State of umpiring

[CarnTheKANGAS]

How can the umpires continue to be so against us?
Every week is the same. We are always on the receiving end of poor, questionable and outright wrong decisions which continue to cost us at least 3 goals a week (minimum).

I get the club cannot come out and directly raise this via the media. But I’d hope the club would be raising / hilighting this week after week.

Is there anything any of us could do to hilight this.

We are bad enough as it stands but to be starting the game at -30 when you’re already no good is straight out unfair.
#corruptAFL

 

[Engimal v3]

I don't think a victim complex does us any good. We don't get a particularly hard run from the umpires.

 

[gokangas]

I go back to a dermis comment a few years ago. It is so apt today

When the umpire blows his/her/its whistle and all the players stop and look because nobody has any idea who has the free, you have a problem. That happens many times every game now.

 

[Ligma]

I think in general the state of umpiring is poor across ALL games, not just ours. Yes, we have some horrible calls but it’s not just us.

The way the AFL has implemented new rules has made this game somewhat unwatchable.

It’s just frustrating with the stand rule and the 50 given yesterday against lachie young

17

Lachie Young

Age

25

Ht

189cm

Wt

81kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.5

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

4.1

3star

M

3.3

3star

T

1.8

4star

MG

220.3

3star

D

9.0

2star

K

5.5

2star

HB

3.5

2star

M

1.0

1star

T

2.0

3star

MG

210.0

3star

D

11.2

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

5.0

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

1.8

4star

MG

219.6

4star

- if you’re on the mark and the ball carrier fakes to handball your natural reflexes is to take a step to try to cut it off - it kind of plays into like the fairness of the game because it’s not fair on lachie when his instincts are to sidestep.

 

[The Anvil]

Interesting moments yesterday, the Larkey mark that wasn’t paid and free kicks paid off the ball literally at the other end of the ground that had, or potentially would of, made any impact on the contest.

Larkey in particular seemed to have copped some bad calls against him all season.

 

[rickety]

I go back to a dermis comment a few years ago. It is so apt today

When the umpire blows his/her/its whistle and all the players stop and look because nobody has any idea who has the free, you have a problem. That happens many times every game now.

I haven't umpired many games, but for me, the hardest thing to do was to remember to actually blow the whistle for a free kick or a mark. The players generally paused, or stopped if there is something whistleworthy. Or maybe I'm just a free flowing kind of ump.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

I think in general the state of umpiring is poor across ALL games, not just ours. Yes, we have some horrible calls but it’s not just us.

The way the AFL has implemented new rules has made this game somewhat unwatchable.

It’s just frustrating with the stand rule and the 50 given yesterday against lachie young - if you’re on the mark and the ball carrier fakes to handball your natural reflexes is to take a step to try to cut it off - it kind of plays into like the fairness of the game because it’s not fair on lachie when his instincts are to sidestep.

The other thing with Lachie Young is that he hadn't even got his balance, he was not yet planted and upright to actually, you know, STAND before the umpire had blown his whistle.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

Interesting moments yesterday, the Larkey mark that wasn’t paid and free kicks paid off the ball literally at the other end of the ground that had, or potentially would of, made any impact on the contest.

Larkey in particular seemed to have copped some bad calls against him all season.

Yes if Nick Larkey was Buddy Franklin or Tom Hawkins or Tom Lynch, he would have had at least one more set shot a game, every game this year. He has had a few clear marks not awarded, not to mention the free kicks.

 

[Istanbul Roo]

I hardly watch other games now because of the huge numbers of free kicks - basically every second contact situation. And for what it's worth, in the one match I did watch this weekend I thought Port got screwed by umps' decisions against Richmond.

 

[Ligma]

The other thing with Lachie Young is that he hadn't even got his balance, he was not yet planted and upright to actually, you know, STAND before the umpire had blown his whistle.

The umpires are not Lachie Young supremacists

 

[Gasometer]

Simple answer...bottom teams get bottom Umpires.

 

[ferball]

How can the umpires continue to be so against us?
Every week is the same. We are always on the receiving end of poor, questionable and outright wrong decisions which continue to cost us at least 3 goals a week (minimum).

I get the club cannot come out and directly raise this via the media. But I’d hope the club would be raising / hilighting this week after week.

Is there anything any of us could do to hilight this.

We are bad enough as it stands but to be starting the game at -30 when you’re already no good is straight out unfair.
#corruptAFL

Okay so what we should be doing is time stamping or noting every poor decision. Every inconsistent one and then going back and looking at them. We need to show obviously poor decision making. Like soft frees against us in front of their goal and not paying ones fior us in front of our goal. need to note every hold, every unpaid fifty for the dumb * rules about standing the mark etc etc and then compare them properly.

Then build a body of work that shows this bias (if it actually does) and start a thread on the main board about it where we put up irrefutable evidence of this stuff. If it exists.

