Umpires this week.

[SterlingArcher]

All good and well but these players can lose their careers over these things, they get dropped they have serious questions asked of them.
The umpires just get onto next week with almost every wrong decision backed up by the league and made out it was correct, they seem to rarely get dropped or pay for their mistakes.
The non HTB decision today was not just a mistake it was a brain fade and I have no loyalty to either North or the Tigers.
It is simply not good enough

None of Thomas, Gibson, Towers, Heeney, Suckling or Tippett will be dropped next week.

There is also a limited number of umpires too. 27 umpires a round, plus an emergency umpire.

There's 33 field umpires that are senior, and 11 rookie. 44 umpires, for 36 spots a round. Not a whole lot of room for dropping players. Unlike 40 players, for 22 spots.

Until umpires don't have to have occupations and there's a greater pool (and the latter won't happen until attitudes of fans change, I mean, who the * would want to be an umpire) of umpires in total, we can't reasonably expect them to be dropped for 1 bad decision, especially come finals, because it would likely mean we have a rookie coming in...

edit: never mind my last sentence, I had a brain fart. Only 4 games a round in finals...

 

[Sylvia Saint]

Umpires will make mistakes and that's ok, but shouldn't pay a free kick in front of goal unless they're absolutely certain of it. The tiggy touchwood free to Dickson last night was terrible. Would hate to see one of those paid in the dying seconds.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

None of Thomas, Gibson, Towers, Heeney, Suckling or Tippett will be dropped next week.

There is also a limited number of umpires too. 27 umpires a round, plus an emergency umpire.

There's 33 field umpires that are senior, and 11 rookie. 44 umpires, for 36 spots a round. Not a whole lot of room for dropping players. Unlike 40 players, for 22 spots.

Until umpires don't have to have occupations and there's a greater pool (and the latter won't happen until attitudes of fans change, I mean, who the **** would want to be an umpire) of umpires in total, we can't reasonably expect them to be dropped for 1 bad decision, especially come finals, because it would likely mean we have a rookie coming in...

Then it is simple then, go back to making Ng the rules black and white without sub clauses to the rules.
Make the coaches and players have to change how they do things and maker it simple to umpire as it once was. They still made mistakes but not anywhere near the number they make now.
Look at the high tackle rule, the head is supposed to be sacrosanct right? There is more head high contact than ever in the game because they made sub clauses to the rule because less than 1% of the league were ducking, dropping knees or leading with their head.
For 100 years it was any head high contact is a free, worked fine. The players and coaches played to the rules for the most part. Now the League has adjusted and the players and coaches have not had to simply because the interpretation was changed. You umpire to the rules of the sport, not for the good of the players and the coaches and certainly not for how it might look to the fans. We are the only sport in the world that does not umpire to the rules.

 

[caitsith01]

Umpires will make mistakes and that's ok, but shouldn't pay a free kick in front of goal unless they're absolutely certain of it. The tiggy touchwood free to Dickson last night was terrible. Would hate to see one of those paid in the dying seconds.

Absolutely disagree that they should have any regard for which part of the ground they are in.

 

[fishardansin]

Ummm the deliberate out of bounds maybe, but other than that???

Jeebus you must be one eyed. I can sit through the game and point out the consistent favouring of West Coast. I'm a bomber and have a rivalry with Hawks, so normally cheer against them and I love to see a well coached mediocre side win against the odds ... But it seriously looked like Frank Drebin umpiring to the crowd out there.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Jeebus you must be one eyed. I can sit through the game and point out the consistent favouring of West Coast. I'm a bomber and have a rivalry with Hawks, so normally cheer against them and I love to see a well coached mediocre side win against the odds ... But it seriously looked like Frank Drebin umpiring to the crowd out there.

The free count was 19-16 with WC winning the contested possessions 148-140. Almost always the team who has more CP wins the free kick count so not sure what the big issue is. Eagles got some lucky ones (out on full, 50m) but so did Hawks (50m).

 

[kickazz]

I don't think you can go wrong with fewer free kicks. The players and fans always prefer if you let the game play- case in point on Friday night they called a very iffy deliberate OOB against Hawthorn, and then paid a few more to try and keep that interpretation up and it just didn't make sense. One from Rosa especially was the worst call of the night.

Adelaide Bulldogs was umpired well, the rest had a few too many head scratchers I think.

Disagree. Leigh Matthews also seems to be on the "pay more frees" side of the debate.

I think if you do not pay them early, players will push the envelope of cheating further and further, and before you know it gets out of hand.

Pay early ones that are there and the players are more likely to play within the rules = lessrequirement for free kicks.

Doesn't happen as much these days, but I do remember in the nineties umpires seemed to pay more frees to forwards in finals, especially early on.

 

[caitsith01]

Tigers please stop whining about the HTB that wasn't paid because there is every chance the umpire deliberately let it go after realising that he should have pinged Cotchin for tearing off Zeibull's head 2 seconds earlier.

