Analysis The umpires know where their bread is buttered

[mouncey2franklin]

Look at how many frees and fifty-metre penalties have led to goals in the first six quarters of AFL football this season.

With a 20% reduction in playing time, there ought to have been a commensurate reduction in goals kicked.

Which of course means a reduction in between-goal ads (which is where the real $$$ is for the broadcasters).

Coupled with loss of gate receipts, it seems that the entire AFL industry is looking at a drop in pay this season (and possibly beyond?).

By miraculous coincidence, we appear to be seeing gifted goals to forwards with free kicks and fifty-metre penalties.

Should we ignore this coincidence? Or is it worth wondering if perhaps there may be some connection between these things?

I'm not suggesting that the umpires have cooked this up themselves.

I'm suggesting that they are paid employees and will do what they are told.

They know where their bread is buttered.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

Look at how many frees and fifty-metre penalties have led to goals in the first six quarters of AFL football this season.

With a 20% reduction in playing time, there ought to have been a commensurate reduction in goals kicked.

Which of course means a reduction in between-goal ads (which is where the real $$$ is for the broadcasters).

Coupled with loss of gate receipts, it seems that the entire AFL industry is looking at a drop in pay this season (and possibly beyond?).

By miraculous coincidence, we appear to be seeing gifted goals to forwards with free kicks and fifty-metre penalties.

Should we ignore this coincidence? Or is it worth wondering if perhaps there may be some connection between these things?

I'm not suggesting that the umpires have cooked this up themselves.

I'm suggesting that they are paid employees and will do what they are told.

They know where their bread is buttered.

It's unwatchable! Long kick fwd, free kick to fwd

 

[Angus Young]

Agree... the softest, ticky touch frees in front of goal is *ing annoying.

 

[kaiserchief13]

No crowd to give them abuse probably makes them more likely to pay frees infront of goal

 

[master bate]

Every season starts with players being very sloppy on the technical rules and the umps having trained them all summer.

Umps will also be sloppy when it comes to the fast pace of the game. Hence errors like the 50m against Simpson last night when the ump was too slow to call play on and too harsh to call a 50.

Protected area frees will be paid. Pay more early and pay less as the season goes on has always been the way with those kind of free kicks.

Richmond were undisciplined with their defending. Some really clear holds and blocks.

Certainly a couple of soft ones but hardly to the level of a conspiracy to kick more goals.

 

[Do the Dew]

It's unwatchable! Long kick fwd, free kick to fwd

Unless those forwards are Riewoldt and Lynch.

 

[cykablyat]

take your meds

 

[StillAtLarge]

Now is definitely the time to open the game up and be less officious with minor rule infractions. The games have been really poorly umpired so far, there's no point trying to set strict adjudication standards for the 17 rounds as the season will likely be shelved by next week

 

[north_lad]

How was Mason Cox last night sprawling forward like a tank ran over him. Give us a spell mate you're 9 feet tall

 

[btdg]

Every season starts with players being very sloppy on the technical rules and the umps having trained them all summer.

Umps will also be sloppy when it comes to the fast pace of the game. Hence errors like the 50m against Simpson last night when the ump was too slow to call play on and too harsh to call a 50.

Protected area frees will be paid. Pay more early and pay less as the season goes on has always been the way with those kind of free kicks.

Richmond were undisciplined with their defending. Some really clear holds and blocks.

Certainly a couple of soft ones but hardly to the level of a conspiracy to kick more goals.

I agree completely, and I prefer the soft ones.

I’d rather they err in the side of forwards, particularly big forwards in marking contests etc. Not only does it create goals directly, it sends the ball back to the middle and an open 6-6-6 (which Richmond killed Carlton from at times with runs of uncontested goals) and makes defenders more cautious next time, leading to even more goals.

As a Carlton supporter, I’d much rather lose 110-80 (this year) than 80-50 (last year). Both teams got some soft ones but at least there’s some payoff to seeing your team lose

 

[Do the Dew]

How was Mason Cox last night sprawling forward like a tank ran over him. Give us a spell mate you're 9 feet tall

Pretty bad. Runs under the footy, gets the slightest nudge, and sprawls forward arms flailing. Umps fall for his lack of coordination all the time. Just like Flopsy Brown.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Grrr]

Every season starts with players being very sloppy on the technical rules and the umps having trained them all summer.

Umps will also be sloppy when it comes to the fast pace of the game. Hence errors like the 50m against Simpson last night when the ump was too slow to call play on and too harsh to call a 50.

Protected area frees will be paid. Pay more early and pay less as the season goes on has always been the way with those kind of free kicks.

Richmond were undisciplined with their defending. Some really clear holds and blocks.

Certainly a couple of soft ones but hardly to the level of a conspiracy to kick more goals.

That is because they were replayed on TV and you notice any little indiscretion. In normal play most don't get noticed. The umps paid something like 8 frees resulting in goals on Thursday night to Carlton. The highlight was when Edwards was barrelled into by Casboult and grabbed a handful of his jumper as balance before he hit the ground and the ump paid a free for holding the man. Absolute nonsense and showed no common sense.

Don't get me started on the 50m. Edwards kicks the first from Dow running a bit close not affecting Edwards at all and 50m. Okay technically 50m but the ump's usually give a very generous 50m. In the SANFL I think it is closer to 35m, and is usually a much fairer penalty for often minor infringements.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Unless those forwards are Riewoldt and Lynch.

Given the amount of frees they should have had against them, don't whinge

 

[NaturalDisaster]

Every season starts with players being very sloppy on the technical rules and the umps having trained them all summer.

Umps will also be sloppy when it comes to the fast pace of the game. Hence errors like the 50m against Simpson last night when the ump was too slow to call play on and too harsh to call a 50.

