Season Free kick differential

[roleywombat]

I am a little troubled by the following free kick differential for 2011 so far:

St Kilda -54
Hawthorn -50
Brisbane -38
Richmond -28
Geelong -23
Essendon -20
Adelaide -16
Melbourne -15
Sydney +2
Bulldogs +4
Gold Coast +16
Fremantle +30
North Mel +33
West Coast +33
Collingwood +41
Carlton +47
Port Adelaide +77

Is this due to game style, player error (Don't tackle properly etc) or what other factor?
In the past people have suggested that if you are playing better footy (ie winning) then you get more frees but these table doesn't match the ladder.
Is this something we need to address before finals?

 

[Fred]

Dawson, Milne and Schneider have contributed 42 of the differential.

 

[saintsrfreak]

I think our game style is just more aggressive than most team's

 

[bisazc887]

Think it could be our game style...Some of our MRP bans are the most concerning imo

 

[goodie23]

We lose out on 50/50 free kicks more than other teams. Why that is though...

 

[SA1NTER]

LOL @ Port Adelaide on +77 yet being dead last.

I guess that means it's not important then.

 

[Zagg]

LOL @ Port Adelaide on +77 yet being dead last.

I guess that means it's not important then.

It's definitely important. A couple of frees can cost a few goals in a close match.

I don't think it's just our style - we're not a particularly dirty team.

Maybe our fans can be more vocal about frees - it's no coincidence the Pies are near the top of this list when they have 50k ferals screaming at the umpires most matches, they got some very cheap frees when the game was in the balance on Sunday.

 

[Papa Juggs]

Haven't been able to complain at all in previous years.

This year it's a joke.

Umpires are instructed under the "Saints rule"

If a St Kilda player kicks the ball in the general direction of the boundary line it will be deemed as deliberate with NO benefit of the doubt to be applied.

They know our gameplan is to create stoppages and because we want the stoppage they want to penalise us very specifically on this.

 

[sauce_head]

If a St Kilda player kicks the ball in the general direction of the boundary line it will be deemed as deliberate with NO benefit of the doubt to be applied.

It is very strange. Contrast Ablett and Polo's deliberate out of bounds on Saturday. Is it not al about intention?

Then remember Monty's 80m out of bounds.

I don't care what the rule is if it is consistent.

 

[SamFisher25]

St Kilda -54
Hawthorn -50
Brisbane -38
Richmond -28
Geelong -23
Essendon -20
Adelaide -16
Melbourne -15
Sydney +2
Bulldogs +4
Gold Coast +16
Fremantle +30
North Mel +33
West Coast +33
Collingwood +41
Carlton +47
Port Adelaide +77

sydney - the most biscuit-cake-eating-golf-clapping supporters in the comp on +2

 

[stkildathunda]

Haven't been able to complain at all in previous years.

This year it's a joke.

Umpires are instructed under the "Saints rule"

If a St Kilda player kicks the ball in the general direction of the boundary line it will be deemed as deliberate with NO benefit of the doubt to be applied.

They know our gameplan is to create stoppages and because we want the stoppage they want to penalise us very specifically on this.

What about Nathan Bock's deliberate out of bounds.. Got tackled and came off side of boot and went out... DOnt think any of the ones paid in that game were actually deliberate

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

As has been previously stated whenever we try and slow things down, that's when the umpires have us in the gun. Deliberate out of bounds and much less time to dispose of the ball resulting in holding the ball decisions.

I'm not sure if anyone watched the final qtr of the Eagles/Dockers game two weeks ago but the same thing happened to West Coast. They tried to slow the game down and were whistled for everything against them.

We still get our share of softish free kicks, but usually only in attacking sequences.

 

[dg102]

Guys, its not just us. Every team cops this crap over umpiring bullsh%t every game every week.

Just look at how Razor robbed the dogs last week. Or how Sydney got robbed against Freo like 3 weeks ago. Thier just 2 examples but it happens every game. Good Umpiring is when they dont call every little indiscretion and generally theres only 3 games a year that get umpired well. The 2 prelims and the GF.

