Matthew Nicholls (No.15)

[Maybloomer]

Hawks and Tigers turn (had him yesterday) He is so confused with HOB it's not funny. Someone seriously needs to teach him it. He won't pay the obvious ones (Incorrect Disposal and Dropping it) but he would circle a pack and pin them.
If he gets a gig in finals I would be so annoyed.
He's to inconsistent and quite clearly it shows he's never kicked a footy in his life.

12:05 to go in the 3rd quarter and Crawford was playing the ball in front of himself (and being held by the shorts at one stage) when Tambling dived underneath him to take posession and was awarded a free kick. It could be one of the worst decisions you'll ever see but we see far too many.

The standard of umpiring is getting worse and worse and is far more detrimental to the game than many of the other headlines getting around. As a footy lover I don't give a fat rats whether a couple of Pies get on the sauce or a few players got on the Happy Havelock in the off-season, as a paying spectator and ardent follower I expect the AFL to provide a fair and equitable contest.

Egotistical twats like Nicholls won't allow that - they are influencing the flow, momentum and in many cases, the results of games but it won't ever make headlines. No acknowledgement for getting it wrong, no apologies, no please explains required. "Bad umpiring is all part of the game" say the neutrals. Yeah, so were flick passes, drop kicks, throwing long strips of paper onto the ground and belting blokes behind play.

The answer? Simple. Leave your egos in the bottom draw, umpires. Pay what you see, not what you think you saw. Don't be afraid to say "Play on, I didn't see anything" To both sides. We'll forgive you. Most of all, tell the AFL to piss off when they throw the Interpretation Of The Week at you.

 

[JBMelb]

12:05 to go in the 3rd quarter and Crawford was playing the ball in front of himself (and being held by the shorts at one stage) when Tambling dived underneath him to take posession and was awarded a free kick. It could be one of the worst decisions you'll ever see but we see far too many.

The standard of umpiring is getting worse and worse and is far more detrimental to the game than many of the other headlines getting around. As a footy lover I don't give a fat rats whether a couple of Pies get on the sauce or a few players got on the Happy Havelock in the off-season, as a paying spectator and ardent follower I expect the AFL to provide a fair and equitable contest.

Egotistical twats like Nicholls won't allow that - they are influencing the flow, momentum and in many cases, the results of games but it won't ever make headlines. No acknowledgement for getting it wrong, no apologies, no please explains required. "Bad umpiring is all part of the game" say the neutrals. Yeah, so were flick passes, drop kicks, throwing long strips of paper onto the ground and belting blokes behind play.

The answer? Simple. Leave your egos in the bottom draw, umpires. Pay what you see, not what you think you saw. Don't be afraid to say "Play on, I didn't see anything" To both sides. We'll forgive you. Most of all, tell the AFL to piss off when they throw the Interpretation Of The Week at you.

Half the problem is they are a protected species. If they were more accountable for some of the rediculous decisions that they make then things might improve, but while they can hide it just encourages mediocraty.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

They are certainly made accountable, just not publicly.

 

[polly63]

They are certainly made accountable, just not publicly.

Can be a tough job but their coaching must be blo*dy poor because the consistency is out the door this year. AND there is no place for show pony umpires.

 

[efcboy]

They are certainly made accountable, just not publicly.

if they were made accountable and judged on mistakes nicholls would have been dropped months ago.

given he continues to get a match week after week and frustrate fans, coaches and players week after week we can only assume that they really are not made accountable.

 

[More Bulldog]

I think these posts have been a bit harsh. I agree that he does umpire to the letter of the law but umpires these days dont get much choice. They pay the decisions they are directed to make by the AFL, if they choose not to then they no longer get a gig. I know it can be frustrating but can anyone name an umpire that they are happy with?

 

[djboonie]

I'd never really noticed M.Nicholls before this season.

I think he officiated in the Hawthorn v Melbourne game in round one(can someone confirm?) and was woeful that game. Not sure if it's my views as a hawthorn supporter, or whether he's an average umpire overall, but he does seem to give us a raw end of the sausage, and the ensuing salmonella is quite distasteful.

I hope we don't draw him in the finals series.

 

[JBMelb]

They are certainly made accountable, just not publicly.

Players are made accountable publicly perhaps they should be as well.

 

[JBMelb]

I think these posts have been a bit harsh. I agree that he does umpire to the letter of the law but umpires these days dont get much choice. They pay the decisions they are directed to make by the AFL, if they choose not to then they no longer get a gig. I know it can be frustrating but can anyone name an umpire that they are happy with?

I don't believe it has been harsh at all. I'm involved in another sport where recruiting and retaining umpires is a challenge so I'm the last person that would go out and say anything about an umpire in any sport unless I thought there was an issue. From what I have seen of him I don't know that he does umpire to the letter of the law, I think he guesses a lot.

