, nonetheless they are a critical team that deserves far greater respect. Think about that at the opening bounce.
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