The Bulldogs and Umpires: Time for a Royal Commission?

RedBloodBlackSwan

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Aug 29, 2021
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Has there been a more derided team in a GF? I mean the main board game day thread needed to have a notice telling people not to bring up Bulldogs dodgy umpiring support or it would have gone completely off track all day!

In some ways you have to feel for bulldogs supporters; they either need to argue that black is white or perpetually feel embarrassed about their team. I hate it when the swans win dodgy free kicks or a swans player ducks - it must be unbearably uncomfortable being a bulldogs supporter and seeing dodgy call after dodgy call, players ducking incessantly, players appealing to umpires like entitled children when no free kick is there, and even players standing up and cheering dodgy deliberate calls from the bench. What a disgraceful culture that clubs has, they clearly think umpire first and ball second. I guess that explains why they got destroyed when the umpires weren’t there for them in the final. What an embarrassment to be associated with…
 

BarryMorgan

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Has there been a more derided team in a GF? I mean the main board game day thread needed to have a notice telling people not to bring up Bulldogs dodgy umpiring support or it would have gone completely off track all day!

In some ways you have to feel for bulldogs supporters; they either need to argue that black is white or perpetually feel embarrassed about their team. I hate it when the swans win dodgy free kicks or a swans player ducks - it must be unbearably uncomfortable being a bulldogs supporter and seeing dodgy call after dodgy call, players ducking incessantly, players appealing to umpires like entitled children when no free kick is there, and even players standing up and cheering dodgy deliberate calls from the bench. What a disgraceful culture that clubs has, they clearly think umpire first and ball second. I guess that explains why they got destroyed when the umpires weren’t there for them in the final. What an embarrassment to be associated with…
Keep fishing, big boy.
 

RedBloodBlackSwan

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Keep fishing, big boy.
Keep fishing, big boy.

I’m kind of confused by this response. I wasn’t seeking a reaction from a bulldogs supporter. I was asking an honest question to the whole BigFooty community (and maybe expressing a bit of pent up resentment with the treatment some teams receive from umpires that is impossible to explain as a statistical anomaly).
 

BarryMorgan

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I’m kind of confused by this response. I wasn’t seeking a reaction from a bulldogs supporter. I was asking an honest question to the whole BigFooty community (and maybe expressing a bit of pent up resentment with the treatment some teams receive from umpires that is impossible to explain as a statistical anomaly).
Cool, keep grinding that axe.
 

RedBloodBlackSwan

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Aug 29, 2021
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Has there been a more derided team in a GF? I mean the main board game day thread needed to have a notice telling people not to bring up Bulldogs dodgy umpiring support or it would have gone completely off track all day!

In some ways you have to feel for bulldogs supporters; they either need to argue that black is white or perpetually feel embarrassed about their team. I hate it when the swans win dodgy free kicks or a swans player ducks - it must be unbearably uncomfortable being a bulldogs supporter and seeing dodgy call after dodgy call, players ducking incessantly, players appealing to umpires like entitled children when no free kick is there, and even players standing up and cheering dodgy deliberate calls from the bench. What a disgraceful culture that clubs has, they clearly think umpire first and ball second. I guess that explains why they got destroyed when the umpires weren’t there for them in the final. What an embarrassment to be associated with…

Quick clarification on this post. It is for people who have basic comprehension skills and aren’t on some bizarre crusade to pretend that they are not reacting to something while clearly reacting to that very thing.

Wouldn’t have thought that this clarification would be necessary, but here we are - hahahaha!
 
Is it at all possible that the Dogs players could keep their feet rather than flop at the knees.

Hunter free kick was ridiculous.

Mark paid to English when he clearly didn’t control the ball.

Mark not paid to May when he clearly did control the ball.
A couple of 50/50 marks got paid to Brown and Gawn as well so nothing to complain about really.
 
