To the AFL

[3rd generation saint]

I have been going to the football on a very regular basis since 1971 and yes I am a passionate St.Kilda supporter.
However, I watch other matches and I can tell you that the standard of umpiring of our great match has deteriorated to the point of farcical.
Things that were free kicks for virtually the entire 42 years I've been watching have been thrown out the door and don't exist anymore.
All I ask, and I am sure just about every other fan will join me in this, is for consistency, for the free kicks that were paid from the previous week, are paid the next week, and the week after that, not the roulette wheel of rules that seems to be applied now from week to week to see which rules will abandoned, and which ones will be paid.
I would also like to see the rules committee abandoned, there is no need for it, plus constantly changing the rules inevitably leads to more confusion of the umpires of how to interpret things from year to year.
Also, simplify the rules, it cannot be that hard, really it cannot be. For example the sliding rule should only apply if a player slides in feet first, like Adam Goodes did which was the catalyst for this new rule. Just look at soccer, they are penalised for feet first tackles because they are dangerous. If a player goes for the ball in the traditional way head first and puts his body on the line, the rule has always been, always been to protect the player going for the ball, which is what they are doing!!! If a player cannons into their side with their legs, than the free kick must go to the player going for the ball!!!!!
Simpler rules, will take interpretation out of the picture, such as when a player is tackled, if he has had time to deliver it, or is dragged to the ground and the ball touches the ground, or just let's the ball go, the tackler is rewarded. As it stands now, there is no reward for tackling, which wasn't the case for the better part of the 40 years I've watched the game.
I accept umpires make errors, we got free kicks we shouldn't get every week, but, if we see the same philosophy towards free kicks from week to week, the players will be less confused, as will the supporters.
Finally, and most of all, have the conviction to actually admit you have a problem!!!!, don't sit there with your heads in the sand, because if you admit there's a problem, than you can take steps to fix it.
The consequence of continuing your denial and do nothing attitude will eventually lead to a very ugly incident at a game when a, or number of fans vent their frustration in a very, very ugly way.

[PADDLEPOP1001]

+1

[suss]

The game is ******. The edited version.

[southernsaint]

+1

[Ice Wolf]

But there is consistency, the Umpires constistently f*** us.

[Watts the Buzz]

There needs to be a Royal Commission into yesterday's game........I'm sure the men in green had something riding on that game.

[suss]

I am so over this game. I'll be joining Heart before the A League season kicks off and pissing off all allegence to the AFL at season's end. It's a corrupt, manipulated, disorganised sport run by vested interests and parasites.

Yesterday was but a small example of the blatant bias that's become a hallmark of the game for the past 20 years.

They can get ******.

[Ice Wolf]

There needs to be a Royal Commission into yesterday's game........I'm sure the men in green had something riding on that game.

If they had something riding on the game they would have bet on the Saints at $4, the only gambling explaination could be if the bookies paid them off so as to not have to pay out on the saints win.

[Bowey Boy]

I am waiting for Ross Lyin to come out and say how much easier it is to coach Fremantle given that the umps are on board and not out to Roger them each week.

[3rd generation saint]

Suss, you don't hurt the AFL doing that, just St.Kilda, what needs to happen is a united front from all supporters towards the AFL, without us there is no competition.
In all honesty, what I'd love to see is a press conference from St.Kilda where the board airs a vote of no confidence in Geischen and co. and how they are running the umpires, because that is where all these problems are coming from. They say they are trying to encourage more people to be umpires, yet they are keeping people out due to their inconsistency of applying the rules as they stand causing the frustration of the fans.
In fact what they should be doing is trying to get guys like Leigh Ferguson into umpiring as ex players have a lot more sense of the spirit of the game then very bad coaches who got sacked by their club for being incompetent.

[stinger]

does anybody have the e-mail address for the giesch or that knob who runs the afl.....????

[gringo]

There needs to be a Royal Commission into yesterday's game........I'm sure the men in green had something riding on that game.

I think it will come out in a few years that crims are paying for results.

[joffaboy]

There needs to be a Royal Commission into yesterday's game........I'm sure the men in green had something riding on that game.

