Round 3 v Western Bulldogs, Saturday Night @ Etihad Stadium

[CrashTestDummy]

In other news McEvoy (3 years) and Fisher (2years) have re-signed

brilliant news

 

[CrashTestDummy]

In: Ayce Cordy

In: Cottees Coola Lime Bitumen flavour.

Saw that coming a mile away after the way they were hammered by the Eagles for height.
Still will be a very tough game.
Go Sainters!

 

[SamFisher25]

tommy simpkin to dine out on dogmeat this w/end boys and girls

 

[The Punter]

Do finals count towards the ending of the streak? Still haven't lost a H&A match on a Saturday night at the Docklands since May 24, 2003.

 

[Squizz]

How the _uck did we end up with umpire #19 again (third week in a row) plus one of the other arseclowns from round 1???

 

[Squizz]

http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/newsId/132973/Default.aspx

The Saints are unchanged from last week, which means Dean Polo - available after serving a one-game suspension - has missed out.

"You pick a team to play against the opposition and Dean's not in it at this point," Watters said.

"It was a pretty solid performance from our group last week, which we want, and it makes it hard to get in the side."

 

[Persevering Saint]

How the _uck did we end up with umpire #19 again (third week in a row) plus one of the other arseclowns from round 1???

Does it make any difference? Name me 3 umpires that have proven to be at all competent?

 

[IllBeTheJudge]

How the _uck did we end up with umpire #19 again (third week in a row) plus one of the other arseclowns from round 1???

Play as badly as we did in Round 1 and we'll probably get beaten too

 

[StFly]

Does it make any difference? Name me 3 umpires that have proven to be at all competent?

Those who retired after last season.

/logic'd

Anyway, no doubt Cordy will be the Stanley match up, seems obvious enough really.

 

[Squizz]

Does it make any difference? Name me 3 umpires that have proven to be at all competent?

Mistakes get made, along with the odd home crowd-influenced free, but round 1 and the first quarter of the GC game were something else (bordering on bias such that I thought Matthew "now I know what it feels like to have a win" Head had returned to umpiring).

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Mistakes get made, along with the odd home crowd-influenced free, but round 1 and the first quarter of the GC game were something else (bordering on bias such that I thought Matthew "now I know what it feels like to have a win" Head had returned to umpiring).

I really struggled to enjoy the GC match when we were 10 goals up. Seriously has the holding the ball rule been changed in the last year? Couldn't understand how some of those weren't paid.

Anyways. If we're good enough it doesn't matter how bad the umpires are.

 

[The Punter]

On the holding the ball rule, I'm going to quote my favourite authority on this issue: myself.

1. There has never been a rule called "dropping the ball". This confusion is caused by the motion an umpire makes when paying holding the ball.

2. If you have had no prior opportunity, you only have to attempt to dispose of the ball correctly. As long as you attempt to dispose of it correctly, it doesn't matter how it is disposed of.

3. If you have prior opportunity, you must dispose of it correctly, regardless of what your opponent does.

4. If you dive on the ball, you must knock it out, regardless of what your opponent does to prevent you doing it.

 

[Squizz]

I liked it the first time, Punter.

If only 3 people could get in a room and agree on how to apply them consistently (instead of worrying about their individual performance/rating)

Unfortunately, there is too much focus on being able to bounce the ball and, in some cases, "the motion an umpire makes when paying holding the ball".

 

[The Punter]

The bouncing the ball rule has always made me feel the best umpires are probably officiating some high level of metro or country footy.

 

[Squizz]

The bouncing the ball rule has always made me feel the best umpires are probably officiating some high level of metro or country footy.

I thought Leigh Fisher did a good game in the VFL last year, but he is a very, very ordinary bounce of the footy (didn't take too many bounces when he was a player either!).

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

I tend to think they are bringing Cordy in for defensive purposes. He can play as a key back and without him, they would have only had Lake and Markovic as their tall backs, so they would have had to play Hargrave or Wood on either Stanley or Kozi.

I think you'll find they'll play him up forward Tommy, with a stint in the ruck.

Be interested to see how he goes, remembering that the Saints bid a first round draft choice to force the Dogs to use their first round draft choice to snaffle him under the father son rule.

 

[Persevering Saint]

I really struggled to enjoy the GC match when we were 10 goals up. Seriously has the holding the ball rule been changed in the last year? Couldn't understand how some of those weren't paid.

Anyways. If we're good enough it doesn't matter how bad the umpires are.

Well, almost. If every time we lay a tackle that should be called holding the ball (our free), it somehow gets called too high or push in the back (their free). Or if every time they do incorrect disposal (throw, etc) the umpire misses it, but times where we do correct disposal get called something else. Dude, it's hard to win, then. If our marks aren't paid, and the oppositions' drops are. If holding the man is "providing a contest" when it's them, but the other way around for us.

It's pretty hard to win then. It's also hard to compete. There were a few times in the Port game where our players just threw their hands up in the air, as if you to say, "Why am I even bothering to play properly? It makes no difference."

 

[Persevering Saint]

I thought Leigh Fisher did a good game in the VFL last year, but he is a very, very ordinary bounce of the footy (didn't take too many bounces when he was a player either!).

Surely, that's the reason they've brought in the new rule, that if the bounce goes wrong, they just throw it up. "They can't bounce" seems an incidental of the game, that means perfectly competent runners (which is what is really the problem here, as I've said in other threads) are not getting game time as umpires.

 

[stkildathunda]

Have a sneaky suspicion that there will be late change today.

 

[stkildathunda]

Time for flashback to classic prelim final

[YOUTUBE]g5r9ctZJs8w[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Strahany]

Have a sneaky suspicion that there will be late change today.

Gut feeling, or based on some form of information?

 

[TassieSaint]

Can't believe Essendon vs Gold Coast is on TV not this game

I reckon there's a real chance this will be one of the closest and toughest games of the season

 

[aussierulesrules]

It had better not be. We'd have to underperform for this game to be close (at the end), TBH.

 

[Verdun]

Can't believe Essendon vs Gold Coast is on TV not this game

I reckon there's a real chance this will be one of the closest and toughest games of the season

i agree thought it was - not happy

 

[CHBench]

Reckon the Dogs will be coming out extra fiery tonight, haven't beaten us in ages.. yet to win under McCartney.. they'd be desperate to turn it around. Should be winning this though, anything less than would be hugely disappointing.

Armo and Steven are big cogs tonight, would be hoping they step it up again tonight like they did in Rnd 2 from Rnd 1.