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Umpire farce - Getting worse by the minute!
- Thread starter iLoVeNeWmAn
- Start date
Anyone remeber this game when we played the swans on the SCG?
Round 11 • Friday 27 May 2022
www.foxsports.com.au
The AFL has reportedly ticked off the controversial finish to Sydney’s six-point win over Richmond on Friday night.
One of the best AFL games of 2022 yet finished in chaotic and controversial circumstances after an umpire decision to not hand Swan Chad Warner a 50m penalty left Tigers players flabbergasted and divided a fired-up footy world.
With Sydney leading Richmond by six points in the dying seconds of the game, Tigers star Dion Prestia was awarded a free kick after being held at a stoppage on the wing.
But it appeared Warner didn’t hear the umpire’s whistle, as it came less than one second before the final siren sounded.
The circumstances meant a jubilant Warner, who was one of the best players on the ground, kicked the ball high into the SCG grandstand.
The AFL gave the decision the all-clear in a statement released on Saturday morning.
“The umpires made the correct call in not applying a 50m penalty against Warner, given the immediacy of the free being paid, the siren sounding and the ball being kicked into the crowd,” the statement reads, per Edmund.
It prompted pleas from Richmond players and the commentary box for a 50m penalty.
“He’s kicked the ball over the fence it should be 50!” Channel 7 commentator Brian Taylor said
“There’s no excuses that he doesn’t know.”
As players watched on, a conversation between the umpires then took place on the field.
Umpire John Howorth appeared to seek clarity from colleague Brendan Hosking, via the umpire mic system, about the location of the free kick and, crucially, whether a 50m penalty should be paid.
Howorth asked: “He kicked the ball into the crowd after the free kick … 50m I think?”
However both Hosking and nine-time Grand Final umpire Matt Stevic were then heard over the umpire mics saying “nah, nah”. One of them said: “He (Warner) couldn’t hear the whistle.”
Howorth replied: “That’s why I’m asking the question. Are we happy with that?”
Howorth then approached Prestia and explained to him why he would have to take his kick from between wing and half-forward and not be advanced 50m.
“He couldn’t have heard the free kick. It’s just common sense, OK?” Howorth said.
Prestia’s kick, inevitably, landed well short of goal and the Swans hung on to win by six points.
Coincidentally, it was Warner who marked the ball from Prestia’s kick and ensured there was no impossible, fluky bounce through for a Richmond goal.
Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph told Fox Footy it “might’ve been the most chaotic 20 seconds of the season so far”.
Richmond superstars Dustin Martin and Jack Riewoldt were both seen having passionate conversations with umpires post-match.
Warner told Channel 7 after the match he “obviously didn’t know it was a free kick”, adding: “Otherwise I wouldn’t have done that.”
Melbourne champion Garry Lyon told Fox Footy post-match “technically the 50 was there”, but triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown said umpires were not “as strict as they used to be when a player kicks the ball clear”.
“Going by the trend in the way they umpire when players do kick the ball away after a whistle, they normally don’t pay a 50m penalty,” Brown told Fox Footy.
Round 11 • Friday 27 May 2022
50m penalty or not? Swan NOT penalised for act on siren, sealing Tigers’ loss
AFL delivers verdict on controversial call in ‘most chaotic 20 seconds’ of year yet
www.foxsports.com.au
The AFL has reportedly ticked off the controversial finish to Sydney’s six-point win over Richmond on Friday night.
One of the best AFL games of 2022 yet finished in chaotic and controversial circumstances after an umpire decision to not hand Swan Chad Warner a 50m penalty left Tigers players flabbergasted and divided a fired-up footy world.
With Sydney leading Richmond by six points in the dying seconds of the game, Tigers star Dion Prestia was awarded a free kick after being held at a stoppage on the wing.
But it appeared Warner didn’t hear the umpire’s whistle, as it came less than one second before the final siren sounded.
The circumstances meant a jubilant Warner, who was one of the best players on the ground, kicked the ball high into the SCG grandstand.
The AFL gave the decision the all-clear in a statement released on Saturday morning.
“The umpires made the correct call in not applying a 50m penalty against Warner, given the immediacy of the free being paid, the siren sounding and the ball being kicked into the crowd,” the statement reads, per Edmund.
It prompted pleas from Richmond players and the commentary box for a 50m penalty.
