Umpiring Hawthorn now the High FK Kings.

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z547043

Debutant
Aug 17, 2009
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AFL Club
Geelong
Was interested to see the stat pre-game that Hawthorn now receive more high free kicks than any other team. After years of Selwood vitriol, while Puopolo and Breust were plying their trade, it would be interesting to hear the perspective on it now. Dylan Moore is my current favourite. And apparently Ginnivan goes alright too. Oh the ironing.
 
Hate both teams equally, so fairly neutral here, boy was last night back to the good old days of free kick hawthorn! Bring the memes back!
 

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Delicious. Much prefer to be hated than pitied. We must be doing well.
As a fan, you can't be pleased with what the Hawthorn players dish up each week in terms of their staging? Surely not.


It's a disgrace to the sport.

Actually, I'm going to go a step further and say it's a disgrace to humanity.
 
As a fan, you can't be pleased with what the Hawthorn players dish up each week in terms of their staging? Surely not.


It's a disgrace to the sport.

Actually, I'm going to go a step further and say it's a disgrace to humanity.
They dont do it any more than any other team.
It's only pissing people off because they're young and arrogant
 
They dont do it any more than any other team.
It's only pissing people off because they're young and arrogant
Not true.

You're being very one eyed of you don't recognise that Hawthorn have several players who chronically stage for Frees.

Most teams have 'that guy'. One dude who does it.

Hawthorn have about 8 of them.

It's shameful.
 
Not true.

You're being very one eyed of you don't recognise that Hawthorn have several players who chronically stage for Frees.

Most teams have 'that guy'. One dude who does it.

Hawthorn have about 8 of them.

It's shameful.
Oh, I've got no delusion about the contribution hawks players have towards the frees.

I also have no delusion about the state of the game. Hawks are the last team to contribute to it. I questioned why it took so long for us to join the party
 
Oh, I've got no delusion about the contribution hawks players have towards the frees.

I also have no delusion about the state of the game. Hawks are the last team to contribute to it. I questioned why it took so long for us to join the party
Honestly, I find that incredibly sad.

I understand your perspective, but it saddens me that we've reached a point where fans want their players to behave like this.
 
Honestly, I find that incredibly sad.

I understand your perspective, but it saddens me that we've reached a point where fans want their players to behave like this.

Would I prefer they didn't, of corse.
I'm a realist though. There's half a dozen in every side.

The only reason people care, as I said, is the arrogance of the players doing it.
The media also contributed to it by using them as the only examples
 
Live in denial mate.

There's divers, duckers, floppers etc. All as bad as each other
As I said, o think you're being very one eyed if you can't see that Hawthorn are the standout culprit.

It's Hawthorn.....daylight.....the Bulldogs....daylight....a bit more daylight.....everyone else.
 

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Separate (but related) to the staging, I don't think I've ever seen a team collectively carry on with appealing for free kicks like nuffies in the outer (in particular, free kicks that are absolutely not there), mimicking the umpires signals for holding the ball when an opponent is tackled instantly after taking possession, throwing their arms out whenever the ball crosses the boundary line after last making contact with an opposition player, like this Hawthorn outfit.
 
Honestly, I find that incredibly sad.

I understand your perspective, but it saddens me that we've reached a point where fans want their players to behave like this.
Iagree but what do you expect when the umpiring is so diabolical? How many frees did duckwood get? Far too many, Ginny was open season at Collingwood, and boy are the umps making that right now he’s a hawk.

When the system act rewards cheating to the point of deciding games what do you expect?

I’ve been told I’m too hard on umpires but for the money they make they should be so much better.

For what it’s worth Wayne Harmes was right in front of me as a tender teen at my first grand final live!
 
They got a couple of iffy ones last night but I tell ya what, as long as I've watched footy, I've found that in finals getting the ball first is so imperative. Umps aren't afraid to pay forwards who play the ball free kicks early on in finals.

Focus on what you can control. In quicker and harder and you give yourself a chance.
 
Selwood was the first I knew of to actually create a technique for manufacturing free kicks. Most teams had a few players quickly adopt it, but less consistently. The AFL did nothing.

Ginnivan at Collingwood developed it further, and was the first to rub the opposition's nose in it. The AFL through its umpires had a period of open season on Ginnivan to try to beat it by forcing him from the game. This didn't work, and we had reverted to the do nothing approach by the end of Ginnivan's time at Collingwood.

The modified Selwood method is now pretty standard, with Hawthorn players the best exponents. The AFL has taken the view that high tackles can't be allowed (very true) and so the cheats (and that's what they are) have to be allowed to get away with it to protect every player's head, at least a little bit. The bang the head on the ground free kick is an added complication.

I really can't see a simple solution. I think we are stuck with the current unsatisfactory situation where the umpire has to judge whether the player set up the free kick or not. As I see it, they are erring on the side of the cheats at the moment, but that could change at any time.

A start would be to direct the commentators to stop calling it "drawing a free kick" and routinely call it staging and cheating, which is what it is. This is not an answer, but it at least faces the problem.
 
A start would be to direct the commentators to stop calling it "drawing a free kick" and routinely call it staging and cheating, which is what it is. This is not an answer, but it at least faces the problem.
Absolutely agree!!

This is exactly what needs to happen. For the good of the sport, commentators and fans alike (especially supporters of the players that do it) need to openly ridicule and condemn players cheating for Frees.
 

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Umpiring Hawthorn now the High FK Kings.

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