They have sunk to new lows this year.

 

[OhMyGoddard]

It's impossible to track any kind of bias the umpires might have toward clubs or players reputations unless Champion Data start logging the stat of 'Frees Not Paid' where a blatant free kick in any normal situation is completely ignored. How many times have we seen our guys being held without the ball, then minutes later we lay a tackle, the opponent drops the ball and we're pinged for holding the man? The differential there is -1, but it should be -2 for the free not paid to us.

I know it's not just us. The problem needs to be addressed across the board.

The MRP should actually review every game, and address not only players taking action outside of the spirit of the game (striking etc.), but also look at staging for frees, and performance of the umpires. Why are the umpires exempt from review?

Instead the MRP seem more concerned with giving weeks to a forceful shepherd. But Johncocks frontal contact with Roo that sent him off the ground with concussion - that one was OK?!?

Sorry, rant over.

 

[dg102]

Yeah your right, also try find the stats for goals resulting from free kicks or free kicks against in defensive 50.

 

[Plugger35]

I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with our game style but we seem to be on the wrong end of the umpiring for whatever reason.

I can think of at least a few games this year where we've definitely been screwed by the umpires - The Adelaide game in Adelaide (a couple of terrible free kicks to the Crows gave them goals and helped stave off our comeback, the Collingwood game (a few bad calls, ie. Polo non mark, helped swing the game in their favour after it was a close game), the Western Bulldogs game (some soft free kicks resulting in goals helped keep them in the game) and the Geelong games (just the usual favouritism Geelong gets from the umpires against us).

On top of that we seem to have a few players the umpires just don't like such as Milne, Schneider and Dawson who hardly ever get a free kick no matter how blatant yet get free kicks paid against them for every little indiscretion which other players get away with.

 

[MCG-Unit]

Not surprised NM being well ahead in their free kick count - surprised WB are not way in front also

Would like to stats for see free kicks not paid. IMO Saints have had some shocking umpiring this year -> Adelaide Rnd 6, Docker, Coll, WB, NM, Port, and GC

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Can't remember the last time we 'won' the free kick count. Been r*ped the last few weeks.

Oh wells, hasn't hurt much!

 

[Kozivan]

Milne and Schneider give away ALOT of free kicks with reckless tackles in the F50... whether it be chucking an arm around the neck or jumping on to their oponents back. They really need to work on it, but at least it shows they're eager.

 

[LordJimmy]

Can't remember the last time we 'won' the free kick count.

Next time there's a thread crying about Riewoldt being an "umpires pet" you'll know. That's the main indicator.

He earns about 10-15 free kicks a game. The fact that he gets less just shows how much infringement on him is ignored.

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

Milne and Schneider give away ALOT of free kicks with reckless tackles in the F50... whether it be chucking an arm around the neck or jumping on to their oponents back. They really need to work on it, but at least it shows they're eager.

More like Milne being pinged for HTB as soon as he touched vs Handball Jnr and Judd being allowed to do 720 degree arcs before getting it paid against them.

 

[bluejay]

Milne and Schneider give away ALOT of free kicks with reckless tackles in the F50... whether it be chucking an arm around the neck or jumping on to their oponents back. They really need to work on it, but at least it shows they're eager.

IMHO that it sometimes frustrates me too, but if they didn't do so many people would say they were not applying enough forward pressure and maybe put on them the "too soft" label.

 

[foxy_dal]

Can't remember the last time we 'won' the free kick count. Been r*ped the last few weeks.

Oh wells, hasn't hurt much!

Round 13 against the Cats ... so almost 2 months ago. We have won the free kick count just 3 times this year and each of the 3 times it was only just I think.

Although I can't remember feeling the umpires ever robbed us of a game or anything. That's my pet hate about supporters who say umpires cost them the game and spend the whole game going nuts yet the free kick count is in their favour.

Milne often seems to give away stupid ones but apart from that it must just come down to being a bit unlucky.