Matthew Nicholls is the worst umpire in the AFL.

[raymond35]

I've watched Nichols live as a neutral spectator and agree he is the very worst since John Russo.
He picks one team and helps them win, just as Russo would do in the 1980s.
A genuine cheat.

 

[Jukesy85]

I've watched Nichols live as a neutral spectator and agree he is the very worst since John Russo.
He picks one team and helps them win, just as Russo would do in the 1980s.
A genuine cheat.

Always seems to * the bombers too :/ worst ump in the comp, but Pannell would give him a run for his money. And don't get me started on the bombers-lions umpires!

Razor Ray is alright imo, Margetts is just about the best just he's a West Aussie so he's prone to favouring the two WA sides. Back when I umpired he came to our training once, got us all to run a 400m time trial and I won so he shook my hand :')

 

[G Mus]

Razor Ray is alright imo, Margetts is just about the best just he's a West Aussie so he's prone to favouring the two WA sides. Back when I umpired he came to our training once, got us all to run a 400m time trial and I won so he shook my hand :')

Margetts hates us with a passion, I think there's even a Facebook screenshot floating around insulting "dorkers" supporters at a pub

 

[schmuttt]

Margetts hates us with a passion, I think there's even a Facebook screenshot floating around insulting "dorkers" supporters at a pub

Has family links to WCE. Pretty sure he was one of the three umpires when North got a shocking run in the 2015 prelim.

 

[LeverPuller]

Bump.

That 50 against Buddy tonight was complete horseshit.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

All I know is, that was the worst umpiring I've seen in a long time. It's as if they had no feel for the game and very limited knowledge of the rules. They really should be held accountable for many puzzling decisions throughout the evening. If that's the best they can do, the game is in real trouble.

 

[Van_Dyke]

Margetts hates us with a passion, I think there's even a Facebook screenshot floating around insulting "dorkers" supporters at a pub

this, margetts is one of the worst going around.

 

[HairyO]

Bump.

That 50 against Buddy tonight was complete horseshit.

Was a bizarre one given Duncan was playing on. But maybe its an auto 50m if you come in from the side.

Anyone know the rule?

 

[go_the_dockers]

Bump.

That 50 against Buddy tonight was complete horseshit.

He tried to cover the angle. He was over the mark trying to stop the quick play on.

It was there.

 

[Seadog]

He tried to cover the angle. He was over the mark trying to stop the quick play on.

It was there.

That's wher Buddy was standing when the mark was taken. Ump should have just placed him on the mark. 50 was over the top.

 

[flamethrower]

Nicholls has A LOT of competition for this title, as 99% of umpires give the rest a bad name.

 

[Mningasimisonda]

He tried to cover the angle. He was over the mark trying to stop the quick play on.

It was there.

Agree. Was at the ground and it was a clear 50. Buddy stopped and stood with his arms out well over the mark (like metres over) to prevent Duncan from running back to take the kick quickly and centre it. No idea what it looked like with camera angles on the TV...

 

[Geoff]

Anyone know the breakdown of the Umpires Panel?

Vic's - %?
SA - %?
WA - %?
NSW - %?
QLD - %?

 

[ZingerB]

Agree. Was at the ground and it was a clear 50. Buddy stopped and stood with his arms out well over the mark (like metres over) to prevent Duncan from running back to take the kick quickly and centre it. No idea what it looked like with camera angles on the TV...

It wasn't. He stopped pretty much dead and on the replay it looked like he was maybe a metre over the mark with a rough idea of where he should be given it was a mark completed at full sprint. He wasn't called back once (you know how they are supposed to) and 10 mins later Scott Selwood got warned to get off a player who had a free kick about 6 times. So yeah ... it was rubbish and pretty much indefensible.

 

[LeverPuller]

He tried to cover the angle. He was over the mark trying to stop the quick play on.

It was there.

Buddy didn't move, Duncan was well around the mark due to momentum, Duncan continued to play on, Buddy takes about a half step across and gets pinged for 50.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Buddy didn't move, Duncan was well around the mark due to momentum, Duncan continued to play on, Buddy takes about a half step across and gets pinged for 50.

Yep. I don't know what people are talking about. There was perfect camera angle on this one, and it clearly shows Buddy pull up the moment the Geelong player marked the ball. It was a very poor decision. The number of times you hear umpires telling players to get back on the mark, or to clear the area, why didn't that happen this time?

 

[Mningasimisonda]

It wasn't. He stopped pretty much dead and on the replay it looked like he was maybe a metre over the mark with a rough idea of where he should be given it was a mark completed at full sprint. He wasn't called back once (you know how they are supposed to) and 10 mins later Scott Selwood got warned to get off a player who had a free kick about 6 times. So yeah ... it was rubbish and pretty much indefensible.

Must've been the camera angle. He was in completely the wrong direction from Duncan, which is why Duncan chose to run on and the distance over was ridiculous, not a little which they call players back for. Cameras compress space a bit.

 

[kangle4]

Franklin literally had no time to do anything let alone move before the 50 was called.

He was stood in the exact spot he was when Duncan marked and half a second later there was a fifty called, not once did the umpire give him the chance or any direction to move into the correct spot.

 

[ZingerB]

Must've been the camera angle. He was in completely the wrong direction from Duncan, which is why Duncan chose to run on and the distance over was ridiculous, not a little which they call players back for. Cameras compress space a bit.

Nah, it was just a rubbish decision.

 

[Mningasimisonda]

Nah, it was just a rubbish decision.

Okay... I just saw the footage which shows the same as I saw at the ground. Buddy stands the mark two metres+ behind where Duncan marked it. The camera angle is the only thing that could invent the controversy that channel 7 loves.

Every other contest a player is smart enough to run up to where the mark is not stand like an idiot in the protected zone.

 

[ZingerB]

Okay... I just saw the footage which shows the same as I saw at the ground. Buddy stands the mark two metres+ behind where Duncan marked it. The camera angle is the only thing that could invent the controversy that channel 7 loves.

Every other contest a player is smart enough to run up to where the mark is not stand like an idiot in the protected zone.

Cool man you're just embarrassing yourself trying to defend it ... umpires have to call players back and set the mark 50 times a game, but franklin stops dead, gets told nothing, and is pinged when he moves laterally when the Geelong player has played on. Just a rubbish inconsistent decision.

 

[Mningasimisonda]

Cool man you're just embarrassing yourself trying to defend it ... umpires have to call players back and set the mark 50 times a game, but franklin stops dead, gets told nothing, and is pinged when he moves laterally when the Geelong player has played on. Just a rubbish inconsistent decision.

He was standing well over the mark, not the minor distance you get called back for. There's no laterally to it.

I'll see if I can post pictures for you later when I'm not using my phone. Have no idea which footage you watched...

 

[Smedts_2]

Looked like a bullshit free to me. No worse than the Henderson deliberate out of bounds spoil, but still bullshit.

 

[Mningasimisonda]

50m every day of the millennium. Duncan hasn't left his line and Buddy is trying to block a handball from metres over the mark.

 

[kangle4]

Nobodies disputing that Buddy was over the mark at some point it's the fact that the umpire called the 50 so fast Buddy had no chance to correct his positioning plus the umpire never told him to get back like they do every other time.

You do know you won the game don't you?