What is the worst umpiring decision you have ever seen?

moistie

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#26
Finals Adelaide vs Geelong 1997 (or was it 1998?)

The non mark to Leigh Colbert when he ran with the flight of the ball into the pack, took the mark and the umpire balled it up.
 

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winty

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Thread starter Moderator #27
The worst was definitely the Fitzroy one against the Crows. Adelaide received three very dubious decisions in their favour in the last two minutes of the game, kicked two goals, and one by a point (from memory).

I'm a North supporter but I remember I and the rest of my family were utterly disgusted with the umpires... utterly disgusted. That Leigh Colbert one was one that sprung to mind.

Then there's the '94 Prelim Final... :mad: :(


What was the crappy umpiring decision in the '94 Prelim? I can't remember it.

I do remember the Adelaide-Fitzroy game though. That was the biggest travesty of justice in the history of the AFL I think.
 
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#29
Anthony Rocca's '02 GF goal being called a point. :mad:

And to prove I'm not totally biased there was a horrendous call against the doggies when they played us a couple of years ago. I can't remember who kicked the ball, but it went at least 30 m forward and he still got pinged for deliberate out of bounds.
 

Rob

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#30
Nothing would beat this:

Matthew Carr has a shot on goal, misses and is poleaxed by Ty Zantuck too late. Awarded a free kick. The umpire then proceeds to ask Ty Zantuck whether Carr should have another shot at goal. Zantuck predictably says no, we'll take the point thanks. Point awarded.

Now fair dinkum, just about every decision mentioned has been a judgement call, i.e whether something is in the back, too high, a throw, whatever. But when an umpire plainly doesn't apply the rules, that surely beats any poor judgement call.
 

WhyAlwaysMe

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#31
Leigh Colberts mark not paid against Adelaide in that final. That decision single handedly gave Adelaide their flag.
 

Frizzo

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#32
What about the Eagles Richmond game a couple of years ago where someone (Hunter or Green maybe? I can't remember actually) got a free kick and was lined up the wrong way by the umpire. Noone realised for a few seconds, but when the Eagles player did he turned around and took off. The umpire doesn't bring him back behind the mark and just lets him play on.
 
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#35
The worse would have to be 2006 Round 5 - St Kilda vs Fremantle

The umpire continued play even after the final siren had sounded, worse decision in history.
 

Ted Ed Fred

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#36
Pick any decision after half time in the 06 grand final :thumbsdown:

An absolute disgrace, Goldspink in particular deciding that he wasn't getting enough of the limelight and that he'd get the Swans over the line :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:
 

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#37
Fitzroy copped some very dubious decisions in their dying days, there was a shocker over in Adelaide when they were plainly robbed of a victory, the actual circumstances escape me , but I`m sure there is a roy boy out there who could remind us.
The Leigh Colbert non mark also over in Adelaide and this time a final was also one that sticks out like a sore thumb.
Aside from the extremely shonky free kicks Adelaide got late in the game, the last one was against Fitzroy for holding the ball, a disgraceful call, there were crow defenders practically jumping on the bloke with the ball. Free kick 20 metres out, dead in front, Jameson goal after the siren.

Can still remember the back page of the paper the next morning. It read FURIOUS ROYS. That one against Richmond in their dying days was pretty poor as well.

For mine, the worst umpiring decision ever comes from a SANFL game on Almost Football Legends. A player fires off a 20 metre handball to a teammate. The umpire, who had his back to the handball, paid the mark, thinking the ball must've been kicked. As Trev so beautifully put it:

YOU **********H3@D!!
 

H2F

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#38
Pick any decision after half time in the 06 grand final :thumbsdown:

An absolute disgrace, Goldspink in particular deciding that he wasn't getting enough of the limelight and that he'd get the Swans over the line :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:
I actually remember thinking to myself Goldspink must have been seriously warned before this game because he is doing an ok job... Sure enough like on cue after half time he came out and near ruined the game. Can you imagine if the Swans had of won that game by a kick or something.

THIS IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.

