Which team whinges to/at the umpires the most?

Biggest whingers of the AFL?

  • Adelaide

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Brisbane

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Carlton

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Collingwood

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Essendon

    Votes: 2 2.3%
  • Fremantle

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Geelong

    Votes: 39 44.3%
  • Gold Coast

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • GWS

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Hawthorn

    Votes: 6 6.8%
  • Melbourne

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • North Melbourne

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Port Adelaide

    Votes: 4 4.5%
  • Richmond

    Votes: 23 26.1%
  • St Kilda

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Sydney

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • West Coast

    Votes: 7 8.0%
  • Western Bulldogs

    Votes: 2 2.3%

  • Total voters
    88

MC Bad Genius

No, not THAT MC Bad Genius. The other one.
Apr 15, 2008
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Not to add insult to injury, but I noticed in tonight's game that a lot of Port players were really demonstrative with the umpires when a call doesn't go their way. I'm not talking about forwards appealing for holding frees (because every forward does that every time the ball goes anywhere near them, the bloody show ponies). But there were a number of occasions where the behaviour from Port players was pretty childish, I thought.

I haven't watched enough games this year to know if there are other teams that are serial offenders, so I thought I'd put it out to a vote from the best footy minds in Australia (i.e. BigFooty users).

So ... which team whinges to/at the umpires the most?
 
Oct 15, 2009
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Not to add insult to injury, but I noticed in tonight's game that a lot of Port players were really demonstrative with the umpires when a call doesn't go their way. I'm not talking about forwards appealing for holding frees (because every forward does that every time the ball goes anywhere near them, the bloody show ponies). But there were a number of occasions where the behaviour from Port players was pretty childish, I thought.

I haven't watched enough games this year to know if there are other teams that are serial offenders, so I thought I'd put it out to a vote from the best footy minds in Australia (i.e. BigFooty users).

So ... which team whinges to/at the umpires the most?
Geelong. And I’m only counting the times Selwood sooks
 

MC Bad Genius

No, not THAT MC Bad Genius. The other one.
Apr 15, 2008
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i wanted Port to win. But after the relentless arm flapping I dont mind Richmond winning.

It was embarrassing. And clearly didnt work so why keep doing it ?
I wonder if the crowd played a factor in it? Hearing 99% of the stadium booing every time a decision goes against you might feed into the idea that you've been wronged. But it was pretty embarrassing, you're right.
 
Jul 13, 2015
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I wonder if the crowd played a factor in it? Hearing 99% of the stadium booing every time a decision goes against you might feed into the idea that you've been wronged. But it was pretty embarrassing, you're right.

Yep. Crowds tend to expect favourable treatment.

Still learning that the umpiring is garbage level and noone knows what the hell is happening.
 
Aug 25, 2005
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Richmond have a 2016 Bulldogs whiff about them at the moment, in the sense that they seem to understand certain interpretations much better than other teams.

They scrag during stoppages, delay play after an opposition free kick, block off the ball, nudge in the back etc. but don't get pinged for it.

There's a thread posing the question as to why the Bulldogs seem to have their own set of rules under Luke Beveridge. It's an interesting topic in my opinion, and my theory on it is this:

The whole 'free kick Hawthorn' thing a few years ago was real. It was no fluke that Hawthorn appeared to have the umpires in their pocket.
Clarkson knows how critical it is to have umpiring decisions go your way. The whole 'the umpires don't decide games' thing is a total myth and he knows it.
I believe he coaches to the technical interpretations, and knows what you can get away with and what you can't. I'm not talking about the laws of the game - I'm talking about the interpretations by umpires at a given time.
This is why he met with Gil about blocking during marking contests, and why he wigged out about the 'holding the ball' thing this year.

Team A plays to the laws of the game. Hawthirn played to the interpretations of those laws. The difference is often quite significant between the actual laws, and how they're interpreted in different seasons.

Any surprise that Beveridge then bobs up and his team seems to be using a cheat code whenever they play.

It's also no surprise that another of Ckarkson's guys in Hardwick has his team breaking laws every week - but not being penalised due to the intricacies of the interpretations at the moment.

Just for example, for some mind boggling reason, the umpires have been instructed to ping guys who raise their arms when tackled to free their hands - as this action is deemed as prior opportunity. If Powell-Pepper isn't smart enough to realise that this season, his coach should have been. He was pinged again a few times for doing this. He took possession of the ball with no prior whatsoever, but because he lifted his arms to actually genuinely give himself a chance of disposing of it legally - he was pinged.

It's just utterly ludicrous officiating. But it is how they're interpreting it this year.

Like Geelong and Hawkins and him blatantly shoving guys in the back. This year, the umpires just aren't paying it.


My point is, that this is why teams whinge about the umpiring when they play against Richmond. Richmond appear to breaking the rules (which they are), but they know how to break them without triggering the red flags that umpires use to interpret infringements.


