Opinion Non-Crows AFL 4: The Centre Cannot Hold

[StonesThrow]

To be fair, Frost had his eyes on the ball but he had no intention of going for the mark; he could see that Jiath was in the box seat and his only intention was to block Hawkins from competing with Jiath.

BUT Hawkins could have made the contest - or at least forced Frost to make a genuine block. Hawkins' staging should have disqualified him from getting a free.

Remember when, a year or two ago, we were remarking on umpires saying to players who were exaggerating contact - something like "You make it difficult for us <to pay you a free> when you do that"? More of that, please. Players need to know that if they exaggerate or stage at all, they are losing any benefit of the doubt.

Players still get called for blocking even if the guy makes the contest.

Frost just isn't allowed to do that full stop. Either body Hawkins and go for the ball yourself or at least pretend like you are.

 

[fortunatecrow]

The next one will be 50 metre penalties for dirty looks, or just generally hurting the umpires feelings.

50 metres.....raised eyebrow!

 

[FR0GGY]

To be fair, Frost had his eyes on the ball but he had no intention of going for the mark; he could see that Jiath was in the box seat and his only intention was to block Hawkins from competing with Jiath.

BUT Hawkins could have made the contest - or at least forced Frost to make a genuine block. Hawkins' staging should have disqualified him from getting a free.

Remember when, a year or two ago, we were remarking on umpires saying to players who were exaggerating contact - something like "You make it difficult for us <to pay you a free> when you do that"? More of that, please. Players need to know that if they exaggerate or stage at all, they are losing any benefit of the doubt.

I think he might have contested had Hawkins not disappeared out of sight, no need to contest if your own player is contesting and your opponent isn’t body to body anymore.

 

[Slippery Pete]

50 metres.....raised eyebrow!

Like when Vader was a mod.

Now that cruises are back maybe we won‘t hear from him as much.

 

[arrowman]

It was horrible. You couldn't hold your position in the marking contest. You also use your hands to feel where your opponent is.

At first I thought "hands in the back" was a good idea because it removed the need for interpretation as to what was a push. But I quickly realised - what you said. And frankly it's s safety issue - what are you supposed to do, to protect yourself, let alone hold your position, if you're sitting under the ball and Tom Hawkins is backing in to you at a rate of knots?

I don't think the umpires should say "stand" - the same way I hate the umpires saying "Don't hold".

I agree, in general - however I think part of the "stand!" command is to let the player know that he is on the mark, which is fair enough. You'll often see players moving toward the mark, looking at the umpire, and then hear "stand!".

I think the umpire said he wasn't on the mark and gone back his five. If one thing I've seen is a lot of players have become lazy with the ball and don't go back far enough after a mark expecting some opponents to run off past the 5 metres. I suspect Keays didn't realise he hadn't gone back that far.

Good point. Also, a lot of players (the ones who are going to stand the mark) will move forward, pointing at the ground / where they think the mark is, as if to say to the umpire "I'm going to stand on the mark, this is where the mark is, isn't it? Tell me if I'm wrong". It would be unusual for the kicker to not see that happening. I was all "WTF umpire?" when I saw that, but I think your explanation makes sense.

PS There was a memorable moment back in the day, when Ben Rutten walked back from the mark when the kicker turned his back, and then ran forward and jumped when the kicker was nearly through his runup. Truck fooled the player into thinking the mark was further back, and smothered the kick. Question: Would that be a legitimate move nowadays? Can you stand back from the mark and then move towards it?

 

[chazwazza]

With Lycett out for months and no ruck depth, how long until Port manipulate the SANFL COVID supplementary player list to grab a ruckman, surely they’re eyeing off Brooksby.

 

[Maddogmetro]

One the argument about whether it should have been a free to Hawkins.

In my opinion staging should cancel the free kick even if it is there, or even further should result in a free kick the other way.

 

[spenze]

Instead of giving a 50 for umpire dissent, any case of dissent results in player having to wash and fully clean the interior of umpires car.

That way it doesn't impact the game.

Of course, if the umpire decides to take a dump in his car before the car is cleaned, bad luck player, don't dispute a decision...and clean it up.

I really should be on the rules committee

 

[Slippery Pete]

One the argument about whether it should have been a free to Hawkins.

In my opinion staging should cancel the free kick even if it is there, or even further should result in a free kick the other way.

They don’t need to pay a free, just don’t reward the staging.

It’s not the ones they don’t pay that infuriate people, it’s the ones they do pay.

People want less umpire involvement in games, not more.

Instead, for the last 30 years all we’ve done is incrementally increase the responsibility on the umpire to blow the whistle.

And let’s face it folks, AFL umpires are not God’s greatest genetic gift to mankind. Most of them were stuffed in their locker in high school and are taking their authority complex out on the rest of the world. The less responsibility they have the better.