Goldspink being sacked should not be something we laugh about, it should happen now before he costs someone other than Hawthorn a Grand Final appearance or Premiership.
 

Aker39

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#39
Nothing would beat this:

Matthew Carr has a shot on goal, misses and is poleaxed by Ty Zantuck too late. Awarded a free kick. The umpire then proceeds to ask Ty Zantuck whether Carr should have another shot at goal. Zantuck predictably says no, we'll take the point thanks. Point awarded.

Now fair dinkum, just about every decision mentioned has been a judgement call, i.e whether something is in the back, too high, a throw, whatever. But when an umpire plainly doesn't apply the rules, that surely beats any poor judgement call.

Have to agree with you on that one.

Also, the reversed free kick against Leo Barry in the WC v Sydney final in 2005.
 

Gabbie

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#40
After 12 blemish free years on hte footy field or so David Dench getting reported for a tap and copping 2 weeks (i think)

Corey McKernan getting reported in '96 for a nothing thing against John Barnes who to his credit tried to get him off.

Yep, I remember watching that Fitzroy v Crows & Colbert v Umpire & Crows crowd game - both times i was at a pub and we just about threw our glasses at the screen - an absoeffinglutely travesty of justice IMO.
 

Chewy

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#42
Pick any decision after half time in the 06 grand final :thumbsdown:
The worst decision in the 2006 GF was during the 3rd qtr, when Barry Hall was tackled at CHF at the Punt Rd End. He saw the tackle coming, grabbed the ball and ducked his head. The umpire who was controlling play was onto it. I was watching him. He gave Hall every chance to dispose of the ball, then he bent down as if he was about to pay "holding the ball".

Meanwhile, before he could signal, the umpire controlling the centre of the ground, blew his whistle, ran in from 50m away and signalled "too high". He'd been completely sucked in by Hall's ducking head.

The controlling umpire was about to do the "holding the ball" hand signal, heard the other whistle, then bailed out of his decision. He knew it was holding the ball, but deferred to an umpire who was 50m away from the action. If he'd been quicker to pay his own decision, the other umpire probably wouldn't have intervened.

Why does it take so long for umpires to signal "holding the ball" ?
Fair enough, give the guy every opportunity to get rid of the ball, but why take so long to signal, once you've made up your mind.

Look at how quick are they are to signal "too high". Bang!
Compare it to the "holding the ball" signal where they squat down like a ballerina doing her warm-ups, then pause for effect and do the signal slowly to milk the roars from the crowd. Less ego please, umpires. We're not here to watch you. Get on with it!
 

BK Eaglesfan

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#43
The worst decision in the 2006 GF was during the 3rd qtr, when Barry Hall was tackled at CHF at the Punt Rd End. He saw the tackle coming, grabbed the ball and ducked his head. The umpire who was controlling play was onto it. I was watching him. He gave Hall every chance to dispose of the ball, then he bent down as if he was about to pay "holding the ball".

Meanwhile, before he could signal, the umpire controlling the centre of the ground, blew his whistle, ran in from 50m away and signalled "too high". He'd been completely sucked in by Hall's ducking head.

The controlling umpire was about to do the "holding the ball" hand signal, heard the other whistle, then bailed out of his decision. He knew it was holding the ball, but deferred to an umpire who was 50m away from the action. If he'd been quicker to pay his own decision, the other umpire probably wouldn't have intervened.

Why does it take so long for umpires to signal "holding the ball" ?
Fair enough, give the guy every opportunity to get rid of the ball, but why take so long to signal, once you've made up your mind.
Agree 100% with your call on that decision.....as an ex umpire I'll clear up one little detail for you :)

Doesn't matter how quick he had signaled the holding the ball, as soon as the 2nd umpire saw which way umpire 1 was paying the kick (ironically I think it was Goldspink who was paying the right decision) he blew the whistle. No argument on timing, if umpire 2 says the tackle was high and he saw it clearly the first free kick in the sequnce of events has to be paid. Theory of course being that without a legal tackle there can't possibly be a holding the ball, and he is saying the tackle was illegal. On the call itself I think Hall ducked and Goldspink had it right...but once umpire 2 stuck his nose in, the actual process was right.
 

