Autopsy Frees in Port and other games

[mic59]

MATHEW NICHOLLS (VIC)

Number: 15 Height: 186cm Weight: 77kg

Career background: Started with the Diamond Valley Football League before joining the VFL panel in 1999. Umpired the under-18 championships in 2000 and the VFL Grand Final in 2002. Recruited to the AFL panel in 2003. Was named All-Australian umpire in 2013 and has umpired the past two AFL Grand Finals.

AFL games: 230

Occupation: Leadership consultant

Afl.com.au/umpires/profiles

What is happening here? Do we actually want to know anything about an umpire? Putting them on a pedestal like this just serves to make them think they are a part of the game to be displayed which is exactly what is wrong with the whole thing. It used the be just "that white maggot" is umpiring and occasionally "Dessie Foster" or "Laurie Argent" but we never got into profiles.

 

[LukeSA]

What shits me off is there is no accountability for shit umpiring, there are no consequences for umpires who continually make wrong and biased calls.

Imagine if it happened in one of biggest NFL games or EPL or world cup matches, there would be blood spilled but in our code nothing, umpires need to be held accountable when their decisions affect an outcome of a match.

 

[bomberclifford]

MATHEW NICHOLLS (VIC)

Number: 15 Height: 186cm Weight: 77kg

Career background: Started with the Diamond Valley Football League before joining the VFL panel in 1999. Umpired the under-18 championships in 2000 and the VFL Grand Final in 2002. Recruited to the AFL panel in 2003. Was named All-Australian umpire in 2013 and has umpired the past two AFL Grand Finals.

AFL games: 230

Occupation: Leadership consultant

"Leadership consultant"

[GROAN]

 

[Weez]

The last few weeks in all games i have seen decisions that have absolutely baffled me. I was under the impression that the ducking rule was to stop the 'selwood' duck drawing high contact from the tackler?. Menadue from Richmond ducked his shoulder under a tacklers arm three times Friday night 3 times and got 3 Frees (same as what we got from 3 qts?!) yet Lecras got pinged for picking up the ball.

Some players are allowed to be swung 360 degrees and then dispose of the ball, others are not and pinged HTB for the same thing. Then to add to that sometimes its play on when it gets knocked out of their hands and sometimes not. (Star rule applies for this, bigger the star longer they have to
dispose the ball) i have also noticed that we get called to play on all the time literally as soon as we just get back on our mark to take the kick.

So seeing the free stats from this weeks game, yeah we probably got stitched up abit, Nicholls and Chamberlain and Panell(<< biggest grub of them all) stitched us up the week before too. It happens every week. Im used to it.

Crying about it isnt going to change anything nor will the club ask for a 'please explain' from the AFL. It wont change anything.

I am hating seeing all the Port Supporters whinging about it Facebook it looks really bad.

 

[Weez]

What shits me off is there is no accountability for shit umpiring, there are no consequences for umpires who continually make wrong and biased calls.

Imagine if it happened in one of biggest NFL games or EPL or world cup matches, there would be blood spilled but in our code nothing, umpires need to be held accountable when their decisions affect an outcome of a match.

NFL and for that matter NBA Referees are absolutly fantastic!

But both sports rules are easier to interpret than AFL. Even in the heat of a big game/play moment they will make the right decision if it is there.. The NBA's ability to use replays to get the correct calls shits all over any review system we have.

 

[ozaddy]

The last few weeks in all games i have seen decisions that have absolutely baffled me. I was under the impression that the ducking rule was to stop the 'selwood' duck drawing high contact from the tackler?. Menadue from Richmond ducked his shoulder under a tacklers arm three times Friday night 3 times and got 3 Frees (same as what we got from 3 qts?!) yet Lecras got pinged for picking up the ball.

Some players are allowed to be swung 360 degrees and then dispose of the ball, others are not and pinged HTB for the same thing. Then to add to that sometimes its play on when it gets knocked out of their hands and sometimes not. (Star rule applies for this, bigger the star longer they have to
dispose the ball)

So seeing the free stats from this weeks game, yeah we probably got stitched up abit, Nicholls and Chamberlain and Panell(<< biggest grub of them all) stitched us up the week before too. It happens every week. Im used to it.

