If the shoe had been on the other foot

[Teflon]

King's holding free kick is all over sports media with commentary that there was no free kick and that it should have been play on. They have a point as the umpires would never reward a free like that to someone like Charlie Curnow and the media would be all over it if they did...

I’m disgusted by this
Every **** week these maggotts make mistakes
As Ross - Hill was kneed in the head ?????? No free
Rowell - was caught, Gawn right in front of goal …no free kick
I see much much softer frees paid weekly to other big forwards
King gets 1 lousy free which was absolutely there - I was level to King/Mac watching the contest…
You can’t help but wonder if this is ole salty Hardwick …as Ross nicely put it…they clearly set themselves to win this game…and didn’t
The commentary was cheering them on like mad…they didn’t
If I were the club I’d come out and say how disappointed we are to see them all of a sudden highlight a Max King free as not there ….they ought to be made to come out and explain weekly every other dubious free kick cause there are many more questionable ones than what King got
Whoever said there needs to a review/inquiry into umpires gets my full support
**** joke

[Teflon]

Lot of tall forward experts on here. I would suggest in future games (at the actual ground) some concentration be given by supporters on watching King, on and off the ball, on how hard he works, including how hard he has to grapple to get a bit of clearance.

True, sometimes he makes the wrong move, can't get clear, and there is a disconnect. Also, when he manages to create a target, how often is the kick well weighted? Not that often at the moment. How often does he struggle with the main backman, and regularly one other, thus logically creating space elsewhere, only for the kick to go to him on his head?

It is not just a matter of leading hard at the kicker. What if his path is blocked? (as it is often). He goes back, sometimes stays back, but often doubles back and leads forward. All sorts of moves. Most of course do this, the best of all at present is Curnow. King is not as mobile as Curnow, but I have watched him recently, at the expense of missing some of the game, and imo he does work very hard.

The main issue is delivery, and getting those involved in delivering and receiving on the same page. Saw some improvement this week, and it is certainly being worked on. I have no concerns about King's work rate. Although he also, with the other forwards has work to do.

Pretty tough out there for the main target forwards. Both Kings have signed Charlie Dixon's memo to the AFL pleading for the AFL to give the power forwards at least a chance to have a reasonable go at the ball. Even though the AFL has said the free to King was an error, I reckon more like that should be paid. He was clearly impeded first trying to go deeper, well away from the ball, and only grappled with Andrew to try to get through. Some are paid, some aren't. Most should be, and that would sort a lot out.

Well said mate
The same old sane old dicktwits on here kicking King haven’t a clue
At the game at the GROUND last night King worked his arse off
I watched him get clear get 1 out multiple times and you guessed it…our dumb kickers coming in either choose the wrong target (Collin’s v Higgins at one stage) or couldn’t kick a ball to Kings advantage to save themselves
Lyon mentioned it in his presser
Watch how the Swans deliver the ball into 50
We have low grade footy IQ mids atm that needs to change
And ignore morons like Vort - the club are already looking to extend Kings contract cause they know his value
Rest is just utter garbage

[Teflon]

Just watched Harry McKay gifted the sane type free King git for being held….not a word
F on sick of being the AFL punching bag

[skeptic]

For mine this is pretty straight forward…

The free is either technically there or it’s not. From the footage I saw, there was wrestling and grabbing each way = free kick was TECHNICALLY there one way or the other.

So now it becomes a question of if it was too soft or not. Possibly was but that’s the umps split second call.

The defender has himself to blame for creating the opportunity for that to be paid. Arguably could have gone the other way too. You grab… you run the risk and they both did that to each other.

Personally I’d have let it go but he has no one to blame but himself

[Devilhead]

For mine this is pretty straight forward…

The free is either technically there or it’s not. From the footage I saw, there was wrestling and grabbing each way = free kick was TECHNICALLY there one way or the other.

So now it becomes a question of if it was too soft or not. Possibly was but that’s the umps split second call.

The defender has himself to blame for creating the opportunity for that to be paid. Arguably could have gone the other way too. You grab… you run the risk and they both did that to each other.

Personally I’d have let it go but he has no one to blame but himself

Sorry but where did King grab Andrew?

King was trying to push through Andrew trying to tie him up

[Waltzing St Kilda]

As I predicted, the King free, of all the contentious frees this weekend, has soaked up the bulk of the media's attention.

Jon Ralph, who lost all credibility during the Essendope saga and may legitimately claim to be the worst footy pundit in a crowded field, just claimed on TV that the AFL's admission thatv they got it wrong means that Gold Coast should have won the game.

Huh? Liam Henry had just marked it on the 50m line with an pretty open forward line in front of him and there vwere THREE AND A HALF MINUTES LEFT.

For that matter, why has the AFL singled out the King free when the ones to North and Hawthorn were just as dubious if not morte so? To say nothing of other contentious frees earlier.

[SaintPav]

Selective cuntarty by Ralph mouth.

