The standard of umpiring

[mediumsizered]

Holding the ball is killing me. Some weeks they don't pay it at all & then for a quarter or two they start paying it & then they put it away again. I couldn't get over the one paid against us in front of Port's goal which came immediately after a similar incident in the previous passage of play on Port's HFF where no free kick was paid to us for virtually the same thing.

Then there was one against Cachia (if my memory serves me correctly) where he was tackled as soon as he took possession of the ball, pulled to the ground & had no hope of getting the ball out. What happened to prior opportunity?

Surely the Giesch can't expect us to believe that this rule is being umpired the same way week in, week out & the same way by each umpire. It is all over the shop.

 

[MrsEddieBetts]

Serious question--is incorrect disposal still a rule? Today there were several occasions from both sides where the players just dropped the ball straight away when tackled and it wasn't paid. I honestly can't remember the last time it was paid, so maybe they got rid of the rule and I just don't remember?

 

[Gray Day]

Umpiring was inconsistent for both sides today.

Tired of seeing players allowed to drop the ball when being tackled.

 

[Sublime]

You're kidding right? Its the flavour of the day to bash the umpires these days. There was absolutely nothing wrong with them today, they were consistent for both teams. Seriously, if this is the kind of crap that so many people are focusing on after a solid performance by the boys, then i don't know what will ever make people happy. Always gotta have something to bitch about.

 

[KennyHunter9]

These threads are embarrassing.

Why is a thread about the standard of umpiring embarrassing?

Sure, conspiracy theories are a stretch, but many games including non-Carlton games have featured appalling decisions. The three incorrect decisions within 10 seconds at the death of the Collingwood-Geelong game that gifted Krakouer a goal was the low point of the weekend for me.

If you leave Geishen in charge of the umpiring for 10 years the umpiring will get worse. It's as simple as that. The man is a fool. Nice guy, but a fool. The AFL is responsible for this appointment. Also, if you let the Rules Committee muck around with the Rules constantly it will also be a problem. The sliding rule interpretation this year have been nothing short of an embarrassment.

Oh, and FFS, stop paying free kicks to guys called Selwood.

 

[serenityNow]

Personally i watch Carltons games and nothing else, just gives me the shits, knee jerk reactions to injuries/or coaches tactics bring about bullshit rule changes each year, the umpires are confused and struggle to implement them.....i cant even explain the rules to my kids anymore.


*Having said that, i didnt have an issue with todays umpiring, the murphy one aside.

**What has happened to the dropping the ball rule? how many times a guy is tackled, and he just drops the ball and its play on...

 

[Boltfromtheblue]

Rule committee needs to get onto this 50m penalty crap. Hate seeing minor infringements result in a 50 and shot on goal. Happy to have the rule used for major murder, major felony or arson.

 

[OldBlueFan]

The most glaring one for me today was the two-handed shovel from Monfries to Westhoff in the goal square that was a "not paid" one that resulted directly in a goal.

But can someone please tell me why there was no review of the Henderson mark in the goal square? Clearly, the central umprire was going to pay the mark, the goal umpire wanted to call it "touched over the line". This was a classic example of where a video review might have actually been able to estabish the correct outcome. But it's not even referred.

Just by the by. Today demonstrated an anomaly in our game that had never occurred to me before. On the one hand, if it can be established that the ball hadn't completely crossed the line in the Henderson mark example, then the mark should be paid. However, earlier in the game, there was a touched-on-the-line decision that wasn't a mark. Pretty clearly, the ball hadn't completely crossed the line before it was touched (by Warnock I think) and yet that was called a goal. So a marked ball that hasn't completely crossed the line is a mark, but a touched ball that hasn't comletely crossed the line is a goal ... huh?

And yeah, the number of players, from both teams, who just threw the ball away when they realised they couldn't handpass or kick the thing, was really obvious today. The rules committee have created a xontradictory situation. Hold onto it and you get pinged whether you had prior opportunity or not. Drop it, and even though you've broken a rule of the game (incorrect disposal) the umpire can't ping you, because you "got rid of it". It's just stupid.

I'm pretty sure that the rule used to be that this was only play-on IF the ball had been knocked clear by the tackle itself, but this is patently not the case when the tackling player has his arms wrapped around the chest and upper arms of the ball carrier. These days, the player being tackled need only let the ball go. It looks ugly.

 

[Wickzki]

You are suggesting the AFL Umpires Department has chosen to award less free kicks to the Carlton Football Club because our captain posted certain demeaning comments on a social media platform. This is your opinion, am I right?

