AFL Autopsy Round 4 vs Sydney and City Hall

['51 Bewick]

I don't post on here very often nowadays. I have been a staunch follower of VFL/AFl for nearly 65 years (from 5yo).
For most of my life this game was my No1, but has slipped to No3 behind Ice-Hockey and Golf.
The rubbish free players, extra players and larger salary cap that GCS get, the ridiculous northern academies with discounted draft advantages and the blatant engineering of results by the AFL have left me with a bad taste in my mouth. This game was designed to be entertainment for the public, but has become a purely money-making exercise and has lost it's attraction to me. No sport I know of is so out of balance. Add to that the stupid rules they have been adding and it all adds up to a far less enjoyable experience. Shame on you AFL.

 

[Vander18]

Thought one of the big differences last night was their defensive ability in the midfield.

They put work into McGrath all game and kept him quiet.Merrett was BOG in the first half and much quieter in the second.

The ability to quell opposition mids is something we need to develop.

 

[Vander18]

Would’ve liked to see Heppell thrown in the middle more, maybe swap with McGrath when he was struggling

I thought this as well.

We were getting pushed around a bit at stoppages and the bigger body would have helped.

 

[VelvetSledge]

I wish I wasn’t still mad, but you know what?

I bloody am.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

I thought this as well.

We were getting pushed around a bit at stoppages and the bigger body would have helped.

Hoping with Redman back next week that they use Hepp more there. Has the midfield guile and with Shiel and Caldwell out we’re short of better options there.

 

[carloss]

Against Sydney in Sydney you know it's gonna happen and it did.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

I’m not expecting us to make the eight but after last two weeks, you look at the fixture now and think we’re a chance in 8-10 games this season. Would not have said that two weeks ago. Stewart, Ambrose and longer term even Draper will start to return. Get more games in the kids.

 

[Stars align]

As a tiger supporter we have copped some absolute rogerings from the umpires over the last 4 years but that last quarter last night took things to the next level
By my reckoning it was 10-1 to the swans
Sure give the swans 10 but bombers robbed of at least six
Swans seem to have adopted the doggies throw the ball strategy and like the dogs aren’t getting pinged
Didn’t take to long for the swans game plan to be worked out
Well played

 

[Runk]

Stayed away from here last night. Too angry.

Have to say, waking up knowing Essendon did everything they could to get the win last night DESPITE the odds being stacked against them & I am oddly content.

Cox is a ****ing freak. Seriously, how ****ing good is he!
Hind for pick #67 that wasn't even used by the Saints is a steal. FMD the Saints are morons.
Ridley is a lock for AA.
Truck can coach.

Bring on all the bullshit and noise.

 

[Nicholas61]

I don't post on here very often nowadays. I have been a staunch follower of VFL/AFl for nearly 65 years (from 5yo).
For most of my life this game was my No1, but has slipped to No3 behind Ice-Hockey and Golf.
The rubbish free players, extra players and larger salary cap that GCS get, the ridiculous northern academies with discounted draft advantages and the blatant engineering of results by the AFL have left me with a bad taste in my mouth. This game was designed to be entertainment for the public, but has become a purely money-making exercise and has lost it's attraction to me. No sport I know of is so out of balance. Add to that the stupid rules they have been adding and it all adds up to a far less enjoyable experience. Shame on you AFL.

You couldn’t have said it any better. I don’t get upset when we lose nowadays and am pragmatic about where we are at and that footy is just a sport. But that was pure cheating and it is all too common for the AFL’s love children (just not at that level of outrageousness). It ruins the love of the game and is extremely short sighted by the AFL if they think they will grow the game with manufactured results and gimmick marketing - they will be in for a rude surprise. I am getting to the point where I prefer watching lower levels of competition that are fairly officiated, it is simply more authentic than that phoney rubbish.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Maybe we get rid of Parish as well given 3 of his poor hanballs ended in Swans goals.

