Umpire farce - Getting worse by the minute!

[CarnTheTiges]

Delayed free kicks never used to happen, you see at least half a dozen a game now. Umpires are waiting for one of the other umpires to pay a free kick, which results in a a free kick being paid 2 or 3 seconds after the incident, or on a lot of occasions no free kick being paid at all.

Having four field umpires has been an abject failure.

Too many umpires, too many rules and too many of those are open to interpretation. A great example of this is the stand rule. It’s still there for reasons no one understands, and I’m yet to see how it has been a positive for the game in any way, shape or form. When someone comes out in support of it and they’re asked why all they can supply are vague generalisations that don’t even apply to the rule.

 

[Little Ziggyadee]

Or waiting for someone (Gill) to yell at them through their earpiece to pay a free

I was thinking the same.
Are they getting instructed to call free kicks.
The advantage not called in the 1st qtr for GWS seemed like it.

 

[btoz_01]

I was thinking the same.
Are they getting instructed to call free kicks.
The advantage not called in the 1st qtr for GWS seemed like it.

IMO they are that’s why there’s delayed frees Someone upstairs is directing them you can see it as they put hand to ear sometimes when calling a free

 

[tigerman]

IMO they are that’s why there’s delayed frees Someone upstairs is directing them you can see it as they put hand to ear sometimes when calling a free

It's a terrible, embarrassing look on our game, as is the Stand rule.

 

[tigertim]

IMO they are that’s why there’s delayed frees Someone upstairs is directing them you can see it as they put hand to ear sometimes when calling a free

That’s the umps internal mic where they communicate with each other.

 

[The Mole]

That’s the umps internal mic where they communicate with each other.

They also get external communications such as score review info. There is no doubt they receive in play communication from an off field person too.

 

[btoz_01]

That’s the umps internal mic where they communicate with each other.

Fair enough but I’ve noticed at times all umps are allowing play to go on then suddenly whistle ump touches earpiece and it’s a delayed free

 

[TigerMasochist]

Too many umpires, too many rules and too many of those are open to interpretation. A great example of this is the stand rule. It’s still there for reasons no one understands, and I’m yet to see how it has been a positive for the game in any way, shape or form. When someone comes out in support of it and they’re asked why all they can supply are vague generalisations that don’t even apply to the rule.

Staaaaannnd, 666 and the twenty five metre penalty erm I mean protected space when a behind is scored were all invented to open up the game, create more open play increase scoring and increase advertising, oops I mean make the game more exciting. Four umpires was invented to allow the umpires to get into better position and be less fatigued to enable them to make better decisions.
Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Baseball has three strikes n you're out. AFLHQ has strike after strike and the perpetrators get promoted n pay rises.

Expat Pom who's sadly a Colonwood supporter couldn't quite get his head around why I only follow my club and no longer have any interest in the actual game itself.
The game is no longer a premium competition of elite, it's nothing more than a contrived manipulation of mediocrity for maximum money

 

[artball]

there has to be a rule cull ... in order for the game to progress

 

[TT33]

there has to be a rule cull ... in order for the game to progress

Yep look at all the "Dusty moments" we've had since these stupid rules were introduced.

Aaaaaahhh, can't remember seeing too many.

And my how they've increased the scoring per game!!!!!!!!!

 

[DavidSSS]

Too many umpires, too many rules and too many of those are open to interpretation. A great example of this is the stand rule. It’s still there for reasons no one understands, and I’m yet to see how it has been a positive for the game in any way, shape or form. When someone comes out in support of it and they’re asked why all they can supply are vague generalisations that don’t even apply to the rule.

Look, the new rules are BS, everyone knows this.

But a tackle on or above the shoulder has been penalised with a free kick since Moses was a lad.

4 umpires see less rule infractions than 3 did, hard to believe but true. Either that or, more likely, they are instructed to make sure there aren't too many free kicks per game. This results in gross inconsistency and the mess we currently see.

DS

 

[eZyT]

Why cant they put the whistles away in H&A?

They find it really easy in finals, why not in March?

Its weird.

 

[Willo]

I watched the SANFL grand final today. Good game.
The standard of umpiring was far superior to that of afl games.
I know the SANFL doesn’t follow all afl rule changes and that makes it so much more appealing as a spectacle. I know parochial Vics will probably disagree, but they’d be wrong. Much more streamlined game to play, adjudicate and watch
One thing that was noticeable was that the umpires were hardly noticeable
They let the game flow, paid obvious frees that were there, 25m penalties much more fairer in my view. The afl need to drastically review all the dopey rules they’ve brought in as well as the contrary, arbitration of so many others.

 

[TigerMasochist]

4 umpires see less rule infractions than 3 did, hard to believe but true. Either that or, more likely, they are instructed to make sure there aren't too many free kicks per game. This results in gross inconsistency and the mess we currently see.

DS

One umpire all on his lonesome easily used to find more free kicks per game than the four blind *smile* wits manage these days.

 

[Little Ziggyadee]

I watched the SANFL grand final today. Good game.
The standard of umpiring was far superior to that of afl games.
I know the SANFL doesn’t follow all afl rule changes and that makes it so much more appealing as a spectacle. I know parochial Vics will probably disagree, but they’d be wrong. Much more streamlined game to play, adjudicate and watch
One thing that was noticeable was that the umpires were hardly noticeable
They let the game flow, paid obvious frees that were there, 25m penalties much more fairer in my view. The afl need to drastically review all the dopey rules they’ve brought in as well as the contrary, arbitration of so many others.

Go the Tiggies.

 

[tigertim]

As we said all along, umpires (apparently til this season, 2023) looked at the stats in the umpires room. Pretty sure The Big Ego said they didn’t but hey….

” A former umpire on Tuesday said the inconsistent polling in Monday’s count was a result of the AFL’s crackdown.

“There were only a handful of games in the past that would have been done without using stats or phones,” he said.

“The emergency ump used to sit in front of Champion Data on the bench and look at their laptop. But with four umpires on the field for the first time this year there’s no emergency umpire anymore.

“But in the past if we were still unsure then someone would look at their phone. It was either done openly, in the bathroom or sneakily in bags.

“But with what’s gone on, they’re obviously handing their phones in now and the AFL are a lot stricter – and this is the consequence.”

 

[Baloo]

Five years of freekick data tallied together. Considering teams all tried the Richmond way, it's pretty indisputable that there is a bias against us. Conscious or not.

 

[leon]

Five years of freekick data tallied together. Considering teams all tried the Richmond way, it's pretty indisputable that there is a bias against us. Conscious or not.

View attachment 21281

So Bulldogs have had 604 MORE FKs over those years than us. That's virtually 121 per season!

What a surprise the Mudpies are up there at 2nd!

 

[gold1]

If only the umpires would actually enforce the throwing the ball rule,the dogs would be ranked eighteenth.

 

[Nico]

Five years of freekick data tallied together. Considering teams all tried the Richmond way, it's pretty indisputable that there is a bias against us. Conscious or not.

View attachment 21281

Not surprising. If you added 2017 and 2018 to that list the difference would be even greater.