No, actually your not. I didn't say that, nor is it my opinion. Whether it is a choice, subconscious dislike, or merely coincidence, I am not in a position to judge. I stand by my opinion that we haven't had the rub of the green since about that time though. Take from that what you will.

You flatly said in response to...

I dont know what we have done to upset the martians

Last year when Murph and some of the other injured boys had a go at the umps on Twitter. We have copped it since then.

I don't know how anyone could take anything else other than what thylacine took from your post.

If every club was crucified after what players had to say in regards to the umpires there would be no free kicks paid whatsoever.

 

[sacamano]

Umps are fine at the moment. Any gripers should remember that taking a games result out on umps should consider the teams performance.

 

[T2B_]

They're ruining the spectacle.

 

[Sublime]

They're ruining the spectacle.

An umpire applying shitty rules isn't ruining the spectacle, its the shitty rules.

The goal umpire in the Richmond game that got hit with the ball by doing exactly as he was supposed to, was dropped from umpiring the following week.

Even the AFL use them as excuses for their stuff ups. Any wonder they have issues trying to get umpires in local football and football in general. Everything is always their fault even though they have a stupidly difficult job.

Its like scientists suddenly saying that all electricians must be standing in a pool of water while wearing a metal hat before doing any wiring as its the new best and safest way.

 

[pjhad1]

I don't know how anyone could take anything else other than what thylacine took from your post.

If every club was crucified after what players had to say in regards to the umpires there would be no free kicks paid whatsoever.

Fair enough, though my suggestion was never that the Umpire Department has chosen to do anything, or that umpires have convened to conspire against us - that is a ridiculous suggestion, obviously that is not the case. My point was simply that we have had rotten luck with them since that time.

There are a number of reasons for why that may be. Individual umpires taking offence, the umpires adjudicating that game being ofended (or disgruntled because they copped a whack themselves), who knows.

 

[LanceRomance]

Sometimes I feel the umpiring is used as an equaliser by the AFL to keep games competitive.

I have nothing to back it up obviously, just a feeling.

 

[KnobHead]

If we're only able to point to 2 or 3 bad decisions each game, then the umpires are doing a good job.

It's a fast moving game, of course mistakes will be made from time to time. Overall, the umpires do a good job

 

[bobsyouruncle]

I think most of the frustration is compounded by the boys not finishing in front of goal and letting Port have a sniff.
We should have had a comfortable buffer by 3/4 time and should have been 3-4 more goals in front.
So the mistakes that the umpries made is more aggravating to a crowd already agitated.

Here is a list of the glaring ones I saw upon reviewing the game later last night.
All times are the TV countdown clock, not the game clock.

1st quarter
18.15 Brock gets tackled with zero prior opportunity, trying to hand the ball out, gets ping for holding the ball.
13.55 Kreuzer in goal square, gets his back landed on, no free.
3.20 Walker is pinged for in the back against Gray, extremely soft, Gray didn't fall forward due to Walker in his back, he fell due to Scotland and Lucas pulling from front.

2nd quarter
1.15 Henderson denied a mark on the goal line even though the centre umpire saw it clearly, the goal umpire decided it touched the post.

3rd quarter
17.35 Murphy vs OShea for loose ball, Oshea pulls Murphy's arm during the chase, no free, jumps onto his back, no free, puts Murphy in a head lock, FREE.....to OShea. Murphy penalised for holding the ball. No prior opportunity, was infringed multiple times, but was the one penalised.
8.55 Cassisi breaks Lucas's tackle, takes 2 steps then gets tackled by Cachia, didn't dispose of the ball correctly, no free. OShea picks up the loose ball, is tackled by Lucas and gets awarded a free for high tackle. Very soft.
3.55 Murphy going for the ground ball is clearly slung out of it with out possession, no call.
3.05 Monfries rugby throws the ball out in front of him towards Westhoff, free to Westhoff, goal for Port.

4th quarter
18.30 Cassisi in the goal square gets tackled well by Bell, clearly hand balls sideways towards boundary, isn't penalised.

There were a few others which are too 50/50 for me to bother listing.
I don't think there is any conspiracy against us, it is just frustrating when umpires miss things.
Add to that the fact that we are not a great side yet, and still lose game we should be winning, it just makes umpires a punching bag.

 

[white lie]

I don't agree with us getting the rough end of the stick but I do think a thread along similar lines is worthy of attention. There were a lot of games this week where the umpiring was nothing short of terrible and probably did affect the end result of the game. Whether they have it in for one team or not, I don't know nor really care but there needs to be consistency in their calls, not only within the same game but also from one game to the next. I guess this comes back to the rules committee over complicating things as mentioned.

