Do we not get angry enough?

[awaremind]

Something Gerard Healy said on 'On the couch' last night got me thinking. Basically he said we (i.e the Freo crowd) should have been a lot more pissed off after that non-call with Hamling in the last.

In context.....we'd kicked 2 goals to get us within a kick about halfway through the final quarter, and there's a pretty big incident on the half back flank.
Let's re-iterate what a bad call it was. Hamling never took possession, he was clearly tackled away from the ball, the umpire had a clear view, and incredibly importantly, it has a profound impact on the play. Because of the illegal tackle, Atley took possession when he wouldn't have otherwise. Calls don't get much worse.

Let's also put it in context for a longer period of time - we've had a negative free kick differential for the last 6 consecutive years. Ironically, the only year where it wasn't a significant difference was 2015 where we were atrocious. It's possible that may be due to our style of play - I don't know why that would give away more free kicks though.
Now this is where it gets really interesting - Including this year, our co-tenants have had a positive free kick differential for the last 17 consecutive years. Every single year since 2001. Now if we're going to argue style of play, it's an incredible co-incidence that one team's style of play attracts more free kicks pretty much indefinitely, and it would be difficult to argue that umpires don't get at least a little intimidated by their crowd. Yet they don't with ours.

Their crowd might be reknown for being know-nothing parochial yobs who don't stop booing, but it appears to get results. I couldn't give a rats ass what opposition supporters think of our crowd if it means we're going to consistently get 50-50 calls go our way.

So I ask the question - are we not feral enough towards the umpires? And does it cost us on the field?

No we get damn mad the umpires are just corrupt. Afl umpires have helped destroy my faith in fairness and justice more generally.

 

[awaremind]

Sandilands is not actually a man he is a ladder that's why players get to climb on him at every contest,

 

[awaremind]

Finals are not played at Geelong , unless Geelong is playing Fremantle,then it's ok because freo is second class club.

 

[Kram]

How long has Margett’s been umpiring?

People give Razor Ray shit and yes he's not perfect and an attention whore but I'd probably take him doing all our games compared to most of these other peanuts.

 

[Kram]

There is a material difference to a team's results when the crowd is loud and one eyed.

If you want an example, re-watch Pav's milestone match against Geelong. The crowd was wild, the Geelong players were rattled and commented after the match that the roar made them feel like there was a player breathing down their neck the entire time, it rushed them, they made mistakes.

That's not to comment on the effect of sustained pressure on umpires.

Apart from a final that's easily the most intense crowd when I've been to at Subi.

I thought the place was going to explode when the Ballas goal skidded through past the post.

 

[Tonga Bob]

 

[im_a_lazy_sod]

I want us to be loud. And intimidating. And I want our players to feel like we demand better without having to boo them.

I want the umpires to rue every decision against us. I want opposition to feel like every miss at goal will be roundly jeered and that will make them fear having shots on goal.

I want our nigglers to rile up the home crowd in their support.

#makeitourfortress #intimidationgames

 

[Reynolds Number]

Having been involved with amateurs with umpiring (not field umpiring) I can see why there are problems with field. Quite a few douchebags picked on their ability to run time trials even at the expense of their ability to umpire.

 

[blue shark]

Something needs to change, Clarkson after the Swans games has a sook, then its catching up for coffee with Gil.
Has coffee with him all the time,

 

[ydraw]

Having been involved with amateurs with umpiring (not field umpiring) I can see why there are problems with field. Quite a few douchebags picked on their ability to run time trials even at the expense of their ability to umpire.

The real issue at the top level is that umpires are picked primarily on their ability to bounce the ball. The AFL sees this as a unique selling point of the game and want them to get it right despite it being functionally no different to throwing it up.

That's why they had that embarrassing shock wave effect at the first bounce each quarter a couple of years ago. The bounce is really important to the AFL brass for marketing reasons.

 

[XXRL]

Agree with the OP. It's terrible the way we are consistently screwed over by the umpires.

I said at the time there's no way that umpire calls play on if that's McGovern or Rance being thrown off the ball.

 

[sportsmaniac89]

I'd say no, we don't!

The problem is that if we did, a lot of our fellow supporters would turn around and have a go at those who did for being bad sports and for ruining their match experience or something like that.

 

[Nolo180]

These:

Eagles crowd expect every free, every time the opposition touch the ball. It creates sustained pressure on the umps.

Ross is particularly reticent to make any comment or judgement on umpiring decisions. Was asked directly about it, had every opportunity then to call it out but instead he actively talked it down as insignificant. I think he's hamstrung by his own 'no excuses football team' mantra.