Honestly it seems like it does but we are biased.

My opinion is if it happens its because of unconscious bias but every now and then you hear stories like "former Sts player umpiring against us" and the s**t decisions that go with that and wonder about some individual umpires. There was an incident once where LT got belted around the head in front of the umpire. He looked at the umpire as if to say "what about that?" and the umpire laughed into his mike and said "yeah right" or "as if".

So the first thing you'd need to do is show that bias. The second thing you'd need to do is then have some real skin in the game. Find cases where you had a bet and the umpiring cost goals that cost you money. This claim needs to be in the public domain. You need to demonstarte the potential for corruption and do it in a way that is undeniable. If you can be bothered.

BTW - you know how the AFL is dependent on gambling money and we are supported by an anti gambling club. We are part of "love the game, not the odds."

Why would the AFL cut us an even break with that attitude?

 

[Engimal v3]

I hardly watch other games now because of the huge numbers of free kicks - basically every second contact situation. And for what it's worth, in the one match I did watch this weekend I thought Port got screwed by umps' decisions against Richmond.

Free kicks per game are actually far less than that of previous decades.

 

[ferball]

I hardly watch other games now because of the huge numbers of free kicks - basically every second contact situation. And for what it's worth, in the one match I did watch this weekend I thought Port got screwed by umps' decisions against Richmond.

I've watched neutral games in the last two weeks where a bunch of goals get handed to one team for the softest of reasons, where frees get payed and players from both sides wonder what for and those frees completely change the momentum of the game. Where teams in an even contest get gifted two or three quick goals and again that changes the momentum.

If ****ed. Its not just us that cop it. Its really hard to take the game seriously. The umpiring at VFL level is so much better on that front. It might not be great but the umpires don't look to insert themselves into the narrative of the game, for lack of a better term. I remember when the way to judge an umpire was how little you noticed their presence. Now it seems its the opposite.

Maybe they are like the cops and have quotas of frees per week these days the way the cops have fine quotas on the roads.

 

[CarnTheKANGAS]

I hardly watch other games now because of the huge numbers of free kicks - basically every second contact situation. And for what it's worth, in the one match I did watch this weekend I thought Port got screwed by umps' decisions against Richmond.

Agreed on the tigers v port game. And this goes to my point, that when the umpires want to achieve a result they will find the free kicks to meet this. We seem to be subject to this every week.

I will go through the replay again and record the timings of said unjusts.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

I go back to a dermis comment a few years ago. It is so apt today

When the umpire blows his/her/its whistle and all the players stop and look because nobody has any idea who has the free, you have a problem. That happens many times every game now.

And 90% of the time, the bloke with the ball is the only one who doesn't stop because they know they won't be penalised if everyone stops and is confused. So they get an unfair advantage while everyone waits for the umpire to explain what theyve pulled out their arse.

 

[Joshen]

Simple answer...bottom teams get bottom Umpires.

This. And the standard of umpiring is poor across the board.

 

[kool kangas]

Umpires, have and always, will make bad and confusing decisions which l yell at, but then remind myself> without umpires we dont have a game. So while putting up with it can be daunting not having a game would be worse..

 

[The Anvil]

I’m comfortable with the fact that umpires will make mistakes, where it seems like one team get the rub of the green.

I just want to know when it’s our turn to get a bit of the rub.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[shinboner magic]

umpiring is pathetic across the board - bottom clubs have copped it since day dot

 

[koshari]

firstly the afl are not making it easy for the umps, constantly changing the rules. but its as bad as i have ever seen it atm, and its not biased , just horrable.

 

[andana]

Obvious no call in today's game. Can't just flatten an opponent

 

[groo]

Simple answer...bottom teams get bottom Umpires.

And that shouldn’t be the case. North would pay the same admin costs as any other club. supprorters pay the same to enter the ground. Umpire allocation should be random With maybe a little of location considered with States etc....

 

[SonofSamsquanch]

Of course, this has been going on forever in footy and every other sport - one team feels they got a worse run than the other with incorrect decisions (often, both teams saying the same thing from the same game!!).

I can recall Barassi on World of Sport having a hard dig at umpires in the late 70's - he waited until North had won a game instead of complaining about the decisions after a loss - which Lou and Bobby made a considerable point of highlighting by saying that Ron wasn't complaining about the umps costing North the game.

In some ways, I have kind of felt that the umps have never given North an even break as a redult of Barassi's spray on WoS.

But seriously, North have had some terrible calls - umpiring errors that make no sense at all such as the mark not being paid to Larkey and many more, yet in the Melbourne game for instance, the Melb forward got a free for lurching in front of goals when he was hardly touched, Toby Greene

4

Toby Greene

Age

30

Ht

182cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.7

5star

K

12.5

5star

HB

10.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

3.0

5star

G

1.2

4star

D

17.5

4star

K

9.5

4star

HB

8.0

4star

M

4.8

4star

T

1.0

2star

G

2.3

5star

D

26.6

5star

K

12.4

5star

HB

14.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

3.6

5star

G

0.0

1star

dived for the first goal yesterday and so on.