The solution is as easy as it is obvious — direct umpires to pay the blatant ones and let the rest go. Err on the side of calling play on.

They do this EVERY single year in the grand final anyway, but nobody seems to register that it should be done every week.

I’ve never in my life met a single football person of any repute who wants tiggy touchwood, technical frees paid in games of football.

 

[Mutineer]

They don’t need to pay a free, just don’t reward the staging.

It’s not the ones they don’t pay that infuriate people, it’s the ones they do pay.

People want less umpire involvement in games, not more.

Instead, for the last 30 years all we’ve done is incrementally increase the responsibility on the umpire to blow the whistle.

And let’s face it folks, AFL umpires are not God’s greatest genetic gift to mankind. Most of them were stuffed in their locker in high school and are taking their authority complex out on the rest of the world. The less responsibility they have the better.

The solution is as easy as it is obvious — direct umpires to pay the blatant ones and let the rest go. Err on the side of calling play on.

They do this EVERY single year in the grand final anyway, but nobody seems to register that it should be done every week.

I’ve never in my life met a single football person of any repute who wants tiggy touchwood, technical frees paid in games of football.

 

[Slippery Pete]

I still need the numbers though. How else am I going to know which bald c*nt is Matthew Nicholls

 

[FR0GGY]

I still need the numbers though. How else am I going to know which bald c*nt is Matthew Nicholls

He’ll be the bald one.

 

[Crow till I die]

'We're really well led': Port sticks by Ken after 0-5 start - 'We're really well led': Port sticks by Ken after 0-5 start

Lol..off to the port board

 

[Mutineer]

I still need the numbers though. How else am I going to know which bald c*nt is Matthew Nicholls

 

[kirky]

Yeah Tex does not hold back in telling anyone what he thinks of them

And that is what I love about him - call a spade a spade.

 

[Mutineer]

And that is what I love about him - call a spade a spade.

If only all our Politicians would do the same...

 

[Mutineer]

Some absolute gold on this bloke's twitter handle..

https://twitter.com/IntegrityUnit

 

[MatthewB]

And that is what I love about him - call a spade a spade.

and that's what he got suspended for last year

 

[kirky]

If they got rid of the players there'd be no umpire dissent, no congestion, no concussion. Would solve everything

And probably 30,000 people would still turn up to watch, well nothing!

 

[kirky]

Just watching Footy Classified. A couple of things.
Has Caro got a wig on? It appears sitting on off center. . Makeup needs to come on and correct alignment.
Manure has cut that stupid mullet off but still has too much grease in his hair.

So you aren’t watching for its footy content then?

 

[beartoo]

How do you umpire that? You would need 20 umpires. You CANNOT see all the holds.



It was horrible. You couldn't hold your position in the marking contest. You also use your hands to feel where your opponent is.



I agree. Third man up is not a problem.



I just think you pay a free against ducking. Fixes it both ways.



It's such a blight on the game in its current form. "Stand" "Stand" "Stand" and the players do not even adhere to it. As soon as a player moves the umps either say "play-on" or the player scurries back off the mark 1m and they scream "Outside 5". If it was clear-cut, where the closest oppo player within 5m to the mark has to stand once the mark is taken / free is given AND everyone else has to get / stay outside 5m - then fine. I don't think the umpires should say "stand" - the same way I hate the umpires saying "Don't hold".

I'm also all for the 50m to become the 25m penalty. Then you can pay them more often without it being such a huge penalty.

Fair enough, but then you hear umpires shout out not to hold and if the player does it again they'll have a free paid against them. Umpires are supposed to adjudicate, not teach.
Umpiring is a bloody difficult job, but there are 3 on the ground and the standard should be much higher than it is. Especially for the big bucks at top level.

On SM-A115F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[kirky]

yeah that phrase really should be consigned to history. I don't think many people really know what it means.

I think most do know what it means and yes it can be appropriate at times even when unpleasant.

Because you know what, some people say things that are unpleasant but their basis is true. We don’t live in a perfect world.

 

[Eagleboy2011]

So you aren’t watching for its footy content then?

It has footy content?

 

[Thetrader15]

One the argument about whether it should have been a free to Hawkins.

In my opinion staging should cancel the free kick even if it is there, or even further should result in a free kick the other way.

100% agree.

If a player is staging, they should be a free kick against and a 50m penalty, plus mandatory $5k fine.

That would apply to any player who exaggerates any contact, so a small jumper pull while you are running, if you throw your arms back, your head back if you are caught high, jump forwards from a push in the back, or dive forward when you are tackled taking the player with you.

This is the biggest issue with the game ATM IMO. Don't worry about stoppages, congestion, poor goal kicking, uneven teams, it's turning into soccer.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]