Thank christ someone else saw this... I thought I was going crazy over here. Should have been a free to North.

 

[caitsith01]

Jeebus you must be one eyed. I can sit through the game and point out the consistent favouring of West Coast. I'm a bomber and have a rivalry with Hawks, so normally cheer against them and I love to see a well coached mediocre side win against the odds ... But it seriously looked like Frank Drebin umpiring to the crowd out there.

Yeah, as a Cats fan I obviously hate Hawthorn, but they got screwed in the first half. Not that it was the reason they lost, mind you.

 

[JaxsonB]

Jeebus you must be one eyed. I can sit through the game and point out the consistent favouring of West Coast. I'm a bomber and have a rivalry with Hawks, so normally cheer against them and I love to see a well coached mediocre side win against the odds ... But it seriously looked like Frank Drebin umpiring to the crowd out there.

19 - 16 for free kicks. Free kicks missed both ways, bad decisions paid both ways.

IMO it was a poor umpiring performance, but was fairly balanced in the end.

 

[Spuddage]

Jeebus you must be one eyed. I can sit through the game and point out the consistent favouring of West Coast. I'm a bomber and have a rivalry with Hawks, so normally cheer against them and I love to see a well coached mediocre side win against the odds ... But it seriously looked like Frank Drebin umpiring to the crowd out there.

Please go through all the decisions you thought were incorrect and which side it favoured.

 

[tazaa]

"You grabbed his arm"
Hahaha. Worst call and explanation this season.
No hyperbole.
A Richmond player (with possession of the ball) literally won a free kick simply because a North player grabbed his arm.

Still wtfing to this

 

[Ramify]

No way. He clearly crabs the arm long before the player takes possession of the ball. Go watch it again.

Good call. Correct call.

 

[Roosurgence]

I have said it a few times tonight, after the umpires performance today their needs to be an investigation.

Yes there should, they kept Richmond in the game for 3 quarters.

 

[boncer34]

Yeah, nah. Unless i completely missed that somehow.
That whistle came long after that (completely legal) tackle was complete.
If it happened before he took possession, why'd the umpire wait 5 seconds?

Yeah you completely missed it.

Umpire was slow on the whistle. Big deal.

You got sucked in by channel 7 having no idea.

 

[Corkintheocean]

Umpiring was nowhere near as bad as made out. Eagles were not extremely favoured, Swans were not, and both North and Richmond had some s**t calls against them at crucial times.

But as I have posted here over and over again, incidents are like these are more important than umpires

1) Matt Suckling ******* up a kick in straight to Josh Hill - gave the Eagles the first and the crowd
2) Lachie Hunter missing a simple handball, ends up in a stoppage rather than a Dogs goal (win)/point (draw)
3) Tyrone Vickery running into goal, SHOULD HAVE kicked the goal. Easy goal for AFL tier player. If not confident enough, he had a handball to give.
4) Jake Stringer preferring to take on 3 Crows players rather than give the handball
5) Kurt Tippett dropping a simple chest mark 20m out from goal and then throwing it
6) Troy Chaplin trying to take on Robin Nahas 15m out directly in front of goal - are you ******* serious?
7) Isaac Heeney missing an easy shot late
8) Dean Towers missing 2 early shots he should have kicked - could have had the Swans closer
9) Josh Gibson unable to tackle Hutchings when the Eagles were making their run in the 2nd quarter
10) Lindsay Thomas stupidly putting his foot anywhere near the the body of another player

These 10 incidents are all much much worse mistakes than anything an umpire will ever do for me. All of these were such simple skill errors or terrible lack of judgement, and they are just unacceptable. Umpires do have impact on matches, and that was a terrible non holding-the-ball call with Edwards and Cunnington, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway if Richmond didn't have such basic skill errors. They can continue to blame the umpires, or they can blame the 5-6 goals they gave up because they lost concentration, or simply weren't good enough. If they blame the latter, their list may become a genuine contender one day. If they blame it all on the umpires, then they will never move on.

The Hawks were flogged all day, regardless of umpiring. Hodge made basic errors. Birchall made basic errors. Roughead made basic errors. Rioli made basic errors. Suckling made basic errors. You can blame the umpires...or you can blame the guys who are on far bigger salaries and devote a far bigger portion of their life towards their job (a lot of boundary and goal umpires have other jobs I'm pretty sure).

Sydney kicked 7.18. It's entirely on them that they lost. Tippett dropped a sitter. Heeney missed a couple of gettable ones. Rohan played like s**t. Goodes and Towers both had 1 or 2 they could have kicked. All of these would have done far more for them winning if they had been kicked, rather than more umpiring decisions.

