The Bulldogs and Umpires: Time for a Royal Commission?

[Footy_Fan2007]

I still recall watching that GF and wondering when the umps would let Sydney play, stifled them all day.

The same could be said about every game in Perth.

 

[WillHayward]

I hooe Bulldogs fans write emails to the club about this.

As a Bulldogs fan for about 10 years, I'm embarrassed.

I'm going to name them:

Wallis. Macrae. Liberatore. McLean.

Seriously guys, WTF? You are good enough to win the pill on its merits - why stage this this every week?

You know what will happen soon? They'll get blacklisted like Papley.

And you know what, I hope they do. It's a disgrace.

Mitch Wallis is a dead set cheat.

Dogs won the free count 15 to 8 and some of them were clearly staged.

The one where Wallis kicked a goal was a disgrace

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Anyone shocked by this?? I'm not.

For reference: https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/the-bulldogs-and-umpires-time-for-a-royal-commission.1215417/

Position	Club	Frees For	Frees Against	Differential
1	Adelaide	102	77	25
2	W.Bulldogs	88	67	21
3	GWS	98	80	18
4	Sydney	98	81	17
5	West Coast	83	66	17
6	Carlton	91	81	10
7	North Melbourne	94	89	5
8	Gold Coast	79	75	4
9	Melbourne	78	75	3
10	Essendon	83	82	1
11	Port Adelaide	84	86	-2
12	Collingwood	84	88	-4
13	Fremantle	78	86	-8
14	Hawthorn	74	86	-12
15	Brisbane	78	98	-20
16	St Kilda	68	89	-21
17	Geelong	74	101	-27
18	Richmond	67	94	-27

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Generally sides who hunt the footy win frees more often. And West Coast with their bias.

 

[momentbymoment]

Here we go ...
*popcorn*

 

[JayJ20]

Generally sides who hunt the footy win frees more often. And West Coast with their bias.

That's such BS. If that was the case, then sides like Fremantle, Melbourne and Port would be up there too.

 

[RUNVS]

Here we go ...
*popcorn*

I'm not going to say anything. I am not going to say anything.

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Yes, I agree, judging by those tables Adelaide certainly do get too many free kicks.

 

[momentbymoment]

I feel like the year 2016 is important for this thread but I can’t put my finger on it.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Generally sides who hunt the footy win frees more often. And West Coast with their bias.

The discrepancy is really in Frees Against though.

For a team that is +7 in Tackles Differential (top 3 in the comp), and a whopping +22 in Contested Possession, to only be giving away 16 Frees is extraordinary.

They're +1 for 1%ers too - so they're bringing heat to the contest, yet not giving away frees.

Weird.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Worth noting too I suppose, that with the new Man on the Mark rule - getting Free Kicks (and not giving them away) is a bigger an advantage than it's ever been.

 

[Substance]

The discrepancy is really in Frees Against though.

For a team that is +7 in Tackles Differential (top 3 in the comp), and a whopping +22 in Contested Possession, to only be giving away 16 Frees is extraordinary.

They're +1 for 1%ers too - so they're bringing heat to the contest, yet not giving away frees.

Weird.

We're coached well in this regard. Very disciplined.

What's weird is all the posters who still think there is some kind of conspiracy to this. Either we are one of the more disciplined sides in the comp under Beveridge, or the umpires have been deliberately favouring us. Which is just irrational to believe.

 

[General Giant]

Been that way for 6 years. Nothing new.

Though surprised at our turnaround from last or 2nd last.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

We're coached well in this regard. Very disciplined.

What's weird is all the posters who still think there is some kind of conspiracy to this. Either we are one of the more disciplined side in the comp under Beveridge, or the umpires have been deliberately favouring us. Which is just irrational to believe.

I agree.

What I'm curious about, is what Beveridge's secret is?

What do the Bulldogs do that other's don't? It's not like they're 'first to the ball', it's not like they don't tackle, it's not like they play a really uncontested brand of footy - how have they managed to to be so heavily favoured in the free kick differential since Beveridge took over?

It's not discipline - it has to be technique thing.

 

[Golden_6]

I agree.

What I'm curious about, is what Beveridge's secret is?

What do the Bulldogs do that other's don't? It's not like they're 'first to the ball', it's not like they don't tackle, it's not like they play a really uncontested brand of footy - how have they managed to to be so heavily favoured in the free kick differential since Beveridge took over?

It's not discipline - it has to be technique thing.

What are you implying?

I would suggest that our midfield (a very similar one we’ve had for years) is a very disciplined one who as individuals don’t give away a heap of free kicks. I think it’s as simple as that.

 

[Boristown]

It's not discipline - it has to be technique thing.

You answered your own question.

Cool thread, though

 

[Roby]

I'm not going to say anything. I am not going to say anything.

You said something.

 

[Roby]

I feel like the year 2016 is important for this thread but I can’t put my finger on it.

I can tell you as I reviewed every umpiring decision in 2016. It was also the last year I decided to do it

 

[Roby]

We're coached well in this regard. Very disciplined.

What's weird is all the posters who still think there is some kind of conspiracy to this. Either we are one of the more disciplined sides in the comp under Beveridge, or the umpires have been deliberately favouring us. Which is just irrational to believe.

Yeah nobody in world sport has ever bribed game officials. That's just impossible.

 

[momentbymoment]

What are you implying?

I would suggest that our midfield (a very similar one we’ve had for years) is a very disciplined one who as individuals don’t give away a heap of free kicks. I think it’s as simple as that.

Almost every free in AFL is subjective, so personally, I think a lopsided differential is as much about cognitive bias as it is technique. Sydney is also a very disciplined team but we have been at the bottom of that free kick differential for years.

 

[maddog37]

Yeah nobody in world sport has ever bribed game officials. That's just impossible.

This is next level crazy. Get a grip tin foil hat man.

 

[MCG-Unit]

Been that way for 6 years. Nothing new.

Though surprised at our turnaround from last or 2nd last.

Longer than that, I remember even back in the last of the Waverley days

 

[wayniac]

Pity Bigfooty doesn't have no dickheads policy. Works for the Bulldogs. Dahlhaus and Stringer gone to two teams who are not so hot on the free kick differential count. Especially now that Duckwood has been nobbled.

 

[owen87]

Pity Bigfooty doesn't have no dickheads policy.

It would be a community of about 4 posters if that was the case.

 

[Teen Wolf]

The Western Bulldogs were +14 in free kicks on the weekend for their 19-point win against Brisbane. If we're just going purely by the numbers, shouldn't we be more focussed on Port's +10 in their 2-point win over Richmond, or Sydney's +13 in their 3-point win against Essendon.