I’m kind of confused by this response. I wasn’t seeking a reaction from a bulldogs supporter. I was asking an honest question to the whole BigFooty community (and maybe expressing a bit of pent up resentment with the treatment some teams receive from umpires that is impossible to explain as a statistical anomaly).
It's a phenomenon that is pretty much localised to internet forums. I'd never once heard someone suggest that the bulldogs are favoured by the umpires until reading it online.
 
Complaining about the umpiring last night is a hilarious reach. Few average calls both way, but I thought it was solid overall.

The biggest balls-up was not score reviewing the Gawn behind. There was also a potential fifty against Pickett for breaching the stand rule, but to the umpire's credit he did explain that Pickett jumped straight upwards, which is technically the right call but hasn't stopped them paying 50 when players have done that this year.
 
8.47 in second quarter of GF.

Textbook example of Hunter entering the contest purely with aim of getting the free.

Worked too.
How about Gawn's flop when Caleb Daniel tackled him over the boundary? Or Pickett and Neal Bullen trying the same as Hunter up the other end? Easy to pick and choose specific incidents.
 

RedBloodBlackSwan

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Complaining about the umpiring last night is a hilarious reach. Few average calls both way, but I thought it was solid overall.

The biggest balls-up was not score reviewing the Gawn behind. There was also a potential fifty against Pickett for breaching the stand rule, but to the umpire's credit he did explain that Pickett jumped straight upwards, which is technically the right call but hasn't stopped them paying 50 when players have done that this year.

100% agree. When a game is decided by 70+ points there is no point debating umpiring calls.
 

MickyG

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Jul 5, 2010
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Has there been a more derided team in a GF? I mean the main board game day thread needed to have a notice telling people not to bring up Bulldogs dodgy umpiring support or it would have gone completely off track all day!

In some ways you have to feel for bulldogs supporters; they either need to argue that black is white or perpetually feel embarrassed about their team. I hate it when the swans win dodgy free kicks or a swans player ducks - it must be unbearably uncomfortable being a bulldogs supporter and seeing dodgy call after dodgy call, players ducking incessantly, players appealing to umpires like entitled children when no free kick is there, and even players standing up and cheering dodgy deliberate calls from the bench. What a disgraceful culture that clubs has, they clearly think umpire first and ball second. I guess that explains why they got destroyed when the umpires weren’t there for them in the final. What an embarrassment to be associated with…

I feel a bit sorry for them. They support a team not the umpires but then I joked Matt Stevic for Norm Smith medal.
 

adogsfan5

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Jun 12, 2020
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Has there been a more derided team in a GF? I mean the main board game day thread needed to have a notice telling people not to bring up Bulldogs dodgy umpiring support or it would have gone completely off track all day!

In some ways you have to feel for bulldogs supporters; they either need to argue that black is white or perpetually feel embarrassed about their team. I hate it when the swans win dodgy free kicks or a swans player ducks - it must be unbearably uncomfortable being a bulldogs supporter and seeing dodgy call after dodgy call, players ducking incessantly, players appealing to umpires like entitled children when no free kick is there, and even players standing up and cheering dodgy deliberate calls from the bench. What a disgraceful culture that clubs has, they clearly think umpire first and ball second. I guess that explains why they got destroyed when the umpires weren’t there for them in the final. What an embarrassment to be associated with…

Mentions “disgraceful culture” and “embarrassment”….coming from a poster spending their Sunday arvo online, trolling.

Get yourself a partner, pet or hobby and fast. 🤣
 
How about Gawn's flop when Caleb Daniel tackled him over the boundary? Or Pickett and Neal Bullen trying the same as Hunter up the other end? Easy to pick and choose specific incidents.

I've spent pages on this thread describing exactly how Hunter does that as part of his game, clearly trained into him.
 

Substance

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Aug 6, 2012
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Complaining about the umpiring last night is a hilarious reach. Few average calls both way, but I thought it was solid overall.

