- May 8, 2007
- 48,686
- 71,373
- AFL Club
- Richmond
- Banned
- #376
You didn't play well enough for long enough tonight to win...umpires or no umpires - the better side won.
Re the umpires, same old **** on BF game day threads. Some even post extreme rubbish as if umpires are conspiring against their club or puposely favoring their opponents. I don't subscribe to that.
One of the coaches - I think it was Clarkson - when asked about umpiring described it in the most appropriate way.
He said it is one of the most difficult sports to adjudicate. Also equated it to players - that if a player has an efficiency rate of 90%, everyone would say they are a gun. If the umpires adjudicate at 90% efficiency, unlike a player they are derided. On a hiding to nothing.
Umpires are only human, they run a half marathon in the course of the game, have only a split second to view and make a decision on the play, may even be obstructed or at a distance from the play or the wrong side of a contest to see what has occurred.
We have replays of play, slowed down, camera angles from all directions and mostly not from the point of vision where the umpire is looking at the play.
Umpires may not make a call because they didn't see it. Or alternatively make a wrong call about a mark etc because they make a decision based on what they saw (didn't see the ball hit the ground etc from their viewpoint for example). Free kick counts don't have to be even either.
Tonights game the umpires were strict on deliberate out of bounds, and very technical in giving 50 metre penalties. But at least they were consistent in their interpretation. I think there was maybe one howler against Bellchambers that resulted in a Richmond goal but it happens. I don't subscribe that the umpire made a wrong call to favour Richmond or to deny Essendon. That's ridiculous.
Best team won tonight, despite gping to sleep in the last qtr - well done Richmond.
No idea what you said. Bullet points would be helpful