Opinion Umpiring: Corruption or Incompetence, or both

[Long live PAFC]

Look Jones, Alir and everyone else dropped key marks, Esava decided to mark a ball a foot behind the goal line rather than spoil it, Dixon and Jezza missed straight forward goals.

However, Brown nailed two goals - one after Alir gave away a shepherding free, the other other a Melbourne player didn’t give away a free from the exact same action. Another goal was sustained after two non called holding the balls. Jezza gave away a free to Gawn for holding on after the two were wrestling for a ruck contests. The fifty against Farrell, which gifted Oliver a goal was for…..????


It actually was a corker of a game. No real champion individual players, … outside Gawn, solid team efforts, good skills, hard hits. Disappointing that it feels like the umpires had an undue impact on the outcome.

 

[sobrave]

Findlay, the useless campaigner ump, does not seem to know that the htb rule exists. Jordan Hinkley needs to make a PowerPoint presentation to send to the AFL, showing butters tackle, the multiple tackles in Melbourne's forward line where Krusty brown and bailey fridge get spun 360 and then throw the ball, and demand this umpire be launched into outer space

 

[Powerade 08]

Drew 11 tackles, McEntee caught them htb in the goalsquare twice. They end with a combined count of 0 frees for/6 against

 

[thundercloud]

Carry on from Collingwood gifted run in finals. The players know and express when a poor decision non decision is obvious. And they are at least as close to it as umpire.

 

[VineValerian]

Look Jones, Alir and everyone else dropped key marks, Esava decided to mark a ball a foot behind the goal line rather than spoil it, Dixon and Jezza missed straight forward goals.

However, Brown nailed two goals - one after Alir gave away a shepherding free, the other other a Melbourne player didn’t give away a free from the exact same action. Another goal was sustained after two non called holding the balls. Jezza gave away a free to Gawn for holding on after the two were wrestling for a ruck contests. The fifty against Farrell, which gifted Oliver a goal was for…..????


It actually was a corker of a game. No real champion individual players, … outside Gawn, solid team efforts, good skills, hard hits. Disappointing that it feels like the umpires had an undue impact on the outcome.

Look, if the umps were impartial and equal to both sides, we win.

But that would be to gloss over our deficiencies way to easily, and give our blokes even more leeway to excuse unprofessional results.

We lose to good sides because:
1. our game plan is flawed and unsustainable (responsibility of coaches),
2. our skills are shambolic (coaches and players),
3. our decision making at times in sheer panic stations stuff (players),
4. we don't believe in our own minds we can beat good sides (little battler club mentality - coaches + admin/Board/Executive), and
4. we are lazy and don't two-way run or defend with intent (players).

 

[simba_]

they are like directors making sure every passage of play goes to plan. no free flowing passage of play ever goes for more than 20 seconds and if it does it's considered a "wow hot in the kitchen" part of the match that only happens a couple times a game. because they are too hard to control. it's just sad to watch now I feel bad for the guys that just want to play footy

 

[JakeNeadeFan]

I thought it was pretty clear they went into the game with the objective to protect Gawn and Melbourne after we have roughed them up the past few years.

 

[bomberclifford]

There were several occasions where the umpire was waiting to see how the play was going to unfold and then would make a call.

One time on the eastern wing, we had managed to get the ball out and had a link up play in front of us towards goal. The umpire called it back on some technical holding free that non of the players knew who it was for or against.

It robbed us, and the game, of a free flowing play that had a potential to see at least a shot on goal. Instead, Melbourne players had time to flood back and congest the forward fifty.

This didn't seem to happen the other way.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

They are a special breed this year.

Give the goal umpires a $1,000 penalty everytime they call a stupid unnecessary goal / score review.

 

[longdonkey]

I've been saying for a couple years now that I think that there are certain games on the fixture that are rigged to ensure maximum Victorian participation. Not to mention any gambling corruption. A number of my friends think I'm insane.

Well I figure if they are prepared to run a clandestine drug testing regime to ensure that Melbourne players don't cop ASADA bans then they are prepared to rig games in my opinion.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Rachele did as blatant a kicking in danger kick as you will ever see on Dougal Howard

20

Dougal Howard

Age

28

Ht

199cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.9

3star

K

7.8

3star

HB

3.1

3star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.4

3star

MG

176.2

3star

D

9.9

3star

K

8.4

3star

HB

1.4

1star

M

4.7

4star

T

0.6

1star

MG

171.9

3star

D

9.0

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

3.6

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.8

5star

MG

133.8

3star

southern end, in the 3rd quarter and the 4 blind mice didnt pay a free.

WTF were they watching?
.
The MRO fined him.

 

[Festerz]

Rachele did as blatant a kicking in danger kick as you will ever see on Dougal Howard southern end, in the 3rd quarter and the 4 blind mice didnt pay a free.

