Thanks to the Herald-Sun...

[philtee]

And Bruce Matthews, for taking up the free kicks controversy.

I was one of the first to bag the H/S, for their coverage of the Duthie saga,
and the naughty boys in NZ saga, but they've come out with guns blazing
on the umpiring issue. And it looks like it's across all News Ltd papers.

We know the H/S loves a good controversy, because it sells papers.
But it is brave of them to bite the hand of the AFL and put the issue
front and centre.

Found the story in a non-pay form at The Australian -
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/st ... 6661467808

[stinger]

according to this chart ...the one in the hun this morning understates the problem ...we are a forlorn last...



FREE KICK DIFFERENTIAL 2013
+56 North Melbourne
+46 West Coast
+27 Geelong
+19 Essendon
+7 Melbourne
+1 Gold Coast
Even Adelaide
Even Collingwood
-1 Western Bulldogs
-6 Port Adelaide
-6 Brisbane Lions
-7 Sydney
-8 Fremantle
-12 Hawthorn
-13 Richmond
-23 GWS
-23 Carlton
-47 St Kilda

FREE KICK DIFFERENTIAL 2011-2013

+214 West Coast
+112 Port Adelaide
+49 North Melbourne
+37 Collingwood
+ 37 Fremantle
+15 GWS Giants
-5 Carlton
-8 Western Bulldogs
-10 Essendon
-17 Sydney
-31 Geelong
-32 Gold Coast
-36 Richmond
-39 Adelaide Crows
-46 Hawthorn
-76 Melbourne
-81 Brisbane Lions
-83 St Kilda

[Solar]

Have a look at the photos, it's damning and proves that the eagles are cheating. Priddis is the biggest cheat in the game. All he tries to achieve is a free kick. The AFL has a big problem here, they are allowing cheaters to prosper. Will kill them as a sport one day

[mullet]

Have a look at the photos, it's damning and proves that the eagles are cheating. Priddis is the biggest cheat in the game. All he tries to achieve is a free kick. The AFL has a big problem here, they are allowing cheaters to prosper. Will kill them as a sport one day

According to KB, it is a skill and all the other clubs should be learning how to do it. He said this after explaining that it is part of Jarrod Waites "technique" to jump early into a marking contest, and he isnt infringing. Just like Buddy's natural arch. By saying this , does it mean that there are different rules for different people? I would ring and ask, but he would not argue the point and just hang up like he does on everyone who questions him.

[spert]

The Hawks do pretty well with the umps, in a game weeks ago, I saw Franklin get strongly tackled in front of goal when standing up in possession, the player spun him a full 360, Franklin made no attempt to dispose of the ball (both arms free) then broke the tackle and kicked a goal- in full view of the umpires!! If a copybook holding the ball free is not paid, then what hope is there..if it was say Maister being tackled, then the ump would have pinged him before the 360 spin. KB was a trend-setter in staging for frees- I saw him play many times

[howlinwolf]

There were definitely some errors from the umpires there in that video footage.
Pridis should have been pinged for the fend off and holding the ball. And then for the dive.
Saad should have got the free for over the shoulder.
I have to say though that Stanley has a lot to learn as a defender and as a ruckman. Pulling Cox's arm like that with in 20 metres of goal is pretty damn stupid.

[joffaboy]

Have a look at the photos, it's damning and proves that the eagles are cheating. Priddis is the biggest cheat in the game. All he tries to achieve is a free kick. The AFL has a big problem here, they are allowing cheaters to prosper. Will kill them as a sport one day

According to KB, it is a skill and all the other clubs should be learning how to do it. He said this after explaining that it is part of Jarrod Waites "technique" to jump early into a marking contest, and he isnt infringing. Just like Buddy's natural arch. By saying this , does it mean that there are different rules for different people? I would ring and ask, but he would not argue the point and just hang up like he does on everyone who questions him.

lol - so funny
a couple of weeks back he and pat Smith were berating callers asking "how does it enhance the game" regarding the H&S Ziebel copped three weeks for.

Tell me how does, ducking your head, collapsing, at the knees, throwing your head back, dropping the ball and spreadeagling your arms - all playing for a free kick enhance the game?

Staging for free kicks is a skill but tackling is not or so it now seems.

Nice logic Bartlett. He thought it was skill to throw the ball inf ront of himself and play for the free kick in the 70's. Because it was a blight on the game it was outlawed.

Perhaps the bitter old man will vote no to outlawing staging for free kicks the way WCE do.

[SainterK]

It's only a matter of time IMO

AFL don't like this kind of negative feedback, this new Evans guy won't like the look of it either....

I expect the umpires will be made aware of the WCE tactics soon enough, and it will swing the other way, their game will suffer as a result enormously.

[joffaboy]

I expect the umpires will be made aware of the WCE tactics soon enough, and it will swing the other way, their game will suffer as a result enormously.

You mean they will actually have to try and move the ball on instead of ducking their heads, and collapsing at the knees????

heaven forbid

[perfectionist]

They missed the two easiest ones, both in the first quarter. Holding the ball can be a difficult decision but is made easier when a player is grabbed, tries to kick the ball and misses. That's incorrect disposal (not ball knocked out of his hands). Free against. Both were in our forward line. The decision against Ahmed Saad in the last was very poor. The umpire could not claim that he was obstructed because he subsequently paid a free against him. Player bending down to pick up the ball, contact to the head. Easy peasy.

[SainterK]

I expect the umpires will be made aware of the WCE tactics soon enough, and it will swing the other way, their game will suffer as a result enormously.

You mean they will actually have to try and move the ball on instead of ducking their heads, and collapsing at the knees????

heaven forbid

I honestly think it will swing the other way...

Given 7 of their 12 goals were from free kicks, it's going to hurt them massively given the players have formed bad habits.