I’m happy for us to make mistakes taking the game on or in the contest. Not having the skills or confidence to execute 30 metre passes to loose targets from a mark or free kick is not a trait you often see in good teams and if it is they are generally hidden off the ball and not prime movers. It hurt our ability to get out of our defensive half in that last quarter.

 

[TheGrizz]

I am still mad, but have a bit of perspective. 3 points considering the umpiring and the fact Sydney are 4-0 for a reason is a palatable result.

The effort was outstanding to the end, the kids were exciting, and that is what i am taking out of this game

 

[Halftimehero]

The real question is, what year will Nik Cox win his third Brownlow?

 

[davidjohn]

I hate this ******* game.

Robbed by the maggots.

29-16 free kicks.
Hickey caught holding the ball at least 3 times, and wasn’t paid once.

The list goes on.

Sydney, big money means big payouts including umpires, Essendon definitely robbed of a well deserved victory, such an ugly game now.

 

[ghostdog]

I don’t expect AFL.com will ever say the umpiring is trash in their match report article

What I do yearn for is just a simple “...despite a lopsided free kick count”
somewhere in there.

Is that too much to ask?

They don't even list the umpires.

 

[VelvetSledge]

The real question is, what year will Nik Cox win his third Brownlow?

2023

 

[Zach Package]

Bloody hell Shiel and Draper would have been handy, Parker and Kennedy brained us in the contest and we didn’t really have any recourse.

Given the Swans have not only won their 3 games but put everyone to the sword and have been up by 10 goals in all their games I am pretty chuffed with what we showed.

Some of the umpiring was genuinely baffling though. How’s Francis getting pinged for punching the ball away from a guy in the forward 50 that’s kicked 950 goals.

 

[BrunoV]

You can't spoil a forward or kick the ball forward 30m in the vicinity of a team mate without the umpires performing some sort of telepathic psychological assessment of your intent because "stoppages are bad, m'kaaay" but all of the sudden there is no prior in ruck contests and a ruck can force stoppages by taking the ball out of the air.

It didn't cost us the game, losing clearances by 23 did that, but christ the umpiring is shit. The rules don't help but if your an overly officious little twat you're going to end up with more inconsistency.

And please just stop blowing the whistle in ruck contests.

 

[mike14]

I'm intrigued by the umpire's explanation to Heppell that he didn't do enough to keep the ball in play, so deliberate wasn't paid against the Swans.
Is this actually a rule (or an 'interpretation' stated somewhere)? Is there an onus on the players to chase down balls heading towards the boundary? What about for players in defensive roles where they are more concerned about covering a player (or guarding space) than getting the ball?
It seems odd and open to inconsistency that umpires are making decisions based on perceived work rate of players

 

[VelvetSledge]

When opposition fans who hate Essendon are saying we copped it, you know it was bad.

Would be keen to see if that umpire #32 actually had those stats that I've been reading, 16-0 free kicks Sydney's way.

 

[JT_the_Man]

When opposition fans who hate Essendon are saying we copped it, you know it was bad.

Would be keen to see if that umpire #32 actually had those stats that I've been reading, 16-0 free kicks Sydney's way.

I’ve read 16-1.

I’m assuming the 1 was the most obvious free kick of all time...

 

[Rocketsurgery]

I'm a doggies supporter and was so pissed off with the umpiring I didn't go to sleep till midnight raging about it. I can't recall a more biased display of umpiring in a long long time.

You've got some terrific young players in your team and will have many exciting years ahead

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

 

[VelvetSledge]

I’ve read 16-1.

I’m assuming the 1 was the most obvious free kick of all time..

The one would have had to have been a Swans defender repeatedly punching one of our forwards in the teeth for him to have paid it

 

[raskolnikov]

Still angry this morning. We could have easily been 3-1 instead of 1-3 with a game against Brisbane in Brisbane coming up.

 

[BrunoV]

I’ve read 16-1.

I’m assuming the 1 was the most obvious free kick of all time...

It wont have been. It will have been the square up that wasn't there.