Boy the games hard to watch now.

[Graeme Cook]

The umpiring at the moment is to technical frees are being paid for soft actions.
Forwards and backs wrestling both holding each other the free mostly goes to the Forwards.
The rule chopping of arms frees are now paid for brushing the Forwards arm or punching the ball in the Forwards hands.
Holding the ball now has turned and it's red hot the ball winner is prayed on.
I could go on about the 50 metre penalties but I won't suffice to say to the umpires advises or the AFL the game is UNWATCHABLE.

 

[wayniac]

Totally agree. How players can adapt to the crazy rule changes mid-season is a big ask.

Young guys play to a set of rules for years, instincts are built and now those same instincts/skills are deemed wrong.

BTW Graeme Cook is a friend of mine. Good cricketer too.

 

[grassman75]

I reckon since they changed the interp of HTB, players are literally throwing it and handing the ball to team mates like it’s a hot potato….scrappy as shit

 

[Scotch N Coke Monatore]

The St kilda game last night. Umps had to kick the goals.

 

[Freshwater]

Why do we have ‘score reviews’ ? Worrying about whether the ball is 1mm this side of the line or not, when the fixture is grossly uneven. When rules are changed by people who have never played and don’t understand the game. Leigh Matthews is always a wise voice and he was/is so against changing the ‘hold the ball’ rules.

 

[Bulldog in Kiev]

Agree, gets worse with technicality every year & 4 umps does nothing to improve consistency of interpretation. I barely watch any games in full bar the dogs as just find myself shaking my head and asking wtf.
HTB against Yeo yesterday and free to King for the saints both decided those games with very questionable umpiring.
Makes me wonder if I will watch AFL in 5 years if it keeps going this way.

 

[Johnny_Dogg4]

Agree, gets worse with technicality every year & 4 umps does nothing to improve consistency of interpretation. I barely watch any games in full bar the dogs as just find myself shaking my head and asking wtf.
HTB against Yeo yesterday and free to King for the saints both decided those games with very questionable umpiring.
Makes me wonder if I will watch AFL in 5 years if it keeps going this way.

Rewind a few years ago.
Players sticking out their arms at the umps and it’s 50m penalty.

The stand rule , players penalised 50m for 1 little step

 

[Bulldog in Kiev]

what I don’t get is that the rules are there, the umps need to call it as it unfolds. Instead we have the AFL focus on this one week, that on another. It’s honestly a joke for a so called professional comp.
At least I’m soccer, netball etc, the rules are the rules every week.

 

[Claudonious]

The St kilda game last night. Umps had to kick the goals.

Gold Coast very stiff - some horrendous non decisions.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

You would just like to see some common sense in umpiring, for instance if it’s a wet game and a heavy ball adjust for the conditions.
The 50 metre penalty needs to go, except for serious violations, not for simple mistakes like taking a step.
Consistency of application, if you allow Neale some latitude then you do the same for Sanders.

 

[dogwatch]

Why do we have ‘score reviews’ ? Worrying about whether the ball is 1mm this side of the line or not, when the fixture is grossly uneven. When rules are changed by people who have never played and don’t understand the game. Leigh Matthews is always a wise voice and he was/is so against changing the ‘hold the ball’ rules.

Because the TV coverage kept playing technical mistakes over and over. AFL didn’t like being embarrassed in the live coverage. Also because it was a reasonably straightforward technical solution (well, it should have been) which should put it on an equal footing with cricket and other popular sports that have video rulings (NRL, tennis).

I agree, relative to other gross inequities it is immaterial. However fixing those other inequities would require the AFL to sacrifice a business advantage so they are never subject to challenge or change.

 

[Graeme Cook]

Totally agree. How players can adapt to the crazy rule changes mid-season is a big ask.

Young guys play to a set of rules for years, instincts are built and now those same instincts/skills are deemed wrong.

BTW Graeme Cook is a friend of mine. Good cricketer too.

There was 2 graeme cook's my hero was no 10 played

Totally agree. How players can adapt to the crazy rule changes mid-season is a big ask.

Young guys play to a set of rules for years, instincts are built and now those same instincts/skills are deemed wrong.

BTW Graeme Cook is a friend of mine. Good cricketer too.

Graeme Cook 1966-1970 37 games lovely left foot kick.

 

[St 07]

100%

my things

Too many Joel Selwoods who can barely grasp the english language on special comments of the major broadcasts. Consistent lecturing and biased opinion, reminiscent of the workplace corporate micromanagement they engage in football to attempt to forget. Just commentate the fluctuations and merits of the individual game.

Team success/making finals is largely pre-defined by fixturing and fixturing inequality before season, then by umpiring flavour of the month changes during the season, leaving an awful taste in the mouth. Too hard to ignore, too frustrating to think about it.

 

[grassman75]

The St kilda game last night. Umps had to kick the goals.

Classic Ross Lyon football

 

[Mantis Toboggan]

The latest HTB change doesn’t make sense to me. The reasoning seemed to be to stop prolonged tackles that lead to slings and the like. Yet the thing they actually changed was reducing prior opportunity. One doesn’t really affect the other in my opinion.

Reducing prior has made the game much scrappier. And for a game that’s always trying to attract a bigger audience, I think that’s the worst direction the AFL could head.

 

[wayniac]

There was 2 graeme cook's my hero was no 10 played

Graeme Cook 1966-1970 37 games lovely left foot kick.

That's him. We played seniors cricket together on a tour of England. We were talking on the team bus about the Bulldogs and after that we discovered our passion for the Bulldogs.