“He’s kicked the ball over the fence it should be 50!” Channel 7 commentator Brian Taylor said
“There’s no excuses that he doesn’t know.”
As players watched on, a conversation between the umpires then took place on the field.
Umpire John Howorth appeared to seek clarity from colleague Brendan Hosking, via the umpire mic system, about the location of the free kick and, crucially, whether a 50m penalty should be paid.
Howorth asked: “He kicked the ball into the crowd after the free kick … 50m I think?”
However both Hosking and nine-time Grand Final umpire Matt Stevic were then heard over the umpire mics saying “nah, nah”. One of them said: “He (Warner) couldn’t hear the whistle.”
Howorth replied: “That’s why I’m asking the question. Are we happy with that?”
Howorth then approached Prestia and explained to him why he would have to take his kick from between wing and half-forward and not be advanced 50m.
“He couldn’t have heard the free kick. It’s just common sense, OK?” Howorth said.
Prestia’s kick, inevitably, landed well short of goal and the Swans hung on to win by six points.
Coincidentally, it was Warner who marked the ball from Prestia’s kick and ensured there was no impossible, fluky bounce through for a Richmond goal.
Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph told Fox Footy it “might’ve been the most chaotic 20 seconds of the season so far”.
Richmond superstars Dustin Martin and Jack Riewoldt were both seen having passionate conversations with umpires post-match.
Warner told Channel 7 after the match he “obviously didn’t know it was a free kick”, adding: “Otherwise I wouldn’t have done that.”
Melbourne champion Garry Lyon told Fox Footy post-match “technically the 50 was there”, but triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown said umpires were not “as strict as they used to be when a player kicks the ball clear”.
“Going by the trend in the way they umpire when players do kick the ball away after a whistle, they normally don’t pay a 50m penalty,” Brown told Fox Footy.
josh Caddy 2 50's against Rd 1 (ran 20 metres from the mark on both occasions)
Funny reading the oppo morons trying to argue with RoCo on Xwitter that our free kick diff means nothing.
Well, now that all the teams have played 8 games, let's see what is happening.
Surprisingly Geelong are the worst with only 13.75 frees for per game, but we're close behind on 14.63, no other team is below 15 frees received per game. You know the funny thing? Dimma is coaching Gold Coast and they are equal first with 21.75 frees for per game - I'm gobsmacked, how could his coaching style lead to that result, I thought it was his game style which was the reason behind our low number of frees for. The other team on 21.75 for is, you guessed it - Collingwood, the umpires' pets. The only other team with more than 20 frees for per game is, and yet again we will all be surprised - Carlton with 20.75 frees for per game.
Well blow me down, we're second again, frees against we get 20.75 but Collingwood concede more at 21.63. But, given Collingwood get so many themselves they are still positive on the free kicks.
Funnily enough Richmond are yet again the team with the worst differential at -6.13, the only team beyond -6.
One interesting thing is that Geelong games have less free kicks, they may not get many, and their differential is -3.75, but the average number of free kicks in a Geelong game is 31.25, the lowest by a fair margin.
Let's look at 2024 as a plot:
Top left is where you don't want to be, it is where we are perennially, as you can see from a plot of frees from the start of 2017 to the end of Round 8 2024:
This really is the most damning as it shows how the free kick bias has been going on for over 7 years.
Time it was called out, no other team is even close to us. There have been various explanations in the past such as our game style, but our coach until mid 2023 has gone to another team now and they are getting mountains of free kicks, so what's the explanation? I won't be holding my breath waiting for anything sensible from the AFL, they are a bunch of amateurs who are destroying the game and turning off the loyal supporters.
DS
Surprisingly Geelong are the worst with only 13.75 frees for per game, but we're close behind on 14.63, no other team is below 15 frees received per game. You know the funny thing? Dimma is coaching Gold Coast and they are equal first with 21.75 frees for per game - I'm gobsmacked, how could his coaching style lead to that result, I thought it was his game style which was the reason behind our low number of frees for. The other team on 21.75 for is, you guessed it - Collingwood, the umpires' pets. The only other team with more than 20 frees for per game is, and yet again we will all be surprised - Carlton with 20.75 frees for per game.
Well blow me down, we're second again, frees against we get 20.75 but Collingwood concede more at 21.63. But, given Collingwood get so many themselves they are still positive on the free kicks.
Funnily enough Richmond are yet again the team with the worst differential at -6.13, the only team beyond -6.
