Special Message to Curly

[meher baba]

There were a couple of games yesterday with an insane number of free kicks: Freo 42 to GWS 16 and the Kangaroos 34 to Sydney 26.

So many frees doesn't make for good football. Umpires need to be taught that they aren't heroes because they pick out frees that others might have missed. The flow of the game matters. Razor Ray has long been the most extreme case of a nitpicking umpire.

As always, I'm less inclined to make accusations of out-and-out bias: although it's usual for WA teams, especially the Eagles, to get a favourable count: particularly from the nitpicking umpires, who derive assistance from the crowd in their endless quest to find minor transgressions to punish by awarding free kicks to the other side. I didn't see the Freo game yesterday, but GWS is a team that has long employed a strategy of trying to slow down play when they are in defence. If the deluge of frees against them was mostly in response to that behaviour, then I'm ok with that.

[Ghost Like]

The only bias is towards their egos. They are well paid to umpire a difficult game with rule changes and interpretations altering from year to year, sometimes week to week.

The AFL's mistake was miking them up, giving them numbers and identities. They now crave the limelight as all protected species do. Their egos feed off the roars of affirmation until it becomes an avalanche.

Exhibit A: Fremantle last night, 42 to 16 should only happen if Freo were playing a team of prisoners or a team that has never played the game before. Not a well drilled professional peer.

[samuraisaint]

Gee, Sydney get shafted by free kicks every week don't they?
I think Richmond do too.

Without umpires we don't have a game and I remember when we were a good side we got the rub of the green.

But 42-16? Who umpired that one?

[B.M]

I see the dogs won the count easily last night

Two certainties

1/ WCE will win the free kick count by 10 at home
2/ Dogs will ALWAYS win the free kick count

[Ghost Like]

I see the dogs won the count easily last night

Two certainties

1/ WCE will win the free kick count by 10 at home
2/ Dogs will ALWAYS win the free kick count

Correct B.M.. Only the Dogs will out free kick Sydney & WCE on their home dung hills.

[meher baba]

Here's the sort of festival that might appeal to a few of you.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-10/ ... /100980166

[Sainter_Dad]

LOL - Dogs on the receiving end - 28 - 22 - but don't be fooled - in a game where North had no chance of winning - the Umps could afford to throw a few cheapies in - so that they could store them up to pay back to the Dogs next week and keep the differential below acceptable standards

It is all about the conspiracy right!

[meher baba]

I missed the game, but I understand the Eagles didn't get their usual boost from the umps last night. Not that it would have helped them by the look of the scoreboard.

[Ghost Like]

I missed the game, but I understand the Eagles didn't get their usual boost from the umps last night. Not that it would have helped them by the look of the scoreboard.

You are right meher baba, the way the Eagles played last night it would not have mattered if Sydney did not receive one free kick.

But the wise old adage that there are only two teams who can out free kick the Eagles in the West, Sydney & the Bulldogs, held true.