Protected area frees will be paid. Pay more early and pay less as the season goes on has always been the way with those kind of free kicks.

Richmond were undisciplined with their defending. Some really clear holds and blocks.

Certainly a couple of soft ones but hardly to the level of a conspiracy to kick more goals.

Whilst Lynch got held all day yet no free.

 

[Do the Dew]

Given the amount of frees they should have had against them, don't whinge

Wtf? I’m talking about Thursdays game. Combined they got 1 for and 5 against. What do you want, 1 and 10??


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Lsta062]

Every season starts with players being very sloppy on the technical rules and the umps having trained them all summer.

Umps will also be sloppy when it comes to the fast pace of the game. Hence errors like the 50m against Simpson last night when the ump was too slow to call play on and too harsh to call a 50.

Protected area frees will be paid. Pay more early and pay less as the season goes on has always been the way with those kind of free kicks.

Richmond were undisciplined with their defending. Some really clear holds and blocks.

Certainly a couple of soft ones but hardly to the level of a conspiracy to kick more goals.

On the other end, Lynch was being held all day and same with Riewoldt after the first quarter. My frustration with the umpiring was the lack in equality at the two ends. If Carlton had those free kicks paid inside 50, then I think we should've had at least 3-4 more free kicks inside 50 too. Yet we didn't. That's what resulted in the 8 free kick goals vs our 2 or so.

Umpires are best when they are not noticed and only pay the really noticeable and clear ones in my opinion. Not the soft ones where two players are holding each other and they make a decision that one was holding the other. As an example, the GWS vs Richmond preseason game was one of the better umpiring that I have seen in a long time. Both GWS and Richmond infringed here and there, but they did not pay the soft/uncertain ones. They only paid the clear ones and it ended up 4-2 free kicks by half time. It was relaxing to see the umpires letting them play

 

[greatwhiteshark]

The protected area free kick is a blight on the game and has been since it was introduced. It is simply ridiculous that players are being awarded free kicks and often a free shot on goal for nothing. Unless you are being interfered with there should be no free kick.

Have also noticed that without crowds the deliberate out of bounds is back where it should be. Very few of them paid so far.

 

[schmuttt]

Two years in a row where umpires have saved Carlton from embarrassment.

 

[north_lad]

Pretty bad. Runs under the footy, gets the slightest nudge, and sprawls forward arms flailing. Umps fall for his lack of coordination all the time. Just like Flopsy Brown.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

Love you Benny

 

[NaturalDisaster]

Two years in a row where umpires have saved Carlton from embarrassment.

Their efforts to get them back into the game were pretty blatant. I mean, we got a few shocking frees early, but how many actual Carlton goals came from frees?

 

[Do the Dew]

The protected area free kick is a blight on the game and has been since it was introduced. It is simply ridiculous that players are being awarded free kicks and often a free shot on goal for nothing. Unless you are being interfered with there should be no free kick.

Have also noticed that without crowds the deliberate out of bounds is back where it should be. Very few of them paid so far.

Agree about protected area. One of those rules where if the umps don’t have a feel for the game, they could pay them all day. Makes no sense when a player is running around (or worse, behind) and doesn’t influence the kickers decision yet gets pinged. Absolute stain of a rule.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[adammania9]

Pretty bad. Runs under the footy, gets the slightest nudge, and sprawls forward arms flailing. Umps fall for his lack of coordination all the time. Just like Flopsy Brown.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

Ha. All you had to do was watch 50 more seconds and you’d have seen Cox get barrelled over with a knee high into his back at the very next contest 20m out for no free. He can draw soft frees but that happens once in every 50 contests. His arms get held ridiculously often and he doesn't get free kicks for it ever.

 

[doppleganger]

Agree about protected area. One of those rules where if the umps don’t have a feel for the game, they could pay them all day. Makes no sense when a player is running around (or worse, behind) and doesn’t influence the kickers decision yet gets pinged. Absolute stain of a rule.

The feel for the game is a nonsense argument.

The reason the rule was introduced was to stop teams deliberately holding up play by loitering to the side which would stop players from quickly moving the ball on.

Umpires need to be given black and white rules to interpret. So it is pretty simple, don’t run past a player who has taken a mark.

The penalty is harsh, but coaches should drum it into players to ensure they run around the mark not continue.

Coaches and good players are smart to focus on things like that...if they want to

 

[doppleganger]

Pretty bad. Runs under the footy, gets the slightest nudge, and sprawls forward arms flailing. Umps fall for his lack of coordination all the time. Just like Flopsy Brown.

Umpire explained his thoughts, he felt he shunted him just as he was jumping effectively taking him out of the contest.

And when you are about to jump is the point when you actually lose control of your balance, the dangerous play when players can have their feet taken out from them with minor contact.

It was stupid play from Keath, as Cox had already ran under the ball he didn’t need to do anything.

 

[mezaire]

That is because they were replayed on TV and you notice any little indiscretion. In normal play most don't get noticed. The umps paid something like 8 frees resulting in goals on Thursday night to Carlton. The highlight was when Edwards was barrelled into by Casboult and grabbed a handful of his jumper as balance before he hit the ground and the ump paid a free for holding the man. Absolute nonsense and showed no common sense.

Don't get me started on the 50m. Edwards kicks the first from Dow running a bit close not affecting Edwards at all and 50m. Okay technically 50m but the ump's usually give a very generous 50m. In the SANFL I think it is closer to 35m, and is usually a much fairer penalty for often minor infringements.

Sorry but that is a free kick to Casboult every day of the week.
Two players run into each other 100's of times a game and each and every time, if one falls over and pulls the other with them, it's a free to the pulled player.

That said, umpiring was shocking both games