WTF were they watching?
.
The MRO fined him.

And 5 'careless conduct with umpire' citations? Is that normal?

 

[RossFC]

 

[Grave Danger]

View attachment 2079629

I know Essendon's games against other Victorian teams are essentially neutral, but the latest free kick differential ladder had them at + 30-odd, so it's strange that they are barely breaking even. They must be doing well the few times that they have to travel.

 

[malcheski]

I know Essendon's games against other Victorian teams are essentially neutral, but the latest free kick differential ladder had them at + 30-odd, so it's strange that they are barely breaking even. They must be doing well the few times that they have to travel.

They won the free kick count 20-9 against us in rd 4 where we won by 11 goals so theres that

 

[Vagabond0]

Straight forward defence.

Wanted to tackle, but given how poor and inconsistent the umpiring was pulled out of the tackle as was blindsided weather Rankine had taken the ball.

Umpires agreed and called play on.

 

[Portology]

That was as bad as I’ve ever seen, and I genuinely believe even some of our guys in the first and second quarters especially were going into contests just slightly differently out of confusion-fear over potential infringements.

Screw that garbage for a competition wrecking sport wrecking self protecting crew of effing unanswerables. Screw it.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Those umpires had a bet before the game. Im convinced of it.

Stevic did and so did #6.

The non free kicks that should have been paid as frees to us, in the first half and even in the 3rd quarter, were horrendous.

They evened things up near the end.

And the inconsistent interpretation of what a mark is, was galling.

Farken McRae's bullshit about frees at the SCG vs. MCG. I bet the umpires were told before the game to not favour the home team.

The last 2 weeks, our players have been held so many times without the ball, especially as the ball was coming to them, which has been so obvious.

It has become an oppo tactic to stop our key mids.

Esava tonight was hugged everytime he went for a mark, especially in a pack situation which given the umpires positioning, they were never going to see the frees.

 

[ClintEastwood]

Those umpires had a bet before the game. Im convinced of it.

Stevic did and so did #6.

It was stunning, and palpable.

We must be one of the only teams in the comp that regularly receives the opposite of home-town umpiring.

It has a huge impact on the outcomes of games.

 

[Portology]

It was stunning, and palpable.

We must be one of the only teams in the comp that regularly receives the opposite of home-town umpiring.

It has a huge impact on the outcomes of games.

By other self-inflicted errors we already gift oppo teams, any oppo teams, the notion they can beat us if they hit hard enough. That already sucks respect wise but this unchallenged umpiring griftincompetence culture only magnifies that self-injury.

We are essential for content but as a captive club trapped in the body of a AFL controlled franchise our concerns are simply not important.

We have not yet discovered how to fight properly “at this level”.

 

[El_Scorcho]

We should have known when we saw Stevic and Chamberlain in the same umpiring team that it'd be bad.

Fortunately for us the Crows absolutely lost their shit after the melee and started giving away stupid frees and it got evened up.

In the first half we couldn't buy a 50/50, we couldn't even buy a 70/30. The discrepancy in marks paid, Jones not getting a free for one of the clearest cases of open field tunneling you'll ever see, and the Crows went on to kick a goal. Disgraceful.

 

[Shaucob_Burjan]

Some say Rozee is still at half forward waiting for the umpire to call mark.

 

[scotty13]

So in the last 8 weeks we have gone 7-1... here is the free kick count (not including missed free's or non mark paid for/against us for obvious reasons)

v St Kilda - Win by 2pts - Even
v Bulldogs - Win by 48pts - -2
v Suns - Lose 14pts - -6
v Richmond - Win 41pts - +4 (only 21 free's paid in the match - very low)
v Carlton - Win by 14pts - -2
v Sydney - Win by 112pts - -4
v Melbourne - Win by 2pts - -9
v Adelaide - Win by 22pts - -3

So we are -21 free kicks in the last 7 weeks, despite an average winning margin of 28pts.

I hope someone from the club, calls the AFL and give them an earfull, and I hope they use this piss poor umpiring against us as part of the Houston defence.

 

[Watto71]

I knew we were in trouble with the umps when Rozee mark wasn't paid in the opening minutes.
Still feels good beating 26 on the field

 

[raptalia]

Am I the only one who shakes the head at some of these video reviews? There was one last night where the Boundary Ump was standing by the behind post less than two metres from the action yet he could not make a decision and called for a review. It has got to the stage of being plain ludicrous. Any Ump who cannot back his judgement from that close range should not be umpiring.

Of course we will never see or hear this ludicrous state of affairs criticized by the media as there contractual obligations obviously prevent from criticizing umpiring decisions.

I look at some of these reviews and from the vision that is provided I cannot see how the video ump can make a decision anyway. Maybe they are looking at different angle?