I think it will come out in a few years that crims are paying for results.

Unfortunately, this is a distinct possibility.

I really really hope it is just incompetence, but spot fixing by crim bookies is rife in all sports across the world.

Protected parts of a game who can do no wrong would be a safe target for these crims, and easy money for underpaid umpires.

Spot fix - Saints not to get a free in first qtr (odds on say -0-2, 2-4,4-56 6+)

Spot fix 2 - WCE to get three free kicks at goal in last quarter (odds laid on free shots to WCE in qtr 4 0-2, 3, 3+)

Work the odds, get a bundle. Umpires get paid, All 50/50 decisions "technically" correct according to the AFL, game not fixed but result influenced.

However according to our resident (and conspicously absent) umpire apologist, we are all wrong, are all biased, all frees against us are always correct, and it is outside the realms of possibility that umpires could ever be corrupted by bookies and crims.

Never happen - deny, deny deny.

[resaintlee]

If AFL were to be corrupt then it would really need to be the umpires as they can have such an impact on the result. I am not saying it is, but surely there needs to be an investigation by the crime commission, or whoever they are, to assess the free kicks, results and what Asian bookmakers are offering as wagers

[The Redeemer]

Over the last few years I have taken less and less of a give a s*** in the wider product.

I wholeheartedly support St. Kilda and that will never change however the wider product? Not so much.

We should not have to deal with such rule changes from week to week and thus making it so confusing.

Whilst the umpiring last night was not good, it was from both sides.

Why?

it does not have to be this way.

[felix]

There needs to be a Royal Commission into yesterday's game........I'm sure the men in green had something riding on that game.

If they had something riding on the game they would have bet on the Saints at $4, the only gambling explaination could be if the bookies paid them off so as to not have to pay out on the saints win.

You can bet on the favourites , it's not so obvious then ..except when they are losing.

[Fidelis]

I watched a VFL game for the first time in a while last weekend. Here was footy as I remembered it and as I learned to love it. Not hard to build a case for taking up the support of a local club.

[markp]

There needs to be a Royal Commission into yesterday's game........I'm sure the men in green had something riding on that game.

I think it will come out in a few years that crims are paying for results.

Unfortunately, this is a distinct possibility.

I really really hope it is just incompetence, but spot fixing by crim bookies is rife in all sports across the world.

Protected parts of a game who can do no wrong would be a safe target for these crims, and easy money for underpaid umpires.

Spot fix - Saints not to get a free in first qtr (odds on say -0-2, 2-4,4-56 6+)

Spot fix 2 - WCE to get three free kicks at goal in last quarter (odds laid on free shots to WCE in qtr 4 0-2, 3, 3+)

Work the odds, get a bundle. Umpires get paid, All 50/50 decisions "technically" correct according to the AFL, game not fixed but result influenced.

However according to our resident (and conspicously absent) umpire apologist, we are all wrong, are all biased, all frees against us are always correct, and it is outside the realms of possibility that umpires could ever be corrupted by bookies and crims.

Never happen - deny, deny deny.

It may not even be gambling... surely it'd go our way more often if it was!

It could just be cashed up 'fans'.

Plenty of dirty money out west.... lots of dubious characters around footy, and certain clubs in particular.

Who knows how deep this bummer's drug scandal goes for instance?... There's already links to bikies, etc.

David Shwarz has received a death threat that's genuinely shaken him because he merely suggested he hoped the dees get thumped today... how hard for someone to find out where an umpire lives? Even to just drop the occasional cash filled anonymous envelope.

Who knows... but something is definitely crook in tullarook here.

And surely expediency breeds corruption... if the bosses are blatantly massaging preferred outcomes for higher returns, why not the employees?

[The Craw]

I just don't understand the game anymore.

I could honestly say that right up until 2010 I could explain why a free was/was not paid. Now I just have no idea.

The holding the ball / dropping the ball rule just does my head in. Especially the "dropping the ball".

Last night I would say at least 6 or 7 obvious "droping the ball" free kicks were not paid then in the last qtr one gets paid in the centre of the ground even though the player got foot to ball. The supporters around me went nuts !!!!