And call me paranoid but I have always felt the WA umpires have a subconscious leaning towards WCE. They have a much larger following throughout WA with a lot more people over here identifying with the states most successful team including umpires and their immediate friends and families.
We seem to be easy to dislike from a football fans viewpoint like the PA's and GWS's of the competition for some reason and we dont have the clout of the bigger cash cow's to stand up for ourselves.

 

[Kram]

The real issue at the top level is that umpires are picked primarily on their ability to bounce the ball. The AFL sees this as a unique selling point of the game and want them to get it right despite it being functionally no different to throwing it up.

That's why they had that embarrassing shock wave effect at the first bounce each quarter a couple of years ago. The bounce is really important to the AFL brass for marketing reasons.

My god you post some absolute dribble.

 

[believe_it]

Lets not forget McCarthys mark against the Eagles when he was slung down afterwards by McGovern. There couldn't have been a clearer textbook
50m penalty. There was no grey area or potential for a difference in interpretation. There was no restriction of view. It must have been the case that the umpires , all of them, made a decision not to enforce the rules correctly.

Why would this be done? Well given the position of the mark it would have resulted in a certain goal. Clearly they didn't want that. It is more infuriating given some of the ridiculous 50m penalities given lately. Last weekend was joke around the grounds with some of the calls. Umpires are there to enforce the rules correctly and in an even handed manner and they don't do that. The evidence says such.

Furthermore the changing of interpretations of rules from week to week is a complete joke. How often do we hear " The umpires are going hard on that this week" or similar. If you change the rules during the course of tournament or season you are making the competition inherently unfair AFL you complete cretins.

 

[eastfreo75]

This.

We as fans can't really make any difference, particularly once they've been made and already cost us like the Hamling non-call. Booing the shit out of the umps once the game's been broken apart is too late, the horse had bolted.

The club seem to have an aversion to calling out shit umpiring full stop. Every other club seem to have no issue with it. As far as coaches go, Chris Scott has made a sport of ridiculing umps on a weekly basis and hasn't been pinged for it once.

Ross is particularly reticent to make any comment or judgement on umpiring decisions. Was asked directly about it, had every opportunity then to call it out but instead he actively talked it down as insignificant. I think he's hamstrung by his own 'no excuses football team' mantra.

**** it, cop the fine if necessary but nah we just continue to take it up the kyber and expect a different result.

That outrageous call against Ballas in the first 10 mins on the back of a pre game focus on eradicating 'the Ballantyne stuff' in the 2015 prelim was criminal.

Totally agree.

Kevin Speedy worked the umpires before and after the game.

He still kept no excuses approach.

 

[hoss]

Who was the umpire responsible for the Hamling non-call? Apologies if it has been mentioned somewhere.

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[hoss]

Our members sitting near the umpires race need to take responsibility and play their part by abusing the umpires for the incompetent, biased rabble they are.

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[XXRL]

Who was the umpire responsible for the Hamling non-call? Apologies if it has been mentioned somewhere.

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

Could be wrong but I think it was Fleer, no. 26. Was definitely number 20-something.

 

[Rob]

Could be wrong but I think it was Fleer, no. 26. Was definitely number 20-something.

Nah it was number 20.

But who it was isn't the point of this thread. The same umpires that gladly ignore shit like that will crap their dacks the next week at the same venue.

Maybe Lyon forking out a fine or 2 to get the supporters fired up might actually be worth a few wins down the track. And it might mean he keeps his job worth a million bucks a year. Because it appears his current attitude of being as respectful as possible in order to get a good deal in the future from the umps clearly aint working. When we're getting screwed at home it's clear something's wrong, particularly when the other mob gets a rainbow ride for most of their home games.

 

[Freo Shark]

Its a joke Freo doesnt make a effort to get something done. They just think we'll bend over and cop it up ass. It just breeds the contempt Freo gets from the AFL, the maggots and media campaigners!

 

[Parasite]

I said some naughty words, then realised there were kids sitting nearby and felt ashamed.
I'm still swearing like a mother ****ing mad campaigner on the inside though.

 

[awaremind]

If we all chip in for ballas fine can he take a dump on the G as a big **** you?

 

[Slient Alarm]

Yeh bra, ya feel. All you guys are spineless monkeys enjoying Lyon's tedious football that looks like if Lame Impala were a football side. Lyon is a dickhead and a shit coach, Taberner is shit and Stephen Hill is ****ing soft. But no one will listen, content to wallow in mediocrity and suck in the trash.

 

[Schauermann]

Like I said before, we should have kept Crowley. To serve drinks in the umpire rooms...