Roast Umpiring: Corruption or Incompetence, or both

[Shaucob_Burjan]

It's just unprofessional for the head of umpiring to personally call an AFL coach to apologise for the week before.

Overcompensating the Saints was always going to be the case tonight.

 

[El_Scorcho]

It wasn't why we lost, but my god the holding frees and high tackle frees were paid totally differently depending on what guernsey you were wearing tonight, and it felt like every free kick to either side was paid in our defensive half.

 

[Shaucob_Burjan]

There were multiple instances in the Saints forward 50 where a Saints player flailed his arms and not only did they he the free, but the free came 4-5 seconds AFTER the arm flailing.

 

[Capital Power]

There was definitely an agenda yesterday. So obvious that the neutral supporter I was watching with asked if we always get such one-sided officiating.

The AFL needs to make umpiring a profession, and needs to commit to a review of every single game to improve standards and impartiality. It needs to be prepared to drop umpires not meeting those standards.

Most of all it needs to stop responding to bleating from those with connections. We knew there was an over-correction coming, and we got it.

 

[Handyandy]

i have been enjoying the umpiring this season, but that was against non vic teams with no crowds, throw in a crowd & a vic team and the fun starts. I have a theory re our home crowd too, i suspect our home crowds are so vocal & have decent footy knowledge that they get the umps offside, end of the 3rd the deliberate against westhoff where he did his best to keep the ball live but ran out of field, was the start of the umps big cheat push, then last was 5 frees straight to saints. Looks like either incompetence or cheating. Carlton had the run of the green the week before too.

 

[Powerade 08]

Remember the Ryder to Gray game, and the world record amount of deliberate out of bounds calls in the last few minutes.

 

[LFC2010]

Absolutely both.

they're a massive blight on the game atm.

It's almost come to the point where I don't even want to go the footy atm.

 

[PowerBaz]

Bet Ports won’t get a call.....

 

[finbarr]

Lol i almost forgot about the Westhoff deliberate out of bounds. Holy shit. I was lost for words and still am.

 

[1954]

It's both, but nothing will change while we just lay there and take it under that `humble club ' BS espoused by our version of Werner Klemperer.

 

[LFC2010]

Bet Ports won’t get a call.....

we're not apart of the VFL boys club.

watch the crows get the same treatment St Kilda got last night.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

Whats sad is how predictable last night was.

We deserved to lose, but the 'interpretations' all going the way of the complaining team is just such bush league shit.

Sack Gil and fire him in to the sun.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

It wasn't why we lost, but my god the holding frees and high tackle frees were paid totally differently depending on what guernsey you were wearing tonight, and it felt like every free kick to either side was paid in our defensive half.

And the kicking in danger. Several were highlighted on the big screen, all where St Kilda players boots went flashing into packs but who did the one call paid all night get given to? Even the freak goal from the bicycle kick was technically in danger.

Don't even start me on Ryder blocking Jonas from a marking contest and getting paid a free for holding.

The game wasn't much of a skills spectacle but the umpires, especially #12, completely ruined it. It was virtually unwatchable in the end.

 

[PowerBaz]

And the kicking in danger. Several were highlighted on the big screen, all where St Kilda players boots went flashing into packs but who did the one call paid all night get given to? Even the freak goal from the bicycle kick was technically in danger.

Don't even start me on Ryder blocking Jonas from a marking contest and getting paid a free for holding.

The game wasn't much of a skills spectacle but the umpires, especially #12, completely ruined it. It was virtually unwatchable in the end.

Ladhams kicking in danger followed by legs taken out... ‘nothing to see here’

 

[Handyandy]

And the kicking in danger. Several were highlighted on the big screen, all where St Kilda players boots went flashing into packs but who did the one call paid all night get given to? Even the freak goal from the bicycle kick was technically in danger.

Don't even start me on Ryder blocking Jonas from a marking contest and