I used to see Graeme in the past players lounge next to the social club at Docklands. Lovely guy. He hits a cricket ball hard too.

 

[Mojorisin]

I've watched every game so far this week and it is really a crap shoot what interpretation you're going to get game to game. I'd hate to be a newcomer to the game at the moment because if it is leaving long time fans confused how are they meant to learn the game. I feel sorry for the kids coming through the system now aswell, having new rules brought in, retracted and tweaked is only going to stunt their development and push them away from the game.
I don't really blame the umpires either, they're just the messengers. I can somewhat understand they're struggling to implement whatever it is AFL house feel like changing or focusing on that week. The job is hard enough before you add in rules that are open to interpretation and rules that change midweek.

 

[geoffjennings79]

Posted this in the Non-Bulldogs footy thread, probably more appropriate here.

Going the man? Absolutely. A disastrous appointment.

AFL for decades now has been run by self-serving corporate climbers. The current incumbent is the worst of the lot. Look at his pedigree and the family he married into.

I doubt any of them has ever spoken to, or sat anywhere near, a genuine football fan in their life.

Privilege from birth, no concept of the thousands from all backgrounds that make up clubs, and support the sport week in, week out.

I got into a lift once at Marvel with my son and McLachlan was in there. I didn't have anything pleasant to say to him, so said nothing. I won't be so reticent if the same opportunity presents itself with Dillon.

 

[ossie_21]

The latest HTB change doesn’t make sense to me. The reasoning seemed to be to stop prolonged tackles that lead to slings and the like. Yet the thing they actually changed was reducing prior opportunity. One doesn’t really affect the other in my opinion.

Reducing prior has made the game much scrappier. And for a game that’s always trying to attract a bigger audience, I think that’s the worst direction the AFL could head.

It’s like a game of hot potato, players almost scared to take possession so just try to handball it anywhere that isn’t straight out of bounds. It just leads to more scrapping and players piling on, making it a bit ugly. Then eventually one player is brave enough to take possession and there’s a good chance they will give away a free kick.

 

[MrChristo]

what I don’t get is that the rules are there, the umps need to call it as it unfolds. Instead we have the AFL focus on this one week, that on another. It’s honestly a joke for a so called professional comp.
At least I’m soccer, netball etc, the rules are the rules every week.

I'm going to jump in here...

1) The rules are there. 100%.
If you have a chance to dispose of the ball but choose not to (ie. Try to fend off, avoid a tackle or any other action) and then the disposal isn't by the rules (Ie. A handball or kick), it's a free kick against.

Correct.

2) I'm not sure how often you watch EPL, but if you don't think VAR decisions games to game (let alone week to week) are consistent then, well...
...(I don't think you possibly can).

Early calls, late calls? There's always going to be "controversy", because it's grey.
I'd much, MUCH, rather this current interpretation than 3 weeks ago.

Ps. How do we feel about Naugton's knee?
(Admittedly line-ball)

How would we have felt if he'd don't it the week before after being tackled for about 6 seconds without a whistle?

How do we feel about the Daicos non-feee kick that was arguably the catalyst for the 'change'?

 

[Mantis Toboggan]

How do we feel about the Daicos non-feee kick that was arguably the catalyst for the 'change'?

The Daicos non-free kick was after the rules were amended.

 

[Bulldog in Kiev]

The HTb interpretation in blues v dons has been significantly different from some of one’s paid against us on Friday.
Var gets it right on offside, goal line mostly, it’s the subjective ones where a human is involved where it can go wrong.

 

[dogwatch]

The HTb interpretation in blues v dons has been significantly different from some of one’s paid against us on Friday.
Var gets it right on offside, goal line mostly, it’s the subjective ones where a human is involved where it can go wrong.

And HTB is already light years away from where it was last round.
Fans have no idea what to expect. I wonder how the players manage?

 

[grassman75]

I've watched every game so far this week and it is really a crap shoot what interpretation you're going to get game to game. I'd hate to be a newcomer to the game at the moment because if it is leaving long time fans confused how are they meant to learn the game. I feel sorry for the kids coming through the system now aswell, having new rules brought in, retracted and tweaked is only going to stunt their development and push them away from the game.
I don't really blame the umpires either, they're just the messengers. I can somewhat understand they're struggling to implement whatever it is AFL house feel like changing or focusing on that week. The job is hard enough before you add in rules that are open to interpretation and rules that change midweek.

It’s got a rugby feel about it now, just put it on the ground, hot potato

 

[MrChristo]

Mantis Toboggan , so it was. My bad. (which makes it one of the most extraordinary decisions I can ever remember)...
[It was an incident in the Carlton/Suns game the week before that highlighted the need for change].

I didn't see a lot of the game last night, but in my view the stricter interpretation of the rules [and I'll die on this hill, in that these absolutely ARE the rules];

Minimises 'down time'. (Ie. Chunks of game time where nothing is happening except a 5-10 second gang tackle)

- Reduces the risk of injury to players as there will be less twisting in tackles as players choose to stand and fight through.

- Encourages and importantly rewards good tackling teams.

- The players with more awareness will benefit. And while we always want players with brute strength to be able to play, I'd prefer the ball to be in motion more often than not.

[There was one decision I've seen this weekend in the Sydney game where a htb was paid when the ball was knocked out as a tackler barely brushed by, but again, I'll take outliers that way over unrewarded tackling.]
My thoughts only of course.

(On a quantifiable note, it'll be interesting to compare TV ratings and attendances from pre/post change).