Continual corruption - free kick watch

[Con Gorozidis]

This time it won't be "whispers in the sky".
I'm tipping the three of them will be locked in the same lavatory for the whole flight home.

Flight home?
Ill bet they live within a quick cab ride from Subiaco.

[Joe Bloggs]

The four points go to the Eagles. End of story.

[Con Gorozidis]

The four points go to the Eagles. End of story.

13-19 didn't help.

But boy. We had some hurdles put in front of us.

[saintbrat]

at least we were close enough to their players to force the free kicks


Add Alan Richardson to the list of coaches that'll have Hayden Kennedy on speed dial. Free kick count in STK's past five vs. WCE at Subi...

[Enrico_Misso]

I think the club should lodge a formal complaint.
I know the downside is the umps will turn on us, but after tonight it could hardly get worse.
So we might as well complain.

I would suggest Finnis and the President should front up to the AFL with a video highlighting say 20 of the wrong/unpaid decisions from tonight and DEMAND an explanation.

Perhaps we should get a poll up on Saintsational?
Should StKilda lodge a formal complaint about the disgraceful, inconsistent and braised umpiring tonight?"

[BigMart]

Haven't got the balls

[Con Gorozidis]

at least we were close enough to their players to force the free kicks


Add Alan Richardson to the list of coaches that'll have Hayden Kennedy on speed dial. Free kick count in STK's past five vs. WCE at Subi...

Very interesting data indeed.

[Enrico_Misso]

Are there any conclusions or trends to be deduced from those numbers?
Probably not as I guess the minor variations are just random.

[SemperFidelis]

5 Year Average: 22.8 to 12.

Average difference -10 each game.

What's not to love.

[bigred]

Yeah...

It was the difference. Absolutely no doubt about it.

That first half was an absolute disgrace.

A level playing field would be nice.

[Con Gorozidis]

It isnt just the raw stats.

This kind of lopsided adjudication affects the entire flavour of the game in a deleterious and unfair way.
Eagles players can attack the man and ball with abandon - feeling secure they may win a free but without any trepidation or worry about giving a free away because that simply never happens. Saints players have to go at every contest tentatively waiting for the whistle.

The problem when the free count is so lopsided is it changes the very nature of the way the game is played and the way the players approach each contest.

It is a problem for the bone marrow of the entire sporting event. A real blight on the game. We cant just wave it away as only numbers and ignore the psychological impact on players as the game goes on and it starts to play on their minds.

[SemperFidelis]

The best example of that tonight was when we wouldn't rush the ball through when we were blatantly under pressure on the bloody goal LINE.

I couldn't really blame them because every indication to that point was that the umps would have given a free kick against us.

[saint6709]

If the free kick count is reversed 23-8 in our favour - that's actually a 30 free kick turn around in our favour and we win ( despite our inaccuracy in front of goal ) very frustrating to watch and unfortunately very standard fare as a saints fan

[Con Gorozidis]

The best example of that tonight was when we wouldn't rush the ball through when we were blatantly under pressure on the bloody goal LINE.

I couldn't really blame them because every indication to that point was that the umps would have given a free kick against us.

Agree. We were constantly having to think about the whistle whereas they could just attack the ball and man without any worry in the world.

By the end we were too scared to tackle and give away a free for too high. We were too scared to grab the ball under pressure for fear of getting htb.

We became anxious and fearful of the whistle which we had been trained - like Pavlov's dogs - to expect to be against us.

We are only human after all. It must affect the psyche as the game wears on.

[The OtherThommo]

This was the difference, be in no doubt. The differential, given the impact, was the equivalent of an extra player, at least, particularly where the damage was done i.e. centre and forward.

I saw about 10 minutes of the GWS/Gold Coast 2nd quarter, and turned it off. The commentators called it baffling, I call it rank.

And, so it was tonight, as it usually is, when we are opposed to an industry (revenue) giant.

It's why Fitzpatrick's brother got to do the investigation into the Wet Toast drug abuse in around '06, and when the retired judge issued his findings in '08, they buried it in the company safe for 9 years.

This competition is wholly rotten, and long has been so.

But, they will pay a price eventually.