Evans appears a footy purist, wants a good spectacle, I anticipate change.

[Teflon]

long as that cabbage Gieschen is pensioned off theres hope.......if hes back in charge we are f@rked

[Stillwaiting]

Just waiting for Geischan to trott out the usual crap about the decisions being correct.

[Dis Believer]

AS I understand from "On the couch" last night, it sounds like Geischen has been made to take 6 weeks of his long service leave - reckon Evans has already formed his opinion of what needs to take place to improve the game under his watch.....

[stinger]

AS I understand from "On the couch" last night, it sounds like Geischen has been made to take 6 weeks of his long service leave - reckon Evans has already formed his opinion of what needs to take place to improve the game under his watch.....

he's a turkey. or more correctly a done duck.........yesterday's news but today's fish and chips wrapper....why else would the afl "let him"...take 6 weeks leave smack bang in the middle of the footy season......

[villasaint]

We could possibly be one of the most undisciplined teams which result in stupid free kicks against us.

[SainterJ]

We could possibly one of the most undisciplined teams which result in stupid free kicks against us.

Do you actually watch our games?

[villasaint]

Just a thought , I reckon the players aren't as disciplined as they should be lately. As previously mentioned with Stanley and the ruck infringement in the last quarter. Stupid free kick to give away. He will learn though.

[paddy]

Just a thought , I reckon the players aren't as disciplined as they should be lately. As previously mentioned with Stanley and the ruck infringement in the last quarter. Stupid free kick to give away. He will learn though.

This is why we are the worst off team, free kick wise...

its a lack of discipline, and i'd say poor coaching in tackle technique... etc

there are other factors though.... young inexperienced team... also we are maintaining some level of competitiveness purely through desperation and intensity....

so something is gonna give when you mix these things together...

[mad saint guy]

We could possibly one of the most undisciplined teams which result in stupid free kicks against us.

Do you actually watch our games?

There's no doubt differences in the way we play have some influence on our free kick tally. For one thing, our mids rarely play for free kicks; Armo does it a bit by keeping his head down and charging forwards after winning the contested footy but that's nothing compared to the ducking and dropping the knees that all Selwoods and WC mids do.

Our forwards usually don't do themselves any favours by letting their opponents play in front and our defenders (particularly Gwilt) give away far too many free kicks for holding and scragging bigger opponents. Our rucks all lack body strength and struggle to win best position which means they often infringe in a desperate effort to get into the contest. We're a poor tackling team as well - our tackles are often soft and easily shrugged up over the shoulders and the likes of Milne and Milera give away numerous free kicks from undisciplined high tackles. You'll very rarely see Lenny or Armo get pinged for a high tackle or in the back and that's because their technique is excellent.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely despise the way the AFL has been umpired this year, but there are elements that are under our control that contribute to our lopsided free kick count.

[Con Gorozidis]

Wow
I cant believe so many people are so 'fair minded' .
The Eagles are a pack of cheats and we are getting shafted.
There is something going on.
Maybe its a colour thing? Someone should run some tests.
North West coast and POrt do kind of look the same.

Can someone run some stats on our frees for and against when we wear different jumpers?
at least we can then start using our most favourable design?
Maybe we need a new design?

[SinCitySainter]

It is a combination of things.
The Dean Cox free was very soft, that sort of contact happens in every ruck contest and didn't impair Cox at all.
Priddis's free for the whack from Roberton, fair enough it was there no complaint.
The second Priddis free was one of the worst I have ever seen.
He was dead to rites caught holding the ball in what was the perfect tackle by Dempster.
It was however "bettered" by the last minute free against Saad it was an absolute Barry Crocker.

The problem is reputation and experience.
It is the Gary Ablet or Chris Judd call, both are champions of the game which is why they can be spun around 720 degrees and the umpire will not call them for holding the ball. In fact it is likely that the player tackling them will be pinged for some imaginary infringment that the umpire believes must have taken place as they are champions and would not have been beaten fairly.
We suffer from a team variation of this as we are a financially poor team, read unimportant, with a history of failure.
We play a powerful, rich successful team like West Coast or Collingwood and we can expect to be rogered silly by the umpires not because they cheat but because they truly think that we couldn't have won fairly.
We also do not accentuate every minor touch that we receive unlike the eagles and especially Priddis, Selwood, Shuey and now sadly Cox.
We also do give away more than our fair share of sloppy frees due to poor technique and lack of size and strength.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

heres the thing .... teams near the bottom or the middle to bottom rungs of the ladder tend to be worse off in the free kick stakes ... i think i has a lot to do with being second to the ball or more to the point players under pressure feeling the need to infringe to stop their player getting ahead .... the thing is this year its not that clear the thing that throws me is that WCE and North are both mid table teams this year so i dont get why they have been so well looked after .. while teams like Hawthorn and to a lesser extent Sydney and Freo are getting a rougher deal (in comparison to their ladder position) its a strange situation that sees teams activly training on how to play for free kicks (the WCE shrug kneewobble head throw back and flappy arms) even stranger is the fact some teams are having to retrain on how to counter these acts (as Milney admited to that they had worked hard all week on how to roll in the tackle to avoid the in the back call) ...

[gringo]

There are no wrong decisions just stupid fans according to the AFL. Eventually the stupid fans will get sick of it.

[prwilkinson]

Interesting stats... The only free kicks that bother me are the ones 25m out directly in front and that's both ways. Nothing worse than great passages of play with players from both teams cracking in being broken up by a pip squeak with an airy fairy technical one that should belong on a netball court.... OR the now complete and utterly butchered holding the ball rule, Which has been so altered and destroyed I struggle to watch. Sucks the life out of me and when I'm at the footy and sucks the life out of the stadium too.