It is a sad sad state of affairs at the moment and it is ruining the game.

[Stillwaiting]

Over the last few years I have taken less and less of a give a s*** in the wider product.

I wholeheartedly support St. Kilda and that will never change however the wider product? Not so much.

We should not have to deal with such rule changes from week to week and thus making it so confusing.

Whilst the umpiring last night was not good, it was from both sides.

Why?

it does not have to be this way.

That is my thoughts to. I love the Saints and will always support them, but the wider product is not as appealing as it once was. The afl and umpiring department continue yo ignore that fans are frustrated, not just Saints fans either. They say there is no problems yet the fans say there is.
When the Saints were crap in the 80's and early 90's I was still able to enjoy watching good games not envolving the Saints and still enjoy it. Now I rarely watch it

[stevie]

It isn't just us thinking footy is f***ed. Other teams fans have threads on it ( well the Filth do, lol)

So it ain't just because the Saints are struggling that we have lost interest. I still haven't watched a game this year with the volume up and won't. I won't be watching any finals and certainly not the GF. Some games on telly I can't be f***ed watching.

As I've stated before, the overall AFL package has become tiresome. The umps are deciding games with new rule s***. Every contest now is a lottery, players pulling up for fear of giving away a free for what the f*** they don't even now.

The game has become amateurish in presentation, the commentary is woeful and embarrassing to our country.

I watch f*** all TV anyway, so not turning on an AFL game now is no big deal. I will always love the Saints. Even when I feel I have no interest, I find myself checking their scores or listenening on the radio.

But the rest of the comp can go f*** itself and I look forward to the NFL starting in a few months.

Love you all

stevie

[noob]

Seems these days you can run with the ball for a metres get tackled and still be played on.. Yet when you beat your opponent to the ball on ground level and he pings you and soon as you get it.. holding the ball.

[mullet]

It isn't just us thinking footy is f***ed. Other teams fans have threads on it ( well the Filth do, lol)

So it ain't just because the Saints are struggling that we have lost interest. I still haven't watched a game this year with the volume up and won't. I won't be watching any finals and certainly not the GF. Some games on telly I can't be f***ed watching.

As I've stated before, the overall AFL package has become tiresome. The umps are deciding games with new rule s***. Every contest now is a lottery, players pulling up for fear of giving away a free for what the f*** they don't even now.

The game has become amateurish in presentation, the commentary is woeful and embarrassing to our country.

I watch f*** all TV anyway, so not turning on an AFL game now is no big deal. I will always love the Saints. Even when I feel I have no interest, I find myself checking their scores or listenening on the radio.

But the rest of the comp can go f*** itself and I look forward to the NFL starting in a few months.

Love you all

stevie

Nothing to do with losing at all. Geez I'm 51 seen some hard times, but even getting pumped could always have a good day at the footy. Get there early and watch the ressies, and could understand why we werent so good, just didnt have the cattle. But these days, its a farce. And the whole Essendon thing has just put me over the edge. Cant look at players now without wondering if they are "really" good, or just got the best doctors. And we now reward those who are the best at milking frees because it is a "skill" and penalise those who throw themselves in to get the ball "sliding". Does my head in

[older saint]

Rules of the game committee is killing this game - no other sport in the world changes rules each year and has a rules of the game committee who meets multiple times in a season. Leave the bloody thing alone, it will evolve itself. Saw a North guy get his hand broken sat night going to pick the ball up . The Suns player who kicked him does not give away a free for kicking in danger he gets one for contact below the knees! This fast moving basketball style protecting the Squibb is not the game I grew up with and really apart frm Stkilda games I do not watch a lot of AFL anymore unless iti sa Geel Haw type game which will end up hard and like older footy despite the green maggots

[joffaboy]

last weeks game 1st qtr one team 8 frees the other 0

Last night 4th qtr, 1 team 6 frees the other 1 (OOF).

So in half a game of football we were paid not one decision by an umpire.

Its not too far to suspecting massaged influence on a spot fix.

You dont even have to fix a match, just do what was done last night. Let it go for 3 quarters then just change the whole interpretation in the 4th and give one team and one team only the frees.

Something is just not kosher.