One interesting thing is that Geelong games have less free kicks, they may not get many, and their differential is -3.75, but the average number of free kicks in a Geelong game is 31.25, the lowest by a fair margin.
Let's look at 2024 as a plot:
Top left is where you don't want to be, it is where we are perennially, as you can see from a plot of frees from the start of 2017 to the end of Round 8 2024:
This really is the most damning as it shows how the free kick bias has been going on for over 7 years.
Time it was called out, no other team is even close to us. There have been various explanations in the past such as our game style, but our coach until mid 2023 has gone to another team now and they are getting mountains of free kicks, so what's the explanation? I won't be holding my breath waiting for anything sensible from the AFL, they are a bunch of amateurs who are destroying the game and turning off the loyal supporters.
DS
Probably calling for a divvy van to put those cheating pricks in when they get charged for fraud
Partial? Which part? When he had flatulence and partially let one escape. Never to be seen again. Like our free kicks
Richo called it out on Twitter, too and got the same sort of response. They seriously don’t understand that this isn’t a once off. It’s been happening since 2017. For us to win 3 flags against it is extraordinary, it also helped blind the footy public to what was going on.
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How abut the one where Baker gets his head ripped off and no free . . . every week.
It is pathetic, the umps couldn't stop us winning 3 flags and now they are kicking us when it really makes little difference. Not only pathetic, but functionally useless.
DS
the interpretation has changed. so its less about the umpires and more the umpire department /football operations.
Traditionally we've had a framework of get ball-get tackled- get time to dispose.
Then prior opportunity was introduced and eventually (within a few seasons) tightened so that after 1 step or 1 potential handball it was holding the ball. So the framework was get ball-get tackled- penalised.
Then last year a new concept was introduced. Knocked out in the tackle is play on. Lets face it most handballs these days are a pantomime. And no tv exec wants to see a pack and ball up, so best to call play on.
At the same time the prior opportunity was loosened. Give blokes time to release. Even if they're swung 360 or more they still have time.
Except to balance it out, the dont argue was locked in as prior opportunity and any ensuing tackle was automatically HTB. Cos yer know we want more Dusty moments.
This year the 2 concepts have been combined.
There is no prior opportunity if the ball is knocked out, dropped, thrown or released. Ball free means play on.
Or if the ball is pinned then prior opportunity is considered and its holding the ball.
Maybe the Afl should publish the memo
One extra thing I've noticed, now some special players can get spun 720 degrees & still not get pinged for " holding the ball".
Thing is, they change the way the rules are adjudicated without changing the rules. It is just dishonest and leaves everyone in the dark, just the way the AFL wants it.
Trouble is, this is turning people off the game, but they don't care as the people being turned off are the rusted on fans and they want young fans. I'm not convinced they are getting the young fans. Fixturing Richmond on Sunday arvo is not going to help either, we are a big club and they lose a big supporter base at their peril.
The AFL are so arrogant they reckon it will all just keep happening, but Tasmania is a lesson they should have learned, the success of the Jack Jumpers is a real threat to the incoming Tassie team.
DS
Trouble is, this is turning people off the game, but they don't care as the people being turned off are the rusted on fans and they want young fans. I'm not convinced they are getting the young fans. Fixturing Richmond on Sunday arvo is not going to help either, we are a big club and they lose a big supporter base at their peril.
The AFL are so arrogant they reckon it will all just keep happening, but Tasmania is a lesson they should have learned, the success of the Jack Jumpers is a real threat to the incoming Tassie team.
DS
Herald Sun
AFL free kick counts: Tigers’ horror differential, Essendon edge paying dividends
Richmond have an incredibly lopsided free kick differential while the Dons are being rewarded for their pressure. See where your club sits on the free kick ladder and specific counts here.Follow
@RalphyHeraldSun
3 min read
May 7, 2024 - 6:00AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
1 comments
Twelve months ago, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick baked his players for their lack of discipline after a spate of 50m penalties handed Sydney multiple goals in a 44-point defeat.
“I thought our discipline was incredibly poor,” Hardwick raged. “A couple of instances we just look at it and go ‘that’s ridiculous what we’re doing’.”
Hardwick was five games away from official ‘burnout’ status, but with a new coach and new game plan at Punt Rd, nothing has changed.