BK Eaglesfan

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#44
Nothing would beat this:

Matthew Carr has a shot on goal, misses and is poleaxed by Ty Zantuck too late. Awarded a free kick. The umpire then proceeds to ask Ty Zantuck whether Carr should have another shot at goal. Zantuck predictably says no, we'll take the point thanks. Point awarded.

Now fair dinkum, just about every decision mentioned has been a judgement call, i.e whether something is in the back, too high, a throw, whatever. But when an umpire plainly doesn't apply the rules, that surely beats any poor judgement call.
Agree on all counts...absolutely inexcuseable to just out and out not apply basic rules. So many grey areas in our laws, to fluff the black and white stuff just can't happen.
 

BK Eaglesfan

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#45
In 1997, Hawthorn v Essendon, under the lights at Waverley, early season H&A game. A Hawthorn player had a shot at goal. The ball cleared the pack and was clearly bouncing through for a goal. The goal umpire stood side-on, straddling the goal line, hunched over, arms out wide, with a massive erection, as Sam Newman liked to say. He was so busy concentrating on seeing whether anyone touched the ball on the goal line (no one was within cooee) he didn't notice that the ball veered slightly towards him. The ball hit him on the knee, 2 feet inside the line, 3 feet inside the goal post, then rebounded off his knee and back into the field of play. As players ran in from 15m away, the goal umpire stood up straight and made a confused signal to the field ump. The whistle blew. the umpires conferred for 30 seconds. Then the goal umpire signalled touched, one point...
HE WAS THE ONE WHO TOUCHED THE BALL!!
Possibly the only time an umpire has scored in an AFL game. We were robbed of a certain goal by an umpire who couldn't keep his eye on the ball and got in the way. We were even denied a chance to score off the rebound.
Don't remember this one, when you say it hit the goal umpire's leg 'inside' the line you mean it hit him inside the field of play? Did the ball ever in fact cross the goal line?

If it hit his knee, never croseed the line and fell off him onto the field of play....play on would have been the technically right decision. If it hit him on the way through but did cross the line, goal.

Funnily enough if a goal umpire was so badly positioned that the ball hit him when going through for point and rebounded through for a goal, a goal would stand...technically. Another funny law of the game. Most common sense goal umpires would pay a point (and most football supporters wuld expect that)....the common sense goal umpires would be dropped the following week for an incorrect decision.
 

BK Eaglesfan

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#46
Also, the reversed free kick against Leo Barry in the WC v Sydney final in 2005.
The Stenglein free..........I remember watching that game at Crown casino and wondering why Swans fans watching the big screen were going so crook.....thought the free seemed warranted when I saw the game 'live'. Can't crash into or shepherd a player innocently standing the mark.

It was the replays from a couple of other angles that had me thinking we were VERY lucky.

Then again with the relationship between QF / GF results this year and last, I wish we'd lost that game looking back!!!!
 

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#47
Don't remember this one, when you say it hit the goal umpire's leg 'inside' the line you mean it hit him inside the field of play? Did the ball ever in fact cross the goal line?

If it hit his knee, never croseed the line and fell off him onto the field of play....play on would have been the technically right decision. If it hit him on the way through but did cross the line, goal.

Funnily enough if a goal umpire was so badly positioned that the ball hit him when going through for point and rebounded through for a goal, a goal would stand...technically. Another funny law of the game. Most common sense goal umpires would pay a point (and most football supporters would expect that)....the common sense goal umpires would be dropped the following week for an incorrect decision.
Yeah, the ball hit the goal umpire inside the field of play.

He was standing with his feet almost 1 metre apart, either side of the goal line.
Nor was he standing hard up against the goal post - he was standing about 1 metre in from the goal post, towards the centre of goals.
His positioning was terrible. His technique was woeful.
He was trying so hard to "look" like a goal umpire, that he forgot how to be a goal umpire.
As for his confused signal and the conference between him and the field umpire, all I can say is that they made an incorrect ruling, that saved them from embarrassment, as most people had no idea what was going on.