[saintbrat]

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2017-04-02/ric ... s-for-loss

[SemperFidelis]

I thought what he said about us giving away kicks had some truth to it. It was the kicks we didn't get (especially some unpaid holding the balls) that galled the most.

But it's also WHERE they got the kicks and we didn't that killed (eg the kick against savage under the arms, and then Kennedy malls us in the back even more blatantly and the ump falls over himself to pay the mark).

[stonecold]

I will not renew my membership unless the club sticks up for itself this week in a big way by making a public stand.
If we just quietly pathetically accept getting <edited by mods> by cheating then that is it for me.
I am out.

See Ya!!!!!

Poor clubs and supporters make excuses, we didn't finish the job, end of story!!!!!

[BigMart]

Poor clubs can't afford to upset the bosses... and are too piss weak

You'll see a diplomatic response... next team to visit WA will be the beneficiaries... they went too far tonight, and know they'll be getting looked at... doesn't help us. We are despised by the umpires, we were the mouthiest team in the AFL under Lyon.

Goddard, Hayes, Joey, Roo, Bakes, Milney, Schneider... notoriously lippy with the umps.

GT not liked by umps
Ross not like by many

Our club is not respected, let alone liked

[Con Gorozidis]

Where is Rushy when I need him? I have a conspiracy theory. Hear me out!

WA are being ripped off with the GST. This is pretty much a known fact. I have researched this and they have been a net GST contributor since 2009. In the last 5 years they have received only about 50% of the amount they sent to Canberra in GST.

To stop a succession movement in WA, the Cth Govt (bi-partisan) have agreed that to keep the WA natives from mutiny and separation- they need the Eagles to do well. Especially at home.

Enter the AFL - in return for ongoing federal funding, the AFL agree (secretly) to facilitate this via fixturing and umpiring.

This deal essentially brings several billion dollars from WA to places like Tassie, SA, Qld and NT.
In return - the Feds in Canberra only have to throw the AFL a few hundred million from time to time to keep this going. So it makes economic sense.

Important to note that the incredibly bias umpiring favouring WA only started in around 2010..... Right when WA started subsidising Canberra with GST revenue.

Essentially the people of WA are being treated to the old 'beer and circuses' to distract them from the reality. The Eagles are the perfect vehicle to placate them as they mainly a white average intelligence supporter group. The mainstream middle of the road voter that most needs to be distracted.

[iwantmeseats]

Your all a bunch of winging flogs. Yeah it didn't go our way for sure. Boo hoo. That's life.

[Con Gorozidis]

Your all a bunch of winging flogs. Yeah it didn't go our way for sure. Boo hoo. That's life.

Why is it life?
Systemic long term bias?
Getting raped by the system? You just meekly accept it and say 'thank you master'.
No its not life.
Why do we have a CEO and a President if we are just going to cop whatever comes from city hall.
We might as well not waste our time with leaders then? If they arent there to protect our interests then why do we have them?
You think the bigger clubs would cop this?

[mullet]

Your all a bunch of winging flogs. Yeah it didn't go our way for sure. Boo hoo. That's life.

what is a winging flog, is that a flog with wings?

[GSG]

Poor clubs can't afford to upset the bosses... and are too piss weak

You'll see a diplomatic response... next team to visit WA will be the beneficiaries... they went too far tonight, and know they'll be getting looked at... doesn't help us. We are despised by the umpires, we were the mouthiest team in the AFL under Lyon.

Goddard, Hayes, Joey, Roo, Bakes, Milney, Schneider... notoriously lippy with the umps.

GT not liked by umps
Ross not like by many

Our club is not respected, let alone liked

Very true about being disliked by the umpires. Over many years, the Bulldogs, particularly Rodney Eade was always fawning over and praising the umpires. The same goes for Luke Beveridge. When the Bulldogs got so many more frees over the last year, he piped up once after a game how good the umpiring was. Look where it got the Bulldogs!!

Maybe we should start cooing and fussing over the umpires telling them how good they are and that we are perfecly happy with the way they umpire our games.

[saynta]

The AFL certainly have their pecking order.

Just witnessed the Roos get rogered by the filthy maggots.

That last goal was a gift from the white pricks.