Richmond remains dead last on the AFL’s free kick count in 2024. And while clubs can blame the rub of the green or the ‘noise of affirmation’ across a short sample size of games, Richmond’s trend is not its friend.
The Tigers have given away plenty more free kicks than they have received in recent years. Picture: Michael Klein
Free Kick Ladder - 2024
| Club | FF | FA | Differential |
| Carlton | 166 | 134 | +32 |
| Essendon | 151 | 122 | +29 |
| Gold Coast SUNS | 174 | 152 | +22 |
| Adelaide Crows | 158 | 141 | +17 |
| West Coast Eagles | 149 | 138 | +11 |
| Port Adelaide | 157 | 147 | +10 |
| Fremantle | 145 | 136 | +9 |
| Brisbane Lions | 150 | 148 | +2 |
| St Kilda | 142 | 140 | +2 |
| Sydney Swans | 158 | 156 | +2 |
| Collingwood | 174 | 173 | +1 |
| Melbourne | 147 | 147 | 0 |
| Hawthorn | 149 | 152 | -3 |
| North Melbourne | 148 | 153 | -5 |
| Western Bulldogs | 135 | 142 | -7 |
| Geelong Cats | 110 | 140 | -30 |
| GWS GIANTS | 121 | 165 | -44 |
| Richmond | 117 | 166 | -49 |
Free Kick Ladder - 2021-2023
| Club | FF | FA | Differential |
| Western Bulldogs | 1272 | 1112 | +160 |
| Carlton | 1365 | 1258 | +107 |
| Brisbane Lions | 1346 | 1279 | +67 |
| Fremantle | 1290 | 1238 | +52 |
| Collingwood | 1277 | 1227 | +50 |
| Essendon | 1254 | 1217 | +37 |
| Melbourne | 1254 | 1221 | +33 |
| Geelong Cats | 1278 | 1247 | +31 |
| GWS GIANTS | 1220 | 1206 | +14 |
| St Kilda | 1271 | 1262 | +9 |
| Adelaide Crows | 1391 | 1397 | -6 |
| West Coast Eagles | 1229 | 1247 | -18 |
| Hawthorn | 1232 | 1263 | -31 |
| Sydney Swans | 1331 | 1370 | -39 |
| North Melbourne | 1252 | 1326 | -74 |
| Port Adelaide | 1278 | 1360 | -82 |
| Gold Coast SUNS | 1235 | 1320 | -85 |
| Richmond | 1148 | 1375 | -227 |
This year the Tigers’ free-kick differential is -49 (81 less than Carlton), just as the club had a -227 free-kick differential from the 2021-23 seasons. Against Fremantle, Richmond was genuinely stiff on several occasions over holding the ball free kicks that went Fremantle’s way.
Yet after the Tigers gave away a soft holding-the-man free kick to Sean Darcy on the stroke of halftime, Thomson Dow simply dropped the ball to march the ruckman to the goal line with a 50m penalty. Richmond 31 points down. Game over.
This year, Shai Bolton has given away three 50m penalties, with Richmond -10 for high-tackle differential, -7 for push-in-the-back differential, and -22 for holding the man.
Shai Bolton has been coughed up 150m worth of 50m penaties so far in 2024. Picture: Getty Images
They have given up 49 free kicks for the holding-the-ball statistic and received only 27.
Once the Tigers played a specific game plan – conceding the first possession, swarming to tackle and pressure – that the free kicks could be explained. It was why the Tigers were a league-worst -99 for high-tackle free kicks from 2021-2023.
Toby Nankervis plays as an undersized ruck, so his 18 free kicks conceded – second in the competition behind Brodie Grundy – can be explained. But a lack of discipline and technique has to be at play for Richmond.
Tigers coach Adem Yze has enough concerns to worry about, but at some stage he will have to address the free-kick discrepancy. “We focus on our tackle technique – we have trained hard,” Yze said post-match.
“If it’s a technical issue, if we are not getting low enough … all those things we will work out at training and work on our craft in that.
“It’s not something we go into a game thinking about. We just need to get better at it.”
Across the AFL competition, themes emerge this season with Carlton leading the free kick differential (+32) from Essendon (+29), Gold Coast (+22), Adelaide (+17) and West Coast (+11).
Geelong (-44) has the second-worst differential after Richmond (-49) with daylight before the third-worst Western Bulldogs (-7).