The biggest balls-up was not score reviewing the Gawn behind. There was also a potential fifty against Pickett for breaching the stand rule, but to the umpire's credit he did explain that Pickett jumped straight upwards, which is technically the right call but hasn't stopped them paying 50 when players have done that this year.



Looks like over the post to me. Also not sure how one could review that an overrule the goal umpire who is in position 1A.
 
I've spent pages on this thread describing exactly how Hunter does that as part of his game, clearly trained into him.
While I agree, I just don't know why he in particular is a focus. The same is true of the incidents I mentioned. Those players all have a long history of playing for free kicks in their own manner.
 
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Looks like over the post to me. Also not sure how one could review that an overrule the goal umpire who is in position 1A.


That looked like a goal to me but thankfully it didn't affect the result with the margin being 74 points in the end.

It would have been controversial if Melbourne lost by less than a goal.
 

adogsfan5

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While I agree, I just don't know why he in particular is a focus. The same is true of the incidents I mentioned. Those players all have a long history of playing for free kicks in their own manner.

Reckon if Brayden Fiorini of the Gold Coast Suns ducked into tackles, he would be getting mentioned lol? Here’s a clue - Absolutely effing not.
 


Looks like over the post to me. Also not sure how one could review that an overrule the goal umpire who is in position 1A.

Yeah, I thought it just seemed worth a score review at the time, given some of the other score reviews we've seen. Granted there were none yesterday and that's certainly not a bad thing.
 

KAYNE

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It was definitely close to a goal but ive watched it several times and still can't 100% say its a goal.

The Tim English mark was actually a free kick for too high. Petty did have a hand on his shoulder and pulled him down so was probably there. The May none mark was a poor decision for sure.

The Hunter free kick gets paid about 75% of the time i reckon. Think the Kozzie one he tried to draw the free but was similar. Thought Harmes getting caught high in the same play was much worse though.
 
While I agree, I just don't know why he in particular is a focus. The same is true of the incidents I mentioned. Those players all have a long history of playing for free kicks in their own manner.

He's the best at it.
 
Apr 29, 2016
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How about Gawn's flop when Caleb Daniel tackled him over the boundary? Or Pickett and Neal Bullen trying the same as Hunter up the other end? Easy to pick and choose specific incidents.

I agree that there are other players that stage. I don't think people are really denying that. Spargo no doubt does it too. But I think when there's players that do it regularly they get a reputation and sometimes it sticks and I think they have to live with those consequences/criticism. No difference to Selwood, Matheison etc.

Weightman is going to be a great little player but in the opening quarter he got a high fend off against Lever(that wasn't called) and he turned around to plead for a free kick when the ball was in his vicinity. I think it provided a little insight into how much he does play for the whistle and it's a big part of his game. He needed to just get up and try and smother the ball. Thankfully the umpires put the whistles away apart from the odd howler.
 
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Weightman is going to be a great little player but in the opening quarter he got a high fend off against Lever(that wasn't called) and he turned around to plead for a free kick when the ball was in his vicinity. I think it provided a little insight into how much he does play for the whistle and it's a big part of his game. He needed to just get up and try and smother the ball. Thankfully the umpires put the whistles away apart from the odd howler.
I think he was in shock that he didn't get the whistle. He's so used to it.
 
Apr 29, 2016
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These 3 examples are just embarrassing.

Hunter with the ball in hand. Drops his knees and brings his head towards the contact. Thankfully the umps didn't fall for it.

Photo_2021-09-28_01-59-26_AM.png


Next is Macrae, ducking unnaturally trying to earn a high free. LOL. what the hell is he doing?

Screenshot_20210928-131722_Gallery.jpg


Thirdly, Weightman complaining about a free kick in the first quarter of his very first GF. Clearly is mind is always fixed on the whistle and not the ball. He still had time to affect the next contest. Good God.

Screenshot_20210928-131748_Gallery.jpg
 
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