That's not to say umpiring can't be improved. Of course it can. But a bit of perspective please. AFL is a dynamic game, you have to look at so many angles, and remember they only get 1 look in real time - they don't get slow-mo replays. So there's mistakes bound to be made. And secondly, fans are always going to be bias, so they are always going to be filthy one way or the other.

POTW. Well said.

 

[fishardansin]

Please go through all the decisions you thought were incorrect and which side it favoured.

Let's do it sometime this week. You live near Coburg?

 

[Spuddage]

Let's do it sometime this week. You live near Coburg?

Not sure why we have to meet in person for you to back up your whinge-post with facts?
This isn't the Essendon board, your posts need to be somewhat based in reality, you can't just make statements you wish were true.

 

[Corkintheocean]

Jeebus you must be one eyed. I can sit through the game and point out the consistent favouring of West Coast. I'm a bomber and have a rivalry with Hawks, so normally cheer against them and I love to see a well coached mediocre side win against the odds ... But it seriously looked like Frank Drebin umpiring to the crowd out there.

Did LOL. What's the opposite of a humble brag? You've created a post to tell us how "mediocre" someone else it. You've got 8 genuine AFL players on your list. You could only dream of such mediocrity.

 

[Simon_Nesbit]

Then it is simple then, go back to making Ng the rules black and white without sub clauses to the rules.
Make the coaches and players have to change how they do things and maker it simple to umpire as it once was. They still made mistakes but not anywhere near the number they make now.
Look at the high tackle rule, the head is supposed to be sacrosanct right? There is more head high contact than ever in the game because they made sub clauses to the rule because less than 1% of the league were ducking, dropping knees or leading with their head.
For 100 years it was any head high contact is a free, worked fine. The players and coaches played to the rules for the most part. Now the League has adjusted and the players and coaches have not had to simply because the interpretation was changed. You umpire to the rules of the sport, not for the good of the players and the coaches and certainly not for how it might look to the fans. We are the only sport in the world that does not umpire to the rules.

the game was amateur for the first century, and in many ways still is. If something is rewarded, players will find ways to exploit that rule.

Hawthorn rushing behinds for a quick release kickin; Collingwood flattening the man on the mark, shepherding past the ball; Geelong boxing out marking contests; hawthorns third man up; gee longs two ruckman; hawthorn manning the mark on 45', Geelong knee drop dives, Selwood et al 'bends' for high contact, Thomas slide and lean, Selwood shoulder shrug, crow throw, swan flick, cats drop, etc etc.

Most other sports have a defined set of rules, coaches find ways to exploit and the game evolves. In the AFL, the attempt is to manufacture a 'desired game' rather than to let the game evolve organically.

Start by simplifying the rules, remove bias or interpretation based frees, and pay EVERYTHING. I guarantee players and coaches will soon adjust.

 

[ScoobySnacks]

Please go through all the decisions you thought were incorrect and which side it favoured.

The 50m penalty against Suckling for not throwing it back on the full.

I saw that happen at least 5 times in the two EFs and not once was it paid. Players even ran off without throwing the ball back and weren't penalised

 

[fishardansin]

Did LOL. What's the opposite of a humble brag? You've created a post to tell us how "mediocre" someone else it. You've got 8 genuine AFL players on your list. You could only dream of such mediocrity.

What does Essendon list have to do with my comment about West Coast. I find it very weird people continually do this on this site. Is it to deflect or is it because you genuinely think that I have some say at what happens at Essendon and their current plight means I don't know what I'm talking about?

 

[fishardansin]

Not sure why we have to meet in person for you to back up your whinge-post with facts?
This isn't the Essendon board, your posts need to be somewhat based in reality, you can't just make statements you wish were true.

Why do you think I was wishing for anything? I went into the game leaning towards Weagles because its good to see the under dog get up and I want some cheer for Nic Nat. I just can't stand such one sided umpiring like that, minus the junk time even ups.

 

[Spuddage]

What does Essendon list have to do with my comment about West Coast. I find it very weird people continually do this on this site. Is it to deflect or is it because you genuinely think that I have some say at what happens at Essendon and their current plight means I don't know what I'm talking about?

You deflected to some sort of weird 'say that to my face' tough guy schtick when asked to list bad calls to back up your whinge. It seems your go to when called out on your badly thought out posts is to try to threaten people, remember when the 'anti-terror' squad were going to hunt down BF posters on your behalf?!

The 50m penalty against Suckling for not throwing it back on the full.

I saw that happen at least 5 times in the two EFs and not once was it paid. Players even ran off without throwing the ball back and weren't penalised

Agreed, and the one against Josh Kennedy was equally bad.
Tied 15 all. Your serve.

 

[Spuddage]

Why do you think I was wishing for anything? I went into the game leaning towards Weagles because its good to see the under dog get up and I want some cheer for Nic Nat. I just can't stand such one sided umpiring like that, minus the junk time even ups.

Which calls were you upset about?