Statistically, it's been shown that North get similar numbers of frees compared to other teams, but close watchers of the game know that a free at half back flank might count the same as one in the goal square from a statistical point of view, but it aint the same from the scoreboard perspective!

The issue of inconsistency is a serious problem and it is one that has to be resolved. It's impossible for every umpire to officate in precisely the same manner so the types of frees that create the worst of the errors have to be reviewed and eliminated if possible - those are the "judgement" calls. The ones where an umpire awards a penalty based on their own interpretation of a player's intent; deliberate Out of Bounds, Failure to make a sufficient attempt to keep the ball in play, deliberately rushing a behind when not under sufficient pressure, standing still on the mark and the similar bullshit rules that were recently added that add absolutely no benefit to the game in any way. In fact, these rules are the exact opposite of what footy is about - FFS it is a yobbo sort. Punching the ball through for a rushed behind denies the forwards a goal scoring opportunity - excellent win by the defender. Kicking the ball so that it goes a few metres or more in your direction then bounces over the line - yes, a great outcome and the stoppage is neutral so that's OK. Lairising and jumping up and down to distract an opponent having a shot at goal - well, chewy on yer boot ya mug - that is footy!

Umps need to learn what 15 metres looks like - we often see players being paid marks for 7 metre kicks, and I can't work out why somebody kicking in after a behind can run half way to the 50M line and not be penalised for HTB. Bring back the old rule of having to kick from the square FFS!

Remove those stupid rules and then clear up HTM / HTB so that it's as cut and dried as it can be and along with the above, almost all of the problems are solved. Channel seven can go and get rooted for all I care.

Umps must be assigned to games by ballot and incompetent ones like #13 from yesterday, #22 and Eleni can do the little league at half time to learn the game. The under 7s will teach them more than they currentlly know that is for sure.

Lastly, get those video reviews fixed. They are an embarrasment of the highest order. I have a $10 web cam that has better quality images.

 

[CarnTheKANGAS]

Of course, this has been going on forever in footy and every other sport - one team feels they got a worse run than the other with incorrect decisions (often, both teams saying the same thing from the same game!!).

I can recall Barassi on World od Sport having a hard dig at umpires in the late 70's - he waited until North had won a game instead of complaining about the decisions after a loss - which Lou and Bobby made a considerable point of highlighting by saying that Ron wasn't complaining about the umps costing North the game.

In some ways, I have kind of felt that the umps have never given North an even break as a redult of Barassi's spray on WoS.

But seriously, North have had some terrible calls - umpiring errors that make no sense at all such as the mark not being paid to Larkey and many more, yet in the Melbourne game for instance, the Melb forward got a free for lurching in front of goals when he was hardly touched, Toby Greene dived for the first goal yesterday and so on.

Statistically, it's been shown that North get similar numbers of frees compared to other teams, but close watchers of the game know that a free at half back flank might count the same as one in the goal square from a statistical point of view, but it aint the same from the scoreboard perspective!

The issue of inconsistency is a serious problem and it is one that has to be resolved. It's impossible for every umpire to officate in precisely the same manner so the types of frees that create the worst of the errors have to be reviewed and eliminated if possible - those are the "judgement" calls. The ones where an umpire awards a penalty based on their own interpretation of a player's intent; deliberate Out of Bounds, Failure to make a sufficient attempt to keep the ball in play, deliberately rushing a behind when not under sufficient pressure, standing still on the mark and the similar bullshit rules that were recently added that add absolutely no benefit to the game in any way. In fact, these rules are the exact opposite of what footy is about - FFS it is a yobbo sort. Punching the ball through for a rushed behind denies the forwards a goal scoring opportunity - excellent win by the defender. Kicking the ball so that it goes a few metres or more in your direction then bounces over the line - yes, a great outcome and the stoppage is neutral so that's OK. Lairising and jumping up and down to distract an opponent having a shot at goal - well, chewy on yer boot ya mug - that is footy!

Umps need to learn what 15 metres looks like - we often see players being paid marks for 7 metre kicks, and I can't work out why somebody kicking in after a behind can run half way to the 50M line and not be penalised for HTB. Bring back the old rule of having to kick from the square FFS!

Remove those stupid rules and then clear up HTM / HTB so that it's as cut and dried as it can be and along with the above, almost all of the problems are solved. Channel seven can go and get rooted for all I care.

Umps must be assigned to games by ballot and incompetent ones like #13 from yesterday, #22 and Eleni can do the little league at half time to learn the game. The under 7s will teach them more than they currentlly know that is for sure.

Lastly, get those video reviews fixed. They are an embarrasment of the highest order. I have a $10 web cam that has better quality images.

Good post