Back on topic, I've always found that Carlton and St Kilda supporters complain the most about umpiring.


Personnally, I think everyone should complain it. It's an abomination.
 

MC Bad Genius

No, not THAT MC Bad Genius. The other one.
Apr 15, 2008
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Back on topic, I've always found that Carlton and St Kilda supporters complain the most about umpiring.


Personnally, I think everyone should complain it. It's an abomination.
I like the rest of your post, but just wanted to say the question is about players, not fans. All fans of every club complain about umpires!
 
Sep 27, 2008
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Geelong, Bulldogs and Richmond players seem to be the worst at it but every team's players do it to a certain extent and the vague interpretations don't help.

Back on topic, I've always found that Carlton and St Kilda supporters complain the most about umpiring.

Personnally, I think everyone should complain it. It's an abomination.

With good reason in St Kilda's case, we get screwed regularly by the umpiring including our two finals this year.

Ratten was also an assistant coach under Clarkson but he didn't get the umpiring cheat codes that his other assistant coaches like Beveridge and Hardwick got.
 
Aug 25, 2005
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Geelong, Bulldogs and Richmond players seem to be the worst at it but every team's players do it to a certain extent and the vague interpretations don't help.



With good reason in St Kilda's case, we get screwed regularly by the umpiring including our two finals this year.

Ratten was also an assistant coach under Clarkson but he didn't get the umpiring cheat codes that his other assistant coaches like Beveridge and Hardwick got.
Ratten hasn't had even 1 full pre-season with his team yet.

I'd fully expect that he'll implement similar next year.

I think he even did to an extent after the West Coast game.

St Kilda actually got rid of the ball against West Coast when they were tackled. Cause, you know, that's the rules right?

Wrong!!

It's the law still, but the umpires simply aren't paying holding the ball. So why get rid of it?

Against West Coast I noticed that not only did the St Kilda players get rid of the ball when tackled - too many times West Coast actually got it on the outside when they did. On top of that, West Coast didn't dispose of the ball and either just held it or dropped it - but weren't getting pinged.

The Saints were playing to the laws, West Coast were exploiting the interpretations.

Result? St Kilda laid 60 Tackles but only received 1 HTB decision (I think) and were beaten on the outside.

Compare that to two weeks later, where they won a final after only laying 32 tackles for the entire match.

They adjusted. I think Ratten realised that it's a waste of time charging at your opponent and laying heaps of tackles when the current interpretation offers zero reward.

The average punter would watch that game be appalled and think the umpiring is rigged and conspiring against St Kilda.

Corralling and pressuring to get the turnover is smarter footy than wasting your time gang tackling dudes.

They tried it again the following week against Richmond, with mixed results.
 
Jul 13, 2015
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Ratten hasn't had even 1 full pre-season with his team yet.

I'd fully expect that he'll implement similar next year.

I think he even did to an extent after the West Coast game.

St Kilda actually got rid of the ball against West Coast when they were tackled. Cause, you know, that's the rules right?

Wrong!!

It's the law still, but the umpires simply aren't paying holding the ball. So why get rid of it?

Against West Coast I noticed that not only did the St Kilda players get rid of the ball when tackled - too many times West Coast actually got it on the outside when they did. On top of that, West Coast didn't dispose of the ball and either just held it or dropped it - but weren't getting pinged.

The Saints were playing to the laws, West Coast were exploiting the interpretations.

Result? St Kilda laid 60 Tackles but only received 1 HTB decision (I think) and were beaten on the outside.

Compare that to two weeks later, where they won a final after only laying 32 tackles for the entire match.

They adjusted. I think Ratten realised that it's a waste of time charging at your opponent and laying heaps of tackles when the current interpretation offers zero reward.

The average punter would watch that game be appalled and think the umpiring is rigged and conspiring against St Kilda.

Corralling and pressuring to get the turnover is smarter footy than wasting your time gang tackling dudes.

They tried it again the following week against Richmond, with mixed results.

Im not sure anything beats Hawthorn's 100 tackles for 1 free kick.

The AFL and umpires have turned the game in to a joke. Every "fix" makes it worse. They literally have no clue how the game works.
 

The wily weagle

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Oct 16, 2014
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Have seen most teams live and for me, the supporters who stood out that whinged the most at the umpires were the crows.

There's passion, and then there is just blatant stupidity. I was at eagles game last year at the Adelaide oval last year and one of our players got a very blatant push in the back, in front of the umpire, that was duly paid a free kick.

Now most supporter groups i have encountered in a scenario like that would have gone, begrudgingly, fair enough, the free was there.

But at the Adelaide oval that day half the crowd got up out of their seats and went "BULLS@%T!!! CHEATS!!!!!"

🤭😂🤭😂
 
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