It took two minutes to prove a point.

[asiu]

Soooooo ,
.marrying the wrong same woman twice wasn't really a mistake.

Deeeeeeeeeep.
I like it.

Pretty sure SHE won't understand it !

...but then footy being more important than picnics with her friends escaped her as well.

[meher baba]

The problem has been the same for years: all but a handfull of the very best umps routinely give significantly more free kicks for the home team in WA, SA, Sydney and - to a lesser extent for some reason - Queensland.

It cannot be described as anything but sub-standard. An umpire worth his pay would not allow the crowd to influence him. Hey, it isn't easy. So what? It isn't easy to kick goals from outside 50 or take coathanger marks or cleanly pick up a bouncing ball. Yet the footballers who these umpires want to run around with in front of the TV cameras manage to do these things.

I have banged on about this before, but the first step towards fixing the problem is to do everything possible to help the umpires to zone out the crowd noise. One obvious step, which the NRL implemented about 20 years ago, is to try to reduce the extent to which they are conscious of which teams they are umpiring. That is, encouraging them to think of the two teams as two sets of colours and numbers. So no more talking of "Eagles free kick" or "free kick to Natanui" or, worse still, "free kick to NicNat". Instead it should be, free kick to number 17 Blue or number 53 red and black or whatever.

Of course, in our sloppily-managed game, the umps are encouraged to call the players by their christian names and even nicknames. And, presumably, to make smart-arsed jokes (who can forget Goldspink's "don't worry, he can't make the distance").

It's a professional game managed by the highest-paid amateurs on earth.

[Eastern]

Two minutes in Hayes takes a mark fifty five out Selwood comes in and retards him. Umpire gives nothing. Well Plugger66 why?

Dont know. was watching a race. Anyway the umpiring has been good apart from maybe that decision.

Did you back the winner? If so, YOUR SHOUT !!

[plugger66]

Two minutes in Hayes takes a mark fifty five out Selwood comes in and retards him. Umpire gives nothing. Well Plugger66 why?

Dont know. was watching a race. Anyway the umpiring has been good apart from maybe that decision.

Did you back the winner? If so, YOUR SHOUT !!

No I didnt. Does that make it yours?

[Eastern]

So, you believe in miracles? !!

[plugger66]

So, you believe in miracles? !!

Well I follow the Saints.

[kosifantutti]

I'm not sure if you said that either. Who knows what you were trying to say. But it made no sense.

The Stanley mark was the incorrect and correct decision. He paid a mark that wasnt held which was the incorrect part but then correctly called play on because he was incorrect in the first instance and that is what you have to do as an umpire.

That is the rule if you pay a mark that should not have been paid. It isnt a mistake. Dont like it. Take it up with the AFL.

Before I call, can you tell me where I would find that in the rule book. I'm having trouble finding it.

[plugger66]

The Stanley mark was the incorrect and correct decision. He paid a mark that wasnt held which was the incorrect part but then correctly called play on because he was incorrect in the first instance and that is what you have to do as an umpire.

That is the rule if you pay a mark that should not have been paid. It isnt a mistake. Dont like it. Take it up with the AFL.

Before I call, can you tell me where I would find that in the rule book. I'm having trouble finding it.[/quote]


Dont have my rule book handy. Just give the AFL a call and ask them the question. The question is if you blow your whislte for a mark but realise it wasnt a mark what is your next decision. They will say call play on.

[Eastern]

So, you believe in miracles? !!

Well I follow the Saints.

See, you're getting greedy. That and expecting my hand to ever find its way into my wallet !!

[The Redeemer]

Umpiring was not up to scratch

Goddard chopped in the arms and pushed in the back - umps response "play on". In fact I felt they were making a point of not giving Goddard anything - is this a response to his acting last week. If so you'd be pretty disappointed.

Blake brought down after he kicked the ball going forward - "play on"

Lenny rarely gets any help from the umpires - again has his head taken off (week after week) with no assistance from the officials.

Perhaps the umps are overreacting to the head high criticism

It's easy to have a crack after you lose a game like that but I'd be surprised if a review of that game didn't reveal several inconsistencies and bad decisions.

Yet we have an official 'Umpires Round' to thank them for earning multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars and constantly screw up week after week after week.

It is almost like the Lions giving Voss another contract...here you go Vossy...you stuffed up however here is another 2 year deal and another bucketload of cash you do not deserve. I wuv u!

[mr six o'clock]

Having just watched the replay , in the 3rd quarter when the saints played there best football the free kick count was 9 - 1 , amazingly our free kick was in our forward line and steven goaled , what i'd like to know is HOW we were only paid 1 !!!!
WC 's 9 frees were overall good decisions , a couple were 50/50 , however we clearly missed out on 5 , even the commentators made note of times when we should of had a free . thats saying something coming from healy and russell !

[kosifantutti]

Dont have my rule book handy. Just give the AFL a call and ask them the question. The question is if you blow your whislte for a mark but realise it wasnt a mark what is your next decision. They will say call play on.

I rang, Demetriou called me an idiot and asked if I knew you.

[prwilkinson]

can someone punch selwood out!
every time he gets the ball he ducks the head and runs at the player in front of him head first.
cheat.

When I see a player doing that I just think about how long they would have lasted 20 years ago trying to play like that. You'd have had your head taken off in 5 minutes.

[kalsaint]

Two minutes in Hayes takes a mark fifty five out Selwood comes in and retards him. Umpire gives nothing. Well Plugger66 why?

Dont know. was watching a race. Anyway the umpiring has been good apart from maybe that decision.

The umpires are into the Eagles especially at home. Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose.

It is bizarre as to how it happens but it is happening.

Interesting.

The umpires have been into the Eagles for up to 9 years now.

I went through the annual club statisitcs on frees collected per club. i went back as far as 2003.

These are staggering really. Eagles are the most favoured club in the league when compared to the league averages. Eagles have beaten the league average 8 from the last 9 years. Eagles have also received 4 seasons of 60 more frees that the league average. Think about this, IF they reveived 4 games of below average they probably benefitted significantly in other games. If these are in front of goal they would have a resounding effect on the game result.

For the record, Hawthorn have been least favoured with 7 of 9 seasons being well below the league average. In 4 seasons the difference between Hawthorn and the Eagles was over 80 free kicks. Thats about 4 frees per game. Bias like that cant be left alone.

Guess what Eagles greatest benefit have been in the last 6 years including their wooden spoon year!

St. Kilda was close to the leagues par overall but definitely benefitted in 2009 but have been below par in 2010 and 2011.