Crying about it isnt going to change anything nor will the club ask for a 'please explain' from the AFL. It wont change anything.

I am hating seeing all the Port Supporters whinging about it Facebook it looks really bad.

Even if it forces the umpires to spend an extra hour reading up the rule book it would be worthwhile asking for a please explain for the AFL. If it's our (Port's) interpretation of the rules, it's worth asking for clarification so the team can do better.

 

[Weez]

Even if it forces the umpires to spend an extra hour reading up the rule book it would be worthwhile asking for a please explain for the AFL. If it's our (Port's) interpretation of the rules, it's worth asking for clarification so the team can do better.

To me asking for it is sour grapes. If we had won no one would give a shit about the umpiring.

From memory the only club to question umpiring in recent years is collingwood maybe? about people scragging cloke? Which is different.

 

[ozaddy]

To me asking for it is sour grapes. If we had won no one would give a shit about the umpiring.

From memory the only club to question umpiring in recent years is collingwood maybe? about people scragging cloke? Which is different.

Who cares if it looks like sour grapes, most admit we were unfairly treated, it would show a lack of backbone if we didn't bring it up through official channels. I am for not a second suggesting we don't also look at the bigger picture and that's the poor performance and error ridden skills of too many in the team. By the way it wasn't the stats as the reason why I think we were stitched up, I actually watched the game and we were stitched up.

 

[MagPower83]

NFL and for that matter NBA Referees are absolutly fantastic!

But both sports rules are easier to interpret than AFL. Even in the heat of a big game/play moment they will make the right decision if it is there.. The NBA's ability to use replays to get the correct calls shits all over any review system we have.

How many referees are there on an NFL field? And how many cameras? Every TD is scrutinised by Video straight away... All these things add to the level of officiating in the NFL.

One rule change I wouldn't mind seeing introduced in AFL is adding time back to the clock for lost seconds... Someone mentioned ball ups and lost seconds previously in this thread. It doesn't have to be controlled by the field umpire, it can be administered by the video umpire.

 

[Zakk Wylde]

NFL and for that matter NBA Referees are absolutly fantastic!

But both sports rules are easier to interpret than AFL. Even in the heat of a big game/play moment they will make the right decision if it is there.. The NBA's ability to use replays to get the correct calls shits all over any review system we have.

This was a no call to LeBron

 

[tribey]

To me asking for it is sour grapes. If we had won no one would give a shit about the umpiring.

From memory the only club to question umpiring in recent years is collingwood maybe? about people scragging cloke? Which is different.

We're not talking about a tiggy touchwood decision here or there, but a litany of blatantly wrong calls and admitted umpire errors that directly effected the scoreboard.

There is no honour in keeping a stiff upper lip while tucking our pink sock back in and doing up our strides after being ****ed.

It's about time the club made some noise.

 

[ZingerB]

The free kick count isn't even the worst of it.

• Calling Armfield back and letting him take his shot again after he'd clearly taken advantage isn't reflected by the free kick count (and a similar thing happened later after a wayward Cripps clearance was brought back for him to take again, but that didn't result in a goal so it hasn't been brought up as much)
• The umpire smothering Hartlett's pass isn't reflected in the free kick count
• Henderson's non-mark being paid isn't reflected in the free kick count
• The Colquhoun debacle isn't reflected in the free kick count

People often say that just because you got the rough end of the free kick count it doesn't necessarily mean you were disadvantaged, because the free kick count isn't always reflective of the fairness or otherwise of the umpiring, and that's 100% true. But in our case, we were actually mistreated even worse than the 24-10 free kick count indicates.

Good analysis. I honestly don't watch enough non Port games this year to know how other games are officiated but I have always said it is not just about free kicks. There have been 2-3 games this year where at least 2-3 bounces weren't recalled resulting in a non contest, an easy clearance, and then a goal. There was also the Richmond game where Vickery gets 10 years to get be taken off (fair enough, he's injured), but Trengove is injured for 2 minutes almost in the goalsquare where the ball was clearly going to end up and the ball lands on his head) and play continues so he is forced to contest a ball where he is stuffed, risking further injury, and costing us a goal.