You see plenty of 'soft' calls for pushing in the back, high where a player clearly ducks etc and some will be called all the time in one game, watch another and it's the complete opposite. Lines need to be marked in the sand to clearly define what is what so everyone (umpires, players, coaches and spectators) all know exactly what the rule is and when a call should be made. I don't really blame the umps as they're essentially just doing their job but they don't need to be good at it.

And if they're going to use things like score review, then they really need to look at making it work properly (again consistently) and using it when they really should be. The 3rd umpire in the cricket has such a better system in place, I don't know why they haven't taken cues from there to begin with.

 

[Carlton_Blues]

The rules committee have made it bloody hard to umpire this great game!

This true - to a point.

And what do you make of Geischen's recent explanation of the push in the back rule?

The rules themselves have become hard to umpire / interpret, which leads to inconsistent decisions on any given day/match. Bloody frustrating!

 

[jj1978]

The only Glaring mistake to me was the 50m paid against Bell when he didn't pass it to the millimetre into the port players chest. This needs to be reviewed as he was not attempting to hold up play (he was running off the ground and did the polite thing and picked up the ball and passed about 25m), and there was no malice/intention for him to hold up play at all.

 

[GordonBlue]

I watched the Pies v Cats game and could not believe the umpiring. It was horrendous. The play on from in front mark was the biggest worry.

For most of the game Collingwood were getting absolutely killed by the umpires. Collingwood have been copping it from the umpires for years. The last quarter however they got a couple of very lucky calls. All up, the umpiring was terrible in that game.

The umps had another shocker in the Dees v Tiges game. Toward the latter period of that game, the umps may as well have put on a Dees jumper on. Several Tigers players had their heads ripped off and back ridden and nothing... a second later, a feather glance of the shoulder of a Melbourne players and it was a free.

When it comes to umpiring, I try to watch each game removing any bias out of it (hence my two examples of two teams I cannot stand) and the standard of umpiring has been low. Not the umpire's fault however... purely the rules committee and their constant changing of how rules should be interpreted.

 

[Aphrodite]

Goal review system fail!!

Why didn't the umpire call for a review.

 

[Monkey King]

The standard of umpiring has been appalling in almost all of our games, whether in our favour or not. Plenty of s**t decisions and non-decisions each way on the weekend. Not sure who benefited the most from that in the end. The Murphy HTB decision, where he has his head half ripped-off, just typifies how bad it's been this year; and yet I've no doubt Gieschen's bias will concoct some ridiculous explanation that suggests the umps made the right call.

And it's not just Carlton games this crap has been happening in. Plenty of teams have copped the rough end, like poor old North on the weekend. The whole system needs as overhaul from top to bottom. It's becoming farcical.

 

[HalloweenJack]

Just by the by. Today demonstrated an anomaly in our game that had never occurred to me before. On the one hand, if it can be established that the ball hadn't completely crossed the line in the Henderson mark example, then the mark should be paid. However, earlier in the game, there was a touched-on-the-line decision that wasn't a mark. Pretty clearly, the ball hadn't completely crossed the line before it was touched (by Warnock I think) and yet that was called a goal. So a marked ball that hasn't completely crossed the line is a mark, but a touched ball that hasn't comletely crossed the line is a goal ... huh?

I thought that Warnock clearly marked the ball behind the goals so awarding the goal was the correct decision IMO. I agree with your other points OBF including the Henderson non-mark. I thought that this one should have gone to review.

Finally the game itself was pretty much unbearable to watch.

 

[white lie]

Goal review system fail!!

Why didn't the umpire call for a review.

I thought they did review that one, can't remember 100%? But the review system is pathetic, camera quality is absolute rubbish.

 

[RiCHii]

It's pretty hard to watch football when umpiring is this bad, and I am not complaining about JUST Carlton games, but for every single game. Watched the Kangaroos WestCoast game on Friday night and my gosh were North stiff, the game was influenced by umpires which kills the game for mine.
I am under the impression that every year there is a new focus in terms of the rules of the game, this year it has been the hands in the back rule, while the umpires are concentrating on this rule, clear glaring rules get over looked. I have never in my life seen so many tackles go unrewarded, what has happened to rewarding the tackler? and since when has just letting go of the football been a correct disposal of the football? AND the stupid free kicks when there is a massive pack of players around the ball and the umpires just pluck one out to ease the congestion just shits me up the wall. Seriously they need to start to get it right, I tried explaining these rules to someone from overseas, didn't take him long to ask me why there were so many glaring mistakes made throughout the game and that's someone who doesn't even know the game very well finding big mistakes.