[samuraisaint]

The Suns are useless. They aren't going to make finals this year, and unless they do something very drastic regarding their list, they won't play finals next season either.
With all of the frdps they should have got a result against a team who couldn't kick more than 7 goals all night. If they couldn't do that in the 120 minutes of a game, they don't get the 4 points. Henry would have run into an open goal anyway.
I have said since before the season started that they would not play finals, and I think after last night my opinions have been vindicated.

[Devilhead]

Can't be bashing the flavor of the month Hawks and poor old North

Saints is where the bashing is at ... get with the program!!

[saintkev]

King was being held all night.

And is every week. He’s just got to find ways to get separation from opponents. Lead, lead, lead.

Instead of initiating a wrestling match. He ain’t no Brute Bernard.

[Devilhead]

King will be lucky to get another free all year .... whereas Curnow just his got weekly wink and nod free 15m out from goal

[Jacks Back]

I'm kind of sick of people making excuses for King- he got flogged last night and only looked slightly better when he went up the field.

He is one of our luckiest players in that regards being the constant and readily available supply of excuses.

He just doesn’t use his tools to work hard enough to create opportunities, especially aerially or on the lead.

What ever his excuse is, he’s just an average player and nowhere near the expectations bestowed on him when he was recruited some 6 years ago.

Yet he is likely to kick 400+ goals in his career in an era where defense defense defense dominates

But hold on ... hold on ..... the answer is Caminiti on his own up forward

Comedy gold from the Cairnsman-Vortex

If Caminiti is the answer, we're asking the wrong question.

[Teflon]

King will be lucky to get another free all year .... whereas Curnow just his got weekly wink and nod free 15m out from goal

Yep
This is why the club needs to come out and protect the player
St Kilda has to stand up
These type frees happen weekly

[Moods]

It was great that he kicked it straight. It was great that we won, but for the team to improve and for any chance of St Kilda climbing the ladder...you can't win games if you can't kick reasonable scores

Ross acknowledged that. He repeated several times how 'frustrated' he was that we couldn't finish off the good work from up the ground.

We need a player who works just as hard as our mids to be the Number 1 leading target

I reckon with the opportunities we had last night and our inside 50's dominance, that if Higgins was playing the role of a tall (i.e. leading at the ball carrier and being the no.1 target) he would have kicked 4 goals

You don't have to be tall to play the position. Just, understand what's going on up the field and lead and charge towards the kicker

Phillipou or Sharman would have probably done the job better than King.

You were going ok. Then you really let yourself down

King is completely bereft of confidence. Why? Who knows? Could be a few reasons. Lack of continuity in training over the previous 6 months, even last 2 years.

What I do know is he looked great first two games of this season, now he’s running in quicksand and looks like that giant blow up balloon man out the front of Car City Ringwood, just flopping around and folding in on himself

[SaintPav]

Since when has a back grabbing a forward to stop him from leading NOT been a free kick?

I can’t believe this is even an issue.

PS. Remember that soft free paid to Charlie Dixon against Doug earlier this season?

Where were the media then?

[SaintPav]

“We totally understand why he’s paid it because he has seen arms around ...

So it was kinda of a mistake but kinda not.

Hmm.

[Yorkeys]

AFL owns Suns.
Conflict of interest much?
That sure was a mistake, umpire forgot he is a shareholder in Suns and who pays him.

Yeo free, well he was near the ball for a while, was involved in the lead up so as soon as he took possession prior opportunity had expired, because there was potential he could have already have had possession, even though he didn't. All clear?
Umpiring is a joke, commentators are hopelessly compromised. Reporting click bait driven.
The real shock that is hard to come to terms with is that an off the ball hold on Max was actually paid. We had just about accepted the holding rule didn't apply to him.

[SaintPav]

Points in the bag so all the whiners can eat s***.

[B.M]

It was the softest of free kicks

Let’s be honest

[Sainter_Dad]

King gets 1 lousy free which was absolutely there - I was level to King/Mac watching the contest…

Hey Teffers - we were on the wing watching - but it looked like Mac was scragging ALL night and keeping King from competing - but if you were that close - am I right in saying it was happening EVERY time King was ready to lead.

If so - King DOES need to learn how to deal with this and use his wheels - maybe a stint at CHF - but as I pointed out in another thread - who becomes the FF Target?

[magnifisaint]

It looked like Andrew had his arms around King. Who started it?

[magnifisaint]

It was the softest of free kicks

Let’s be honest

But it looked like a free kick. Max was try to make space and Andrew was impeding him.

[Hack]

Commentators these days are a disgrace and need to pull their heads in

[Sainter_Dad]

Commentators these days are a disgrace and need to pull their heads in

They have an AFL driven Agenda

And we are but a footnote.

[Sainter_Dad]

It looked like Andrew had his arms around King. Who started it?

Mac Andrew - but that does not matter - who started the push and shove that got Butler a shot on goal? Think it may have been Butler.