This is my big problem with goal umpires. They spend so much of their time strutting around like peacocks that it interferes with how they do their job. I have no problem with the occasional wrong call when they are unsighted - sometimes when the call is close, or the kick goes off the side of the boot, the only way we'd get the correct decision is to employ an extra goal ump at each end.

What I hate is when they are too busy posing - running around on a massive 10m arc with their chest stuck out, trying to look important and get themselves out of position or take their eye off the ball.

It should be an instant sackable offence!
 

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#48
Nothing would beat this:

Matthew Carr has a shot on goal, misses and is poleaxed by Ty Zantuck too late. Awarded a free kick. The umpire then proceeds to ask Ty Zantuck whether Carr should have another shot at goal. Zantuck predictably says no, we'll take the point thanks. Point awarded.

Now fair dinkum, just about every decision mentioned has been a judgement call, i.e whether something is in the back, too high, a throw, whatever. But when an umpire plainly doesn't apply the rules, that surely beats any poor judgement call.
I will never forget this one. I was catatonic with laughter after that.

Along with last season where the umpire (Allen?) gave 50 against Mark Johnson for calling Buchanon a "Weak Dog" ... "You can't call him a weak dog Mark" :confused:

The two worst I've seen by a mile.
 

BK Eaglesfan

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#49
Yeah, the ball hit the goal umpire inside the field of play.

He was standing with his feet almost 1 metre apart, either side of the goal line.
Nor was he standing hard up against the goal post - he was standing about 1 metre in from the goal post, towards the centre of goals.
His positioning was terrible. His technique was woeful.
He was trying so hard to "look" like a goal umpire, that he forgot how to be a goal umpire.
As for his confused signal and the conference between him and the field umpire, all I can say is that they made an incorrect ruling, that saved them from embarrassment, as most people had no idea what was going on.
Your last comment sums it up. It should have been play on, but most supporters either wouldn't have known what was going on, or expected a goal to be given (or a combinatin of both). Giving the point??? Maybe they were hoping after the conference that everyone at the ground would forget who touched it :)
 

Mitchell Madness

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#50
In 1997, Hawthorn v Essendon, under the lights at Waverley, early season H&A game. A Hawthorn player had a shot at goal. The ball cleared the pack and was clearly bouncing through for a goal. The goal umpire stood side-on, straddling the goal line, hunched over, arms out wide, with a massive erection, as Sam Newman liked to say. He was so busy concentrating on seeing whether anyone touched the ball on the goal line (no one was within cooee) he didn't notice that the ball veered slightly towards him. The ball hit him on the knee, 2 feet inside the line, 3 feet inside the goal post, then rebounded off his knee and back into the field of play. As players ran in from 15m away, the goal umpire stood up straight and made a confused signal to the field ump. The whistle blew. the umpires conferred for 30 seconds. Then the goal umpire signalled touched, one point...
HE WAS THE ONE WHO TOUCHED THE BALL!!
Possibly the only time an umpire has scored in an AFL game. We were robbed of a certain goal by an umpire who couldn't keep his eye on the ball and got in the way. We were even denied a chance to score off the rebound.

I remember that exact same game, was the first season i went to the footy. M. Lloyd gets the ball with the dons 5 pts down, he is about 55m out, bombs into an empty forward line. bounce..... bounce..... bounce..... skim the post??? Nobody had a clue but us who were privlidged enough to be sitting in the cheersquad who clearly saw it hit the post. Umpires go into a huddle for 5 minutes to decide what had happened, and "GOAL!!!!!" essendon win by a point. "BULL**********!!!!" chant around the ground from the hawks supporters. 2 minutes later, Essendon win, with no change to the score since that decision.

That match has always stuck in my head, however, i recall the massive comeback had big controversy, with P.Everitt giving away a 100m penalty, first for not returning the ball, then apparently retaliating to being hit the eye. was pure commedy sitting front row on the wing, about 20-25m from where it happened:D
 
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