Umpire farce - Getting worse by the minute!

[Stackey]

They may as well run upto the wing

As soon as Tigers do this will be free kick enforced against us!

 

[HR]

I’m very confused in regards to the Andrews 50 ( surprise surprise). I admit I didn’t watch most of that game and didn’t see the incident except in replays, so I may have missed the context surrounding it. But from what I gather, an iffy free kick was paid against him and he put out his arms to gesture “what?”. That constitutes umpire abuse these days? Players are not allowed to even question a decision, no matter how bad or wrong it is? I can understand if he went off his nut at the umpire but he didn’t. Questioning equals umpire abuse now? When did umpires become infallible gods?
At the beginning of the season the AFL came out and specifically emphasised stamping out ABUSE not questioning. Even in the first few rounds, players were getting away with disagreeing with decisions.
Have umpires now become so precious and delicate? I feel this may backfire on the AFL as it makes umpires look stupid and they will cop it from spectators and the media even more.
I do feel for the umpires at times as all the rule changes from management make it a nightmare to follow, but surely umpires can use common sense when it comes to this

Hey Legend, you should have left it at the end of your third word!

Because every single person who has ever been involved with AUSSIE RULES Footy is confused.

Sorry, except for 1 person on this website that is.

 

[Sintiger]

I have long loved AFL but in all honesty the latest rule changes have really soured the game for me. It isn't just the Richmond games that are hard to watch but also games involving other teams.

AFL has always been a game where if you wanted to, you could over umpire very easily and justify a myriad of free kicks for the game, or ignore other free kicks. As bad as that is, right now it has actually gotten worse than that. Round 1 against Carlton, the umpires awarded Carlton eight 50m penalties. Most of these the commentators just accepted but had no clue what they were for and anyone watching had no clue. The conjecture seemed to be that the 50's were awarded for players complaining to the umpires about a free kick given. However in the same game I saw on numerous occasions a Carlton player argue to the umpire and then throw both his hands up in a gesture that he didn't mean to say anything. No 50m penalties were awarded against Carlton at all this game. However so many were awarded against Richmond for what I would assume was players arguing or questioning a decision (however most of these were not as clear as certain cases when a Carlton player was complaining and got away with it).

The point is, umpires can now decide who wins a game of football and pluck 50m penalties along with other calls and non calls at will. Worst of all, they only need to rig their decisions for perhaps the last quarter or for smaller portions of a game to completely change the result of any game. With this new 50m penalty rule, no one actually really knows if they are warranted or not. I saw the Geelong and Collingwood game. In the last quarter Collingwood took a mark about 50m out. 2 Geelong players remonstrated to the umpires in quite an animated display (as they believed the ball was touched). No 50m penalty awarded. Now whilst I think the rule stinks, umpires can choose to interpret this rule however they wish. I guarantee if it was Richmond doing what Geelong did, instant 50m penalty. As it turned out the Collingwood player missed the shot on goal, and Geelong rebounded it and got a goal of their own. It was fair to say that if the 50m was awarded, just this one decision alone could have changed the outcome of the game. Yet in a lot of Richmond games, it isn't even just one decision, but a myriad of them that is helping in their demise.

This was a while ago but I have only just read it.

I don't subscribe to any rigging or cheating theories but what Larrikin posted here is the basis for my issue with 50 metre penalties for disputing an umpires decision. I has this discussion with TBR earlier in the season as well and I think what is happening validates my concerns.

Either the umpires have a 100% blanket no dispute, no frustration, no even raising the eyebrows interpretation or get rid of this nonsense. Leave it as it was which was clear abuse and whilst that may have some grey area it happens much less often. When we have a penalty that is so big at 50 metres leaving this stuff to the subjectivity of the umpires and the fact we have 3 of them on the field with different levels of subjectivity then we have a really bad rule.

Send it to the scrapheap along with the stand rule

 

[Mr Brightside]

How stupid is it that the game is effected by umpires ball skills , firstly the bounce , secondly the boundary throw in , why can’t a player just grab or tap the ball if it comes to them . Why can’t we just throw it up or just let it go same as the throw ins , as soon as the umps get the ball the6 should just throw it in and get the game going again as quick as possible ad these grey rules( interpretations) I find it harder and harder to watch

 

[HR]

How stupid is it that the game is effected by umpires ball skills , firstly the bounce , secondly the boundary throw in , why can’t a player just grab or tap the ball if it comes to them . Why can’t we just throw it up or just let it go same as the throw ins , as soon as the umps get the ball the6 should just throw it in and get the game going again as quick as possible ad these grey rules( interpretations) I find it harder and harder to watch

Why do they wait for the rucks to be ready or to nominate before throwing it up or in? The game doesn't wait for anyone else, well apart from forwards and add breaks. Everyone else has to just be ready.

 

[HR]

Below the knee free kicks gone today. Mabs vs saint gives one away for the saint hitting his shin?
Dissent from Saints no 50.
Push in the back from Membrey and King a couple of times, no free.
3 umpires and the game has never been worse off.
The games *smile*.
Go tigers.

 

[artball]

how about a Royal Commission into Umpire Consistency ?

 

[DavidSSS]

how about a Royal Commission into Umpire Consistency ?

Don't think we need a Royal Commission, I reckon the answers are not that difficult:

• Remove vagueness from the rules.
• Full Time Umpires with a decent coaching panel who can go through decisions/non-decisions and point to where they could be better.
• Admit screw ups and howlers.
• Get rid of absurd rules like stand and flap your arms = 50m penalty.

Not that hard really. The full time umpires with some coaching would go a long way towards getting different umpires to adjudicate consistently.

DS

 

[artball]

Don't think we need a Royal Commission, I reckon the answers are not that difficult:

• Remove vagueness from the rules.
• Full Time Umpires with a decent coaching panel who can go through decisions/non-decisions and point to where they could be better.
• Admit screw ups and howlers.
• Get rid of absurd rules like stand and flap your arms = 50m penalty.

Not that hard really. The full time umpires with some coaching would go a long way towards getting different umpires to adjudicate consistently.

DS

the points you make would be the findings of a Royal Commission ...

 

[tigertim]

Adelaide in Adelaide, assume the position boys.

 

[mexican_radio]

Adelaide in Adelaide, assume the position boys.

how accurate this proved to be

 

[Spirit of Jack]

The free kick differential was bigger than the winning margin. Says it all.

 

[WesternTiger]

Must say that was the most terrible display of one way umpiring and commentating. I’m really really pissed. Dissect a Richmond free to the edge of its life but doesn’t call any of the non frees, the *smile* ones and then call the ump put the whistle away like it’s ok!

 

[blueoval]

What was the free kick count at the siren?

 

[Mycotchinrules]

THAT WAS DISGRACEFUL

 

[tigerman]

We're 19 points down with a couple of minutes to go, and Bolton gets done for deliberate out of bounds.

The umpire is clueless, and has no feel for the game. !!

Have no chance of winning when the free kick count is 13-33.

 

[MB78]

What has happened to holding the ball? If you choose fend you lose any prior.

 

[Spirit of Jack]

Adelaide only infringed 13 times that game - they must be the best team in the history of football

 

[artball]

please ask questions RFC because we just got nothing

 

[Mycotchinrules]

20 extra free kicks.

May as well be an extra player for Adelaide