 

[ZingerB]

What shits me off is there is no accountability for shit umpiring, there are no consequences for umpires who continually make wrong and biased calls.

Imagine if it happened in one of biggest NFL games or EPL or world cup matches, there would be blood spilled but in our code nothing, umpires need to be held accountable when their decisions affect an outcome of a match.

Or tours boycotted!

 

[FPPF]

NFL and for that matter NBA Referees are absolutly fantastic!

But both sports rules are easier to interpret than AFL. Even in the heat of a big game/play moment they will make the right decision if it is there.. The NBA's ability to use replays to get the correct calls shits all over any review system we have.

The AFL has shit officiating of games simply because the AFL is not as professional as other sporting codes around the world, such as the NBA or EPL.
The AFL needs to professionalise the umpiring. It is far from being a professional outfit.

The AFL doesn't need to admit that the umpires are biased little weasles.
They can go about it in an entirely different manner that doesn't put the umpires down.

 

[PowerbaII]

Good video highlighting the cheating on display on Saturday afternoon

 

[Chokito]

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/af...ide-carlton-game/story-fndv8s6g-1227408818706

 

[Hong-Kong Phooey]

Wow. Just wow. It wouldn't surprise me if that video was made by the club and just distributed by a random

 

[Mangus Onfries]

Hard to argue when its highlighted like that. This will all amount to nothing. Carlton will get a good crowd at their next game because hope is the currency that keeps the AFL viable and will be mission accomplished.

 

[PowerKidd]

http://m.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/a...ide-carlton-game/story-fnia6ojc-1227408818706

AFL umpiring coach Hayden Kennedy has counted as many as 12 errors - well beyond the league target of 8.5 this season - in the contentious Port Adelaide-Carlton game at the MCG on Saturday.

But of all the controversial issues - such as Port Adelaide midfielder Sam Colquhoun being denied a mark in the last term and Carlton swingman Lachie Henderson being handed a mark on a bounced ball in the same quarter - Kennedy is listing only one call as a howler.

 

[Spadge]

......Kennedy is listing only one call as a howler.

you have to be ****ing kidding. Only 1 howler? lol
and this my friends is why umpires will never ever be held accountable. Even their boss is blind

 

[Port 2004]

To me asking for it is sour grapes. If we had won no one would give a shit about the umpiring.

From memory the only club to question umpiring in recent years is collingwood maybe? about people scragging cloke? Which is different.

No mate not sour grapes. These incompetent pri**s need to be held to account. The old adage that a good team will still beat poor umpiring is bulls**t. The game is built so much on momentum these days and umpires have the ability to kill a teams momentum very easily. make no mistake those pri**s cost us the game on Saturday and they need to be held to account for it.

 

[Forzaport]

you have to be ******* kidding. Only 1 howler? lol
and this my friends is why umpires will never ever be held accountable. Even their boss is blind

This is why self regulation almost never works.

12 errors is insulting, there were at least double that number.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Good video highlighting the cheating on display on Saturday afternoon

Credit to our newest poster PortWTF for the video.

And please don't post it. There's been enough damage done to electrical appliances in my house. The dog runs out of the room when I walk in as it is.

 

[Macca19]

I'm gonna say it, the majority of those are things that occur in every game that every supporter gets upset at. There were a couple of dodgy ones (Hartletts spoil, Wingard chopping arms, double free kick to Armfield) but that would be it.

 

[FishingRick04]

I'm gonna say it, the majority of those are things that occur in every game that every supporter gets upset at. There were a couple of dodgy ones (Hartletts spoil, Wingard chopping arms, double free kick to Armfield) but that would be it.

Alot of them weren't paid because of very poor umpire positioning also. So you can see why they didn't pay it, unless they were to guess. Even though they did guess a few in Carltank's favour but not in our favour.

The Westhoff free no goal, happened the other week to Schulz with a block also.