The Rules

[Anon]

I don't know if anyone else feels the same and maybe I'm going out on a limb when I say this but, hell who cares!

I used to love AFL but now when I watch it I feel the level of play has taken a major snow dive and I get to the stage where I just switch the TV off in boredom. Is it just me or do umpires run around the field with their fingers up their ass calling inconsistant rulings and not treating the rule book like the holy grail which it should be treated like. I think out of every sport ever created in history the AFL would have to have the shittiest rules known to mankind. They are changed too much and are piss weak anyway. I vote an overhaul of the rules book, NOW!!!

 

[Daniel]

It is pretty bad, when you compare it to a sport like American football. If you were new to the AFL the umpiring inconsistency would be very hard to understand, while it is frustrating for everyone else.

I like the officiating in American football, insofar as the officials will confer and then announce the decision, so everyone knows exactly what happened. Of course, you couldn't do this with Australian Rules because it moves too fast and everyone would hate to see the game slowed down.

The holding the ball rule, as it has been applied for most of the season, was non-existent for almost all of the Geelong-Adelaide game today.

 

[Bomber]

The umpiring in that game today was pathetic! How did Adelaide not get a shot at goal in the last mins for that throw? (cant remember who). All day they were terrible.

I dont know what needs to be done with Umps -but Jim Main in Inside Footy is right, All umps seem to be geeks - the sort of kids at school who always got beat up, and were not very sporty at all.

Then again, if your umpiring, its probably because you cant play the game!

Also, about 20 mins ago North have a shot, Carey CLEARLY touches it - Blind Fredy can see that, yet after the two geeks, one field and one goal, confer, they pay a goal! hahaha enjoy the country league boys!!

 

[Grendel]

While watching the Dons/Dockers game last night there was a great bit of play in (I think) the 3rd quarter where Barnes tapped the ball down J.Johnsons throat who then tore through the centre and (supposedly) handballed to Carrecella who kicked a goal.

Great play except for the fact that Johnson had Carecella to his RIGHTSIDE. He was holding the ball in his LEFT palm. Both players were running at speed alongside one another through the middle.
Johnson couldnt possibly under the rules of the game LEGALLY handpass the ball under those circumstances. He threw the ball.
Now im only highlighting this as it happend last night.
ALL teams do it. It should be stopped, its a blight on the game and also shows lack of skill and lack of guts by officialdom to do anything about it.
My other main beef is the 'kicking over the man on the mark'.
How many times do we see the umpires bring a bloke to task for going slightly of center and making him retake the kick?
YET a player can kick BACKWARDS to a teamate behind him to switch play or handball of to the sides or behind him if they choose to do so??? If thats not going 'over the man on the mark' then whats the use of the rule?
Out game was designed to go forward at all times. It is only recently that possesion style keep the ball under all costs has brought this new type of play in.
Question is,is it legal?
If not then let the rules committee enforce the kick over the man, stop the one sided throwing of the ball. Bring back some plain common sense to the rules by stopping "interpration" and enforcing the actual rule "as written"
It can only do the game damage in the long run if they go on the way they are at the moment.