 

[CQTiger]

In many leagues there are unpopular umpires who are great blokes off the field but absolute pr*cks on the field. Their interpretation of a rules can be ok but how it is implemented is questionable. Players and supporters hate 'in your face' umpires who will give a 50m penalty if you even think about querying their decision and will spend 5 mins telling you why their decision is correct.
Whether they are not confident in there decision and this is the only way they feel they can control the game or whether it is just a power play game is debatable but they usually think they have done a good job and oblivious to the fact that everyone hates them and trying to tell them otherwise is a waste of time.
In answer to Dancing Douglas if I dont notice an umpire then I am probably happy with them. Unfortunately Mr Nicholls gets noticed to often for all the wrong reasons If Gieshen has a surplus of umpires then he should send no.15 off to improve his people and umpiring skills

 

[djboonie]

I watched the first half replay yesterday whilst at the gym, Nicholls was bad for both sides. His partners in crime weren't much better.

I think as supporters we expect some level of consistency. Early on Ladson fell into the back of Tuck 15m out in front which was corretly awarded a free kick. An almost identical thing happened to a Hawthorn player in the second quarter... play on. Cyril Rioli gets the mother of all push in the back as he snaps for goal, the ball goes OOB. No free for in the back.

Buddy gets tackled in the field of play and taken out of the field of play by at least a metre, Boundary umpire no where to be seen, Holding the Pill.

It's these obvious one which really irk me. Yet they pay ones where they guess, like a Tiges player was pinged for throwing it when he clearly handballed it.

Seems the extra umpires have lessened the quality of the umpiring.

I wont even talk about how there's a different set of rules for our Star FF.

 

[djboonie]

It's funny I scanned back over the umpires threads and at least every second week the game that Nicholls had umpired gets it's own thread about how bad the umpiring was.

Surely the Geish can see trends?

 

[ManWithNoName]

Umpire #15 Matthew Nicholls

The two worst umpired games I've ever seen have both involved this useless excretion. Coincidence? I think not. I don't care that he can bounce it in a straight line, sack him and sack him now.

Also sack that useless prick Goal Umpire.

 

[haussen]

I know it can be frustrating but can anyone name an umpire that they are happy with?

No. 8 - Rosebury... not only can he umpire but he can bounce bloody well too.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

I wont even talk about how there's a different set of rules for our Star FF.

Good, there are enough posters who do already.

 

[drewie_rama]

a year on and he is still a pathetic umpire
he did the collingwood adelaide game on the weekend and just seriously has no idea.
His hands in the back interpretation is terrible, pays things one minute then stops paying them the next, and of all the umpires he seems to be the one who loves plucking out free kicks from ruck contests where not even the ruckman themselves know which way they are going

how he still gets a game is beyond me

 

[borgsta2006]

Players are made accountable publicly perhaps they should be as well.

You shouldn't get the opportunity to criticise if you can't even post properly!!!
Nicholls gets a split second to work it out, you get ages, an edit and still F*CK it up!

 

[Cousin Jed]

Up to his usual tricks again tonight

 

[Last of the Roys]

He has been so bad in the first half tonight, it is actually really embarrassing. I have never seen one half of football so utterly dominated by the utter cr@pness of basically one umpire.

Is he the worst in the AFL? If he's not he's sure as hell giving it a good shake.

 

[Last of the Roys]

If he was a horse he would be shot.

The holding the ball decision against Redden 30m out from goal on 3/4 time was so fu@king disgraceful that it beggars belief.

 

[Lions1024]

**** hes the worst umpire ive eva seen. Shud gte the sack. Can we complain to the AFL? If we can how? Coz this BS (literally)!

 

[GrandBlue]

Ever since the Dogs vs Sydney prelim final last year, I've always hated this bald dog. I don't know why he's an umpire, every single descision he makes is shit. He gives away goals under incredibly soft circumstances, makes a heap of late calls and he even makes mistakes when he has a full view of the play.

 

[Lions1024]

Ever since the Dogs vs Sydney prelim final last year, I've always hated this bald dog. I don't know why he's an umpire, every single descision he makes is shit. He gives away goals under incredibly soft circumstances, makes a heap of late calls and he even makes mistakes when he has a full view of the play.

GOD, how bad was that advantage call. Probably one of the worst calls all year, maybe of all time. I would think that half your goals came from his whistle. I admit that you guys totally outplayed us and were the betta team. But if Matt Nicholls didn't umpire we might of actually had a chance.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Is the shifty bald prick on the take?

No one can be that bad unintentionally.

 

[carntheroos4eva]

Ever since the Dogs vs Sydney prelim final last year, I've always hated this bald dog. I don't know why he's an umpire, every single descision he makes is shit. He gives away goals under incredibly soft circumstances, makes a heap of late calls and he even makes mistakes when he has a full view of the play.

I think you got him mixed up with his brother there mate. Mathew Nicholls hasn't umpired a final yet.