Essendon has been rewarded for tackles this year but Hawthorn have been pinged more often than any other side. Picture: Michael Klein
Essendon’s “Edge” has them +17 in holding-the-ball decisions, with the brilliant Zach Merrett (six free-kicks for) and Archie Perkins (five) leading the defensive charge.
In contrast, the Hawks are -20 for holding-the-ball differential, with James Worpel caught eight times and Jai Newcombe (four).
Free kick reasons - Differentials in 2024
| Club | High Tackle | Push In Back | Holding The Ball |
| Adelaide Crows | 11 | 10 | -6 |
| Brisbane Lions | -8 | 4 | -2 |
| Carlton | 16 | 4 | 5 |
| Collingwood | -19 | -8 | 15 |
| Essendon | 4 | -4 | 17 |
| Fremantle | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Geelong Cats | -15 | -10 | -2 |
| Gold Coast SUNS | 5 | -8 | 6 |
| GWS GIANTS | 4 | -13 | -8 |
| Hawthorn | 9 | -5 | -20 |
| Melbourne | -3 | 3 | -6 |
| North Melbourne | 4 | 10 | -10 |
| Port Adelaide | -10 | 2 | 14 |
| Richmond | -10 | -7 | 1 |
| St Kilda | -1 | 2 | -5 |
| Sydney Swans | -2 | 7 | 8 |
| West Coast Eagles | 7 | 5 | -9 |
| Western Bulldogs | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Free kick reasons - Differentials in 2021-2023
| Club | High Tackle | Push In Back | Holding The Ball |
| Adelaide Crows | 72 | -5 | -47 |
| Brisbane Lions | 26 | -55 | 33 |
| Carlton | 11 | 16 | 7 |
| Collingwood | -2 | -11 | 51 |
| Essendon | -43 | -1 | 34 |
| Fremantle | 3 | 41 | -35 |
| Geelong Cats | -10 | 9 | -14 |
| Gold Coast SUNS | 15 | -39 | -59 |
| GWS GIANTS | 36 | 18 | 47 |
| Hawthorn | 21 | 25 | -32 |
| Melbourne | 61 | -27 | -38 |
| North Melbourne | 23 | 20 | -71 |
| Port Adelaide | -63 | -45 | 47 |
| Richmond | -99 | -19 | -14 |
| St Kilda | -27 | -15 | 88 |
| Sydney Swans | 5 | -9 | -11 |
| West Coast Eagles | -46 | 26 | 26 |
| Western Bulldogs | 17 | 71 | -12 |
Collingwood’s elite tackle pressure in recent weeks has helped the Pies to a +15 holding-the-ball differential, with Brayden Maynard winning five free kicks and Scott Pendlebury and Tom Mitchell (both four).
Carlton has won 16 more high-tackle free kicks than it has conceded, with George Hewett winning six free kicks and Tom De Koning (four).
Footy’s controversial former ducker, Jack Ginnivan, now at the Hawks, has won only five total free kicks, including only two for high tackles.
His teammate Dylan Moore has won nine free kicks for high contact.
Gold Coast’s Matt Rowell has received a league-high 27 free kicks (holding the ball both for and against, receiving high tackles), followed by Sydney’s Brodie Grundy (20).
Adelaide’s Jake Soligo is third for receiving free kicks, with seven of his 19 free kicks after being tackled high.
North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri has received 19 free kicks, the fourth-most in the league.
Grundy has also given away the most (23), followed by Giants ruck Kieren Briggs (19), Nankervis (18), Clayton Oliver (five for holding the ball, five for tackling high), then Xerri 17.
Toby Greene has given away the sixth-most free kicks – four for each of tackling high, holding the man and pushing in the back.
Jordan De Goey has conceded the seventh-most free kicks – with seven for high tackles.
It is one reason the Pies are a league-worst -19 in free kicks for high tackles despite their outstanding holding the ball.
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Article completely misses the point. It’s not the frees we get or give away. It’s the ones that are not paid. The standard for which we are rewarded a free kick is way higher than any other side.
He mentions it, but quickly glosses over it and it gets buried. The thrust of the article is that it’s Richmond’s fault. I think the club should send a message to the media outlets that Ralph works for and demand that he stop mentioning he used to barrack for the club.
What I don't understand is that Collingwood and Essendon are "being rewarded for their tackle pressure" but the reason for our free kick differential in the past was our tackle pressure ???
