Umpiring questions

[yin-YANG]

Umps clearly put the whistle away… which I usually don't mind - except the Pies players seem to be on the wrong end of the 'non' decisions all night long!

I really get annoyed when the umps pay it against players who go to ground but are clearly after the footy and someone runs into their body on the side and receives a free. On a slippery night especially that was just pathetic.

Witts call was ridiculous - poor kid must be scratching his head with Bux telling him to use some strength and when he does it legally and wins he is penalised!

[Medieval]

[dalyc]

[uuuuu..... The LoneSTAR]

I thought I was just being a typical anti-umpire biased Collingwood supporter last night whilst jumping up & down screaming at the big screen!!... I feel much better after visiting Nicks!

[Medieval]

I've been saying for years now, and especially the last 2-3 that there are 3 MAJOR rule changes I think the game needs to somewhat stem these kind of dicussions.

1. Get rid of the 3rd man up in the ruck around the ground.

The AFL have said the umpires need to be aware of who the two competing ruckman are in any contest around the ground, but what's the point if a 3rd man can just come over the top and effectively nullify your ruckman's influence in a contest by completely taking him out of it.

2. Umpire's reliablity, responsibility, recognition, and press conference.

Obviously coaches are fined for complaining about or even mentioning umpiring, but what about the media? The AFL constantly tells us that the umpires are not the focus of the game, yet the umpires have their names in the record, in the paper the next day and a number on their backs. What's point of any of that if the attention is not supposed to be on them. Let's have an umpire's press conference where the MEDIA can ask them questions after the game, like "Why was there only 1 free kick paid in the last 38 minutes of game time?" or "You guys didn't pay a lot of dropping the ball or incorrect disposal frees tonight. Did the weather conditions affect how you adjudicated those calls tonight, given the ball was slippery and disposal efficiency was down overall?". The only way this will happen is if they start making umpiring a full time job. Just bloody do it already. I don't care who the umpire is, as long as they're accountable and are punished when their performance is not up to scratch, and recognised when they do a great job.

3. Boundary and Goal Umpires need to be given the power to call free kicks.

This one is simple. It needs to happen. A full back pulling on the back of a forward's jumper or a certain push in the back (Gray) is clear to a goal umpire, but not the field umpire and the general public's understanding of paying free kicks is "if the free kick is there, it should be paid", not "if the umpire sees it, he might pay it". Same goes for boundary umpires. The biggest example of this is after a boundary throw in. The field umpire is almost always at the back of that pack and far too often, players are held off the ball, blocked, or throw the ball when getting tackled and no free kicks are ever given. Perfect example was Lewis' throw to Mitchell after a throw in near the 50m mark at the punt rd end last week. The boundary umpire stood there and watched it all happen, but the field umpire was 20m away at the back of the pack.

This isn't reactionary due to last night's loss, either. I've watched these things over the years and watch every game every weekend and there are examples for and against for every team.

Thoughts?

[joffa corfe]

The Umpires last night were atrociously SHIT.

[King Monkey]

1 - Absolutely agree. I've been on about this one all year in conversations, and also the man on the mark moving sideways in an arc is in the same category. Against the spirit of what the intentions of the game are.

2 - Food for thought, can't see it happening.

3 - Absolutely not!! Leave the boundary and goal umpires alone to focus on what they can only just do competently at the moment.

[King Monkey]

[warburton lad]

Ok, watch the replay from 4.50 to go in the last....

4-48, boundary throw in, Ryder grabs Grundy around the neck and throws him to the ground- no free...

4-29 Langdon driven into the ground on defensive 50, no free.

4-12, Blair held by the jumper, clearly, in a marking contest, no free.

3-42, Blair goes to ground in a contest at forward 50, and 24 from Port jumps on his back, no free.

1-42, Oxley taken head high, twenty out from our goal, no free...

0-23, ball on wing, Grundy goes to ground and Ryder clearly grabs him over the shoulder, no free.

Just a small sample, but typical of the shite we get served up every week.

Of course, the only conclusion I can draw is that the umpires are utterly incompetent. Just, plain and simply woeful...

[Jezza]

[skaman]

I thought the Witts mark (using strength only), , not being paid was a shocker. See those paid all the time to mssrs Hawkins etc (maybe not Clokey), the ball then went down the other end for a goal. Was replayed and the commentators couldn't even see it. Another momentum crushing turning point.

[Colonel]

There were some absolutely atrocious decisions tonight. When a Port player forces the ball out of bounds, it's a throw in. But when a Collingwood player does the same and the feral Port crowd has a sook, it's a free kick.

Those umpires should be embarrassed at how poorly they adjudicated tonight's game. It impacted the result.

[Woods]

15 free kicks awarded Thursday night in the Coll-Port game.

55 free kicks awarded Friday night in the Rich-Blues game.

[Pies4shaw]

^^^ Yes, that disparity was quite startling.

[Piesnchess]

BY my reckoning, poor kicking for goal aside, the yellow maggot mongrels have cost us two wins in the last three big games, they simply roger us, time and time again. And NOTHING changes, nothing, their pet cluibs, cats and piss an poop, get away with fuckingbloody murder, look at the way that prick Lake cribbs on the mark, time and time again, umps do stuff all about it. Cant touch that shit Rioli, oh no, like Hodge a $£$%^%%$ protected species. That small prune wayne campbell, ex tiger moron, comes out defending their utter crap, and im just soooooo over it, just wish Bucks would take the ten grand fine, and rip into the bastards once and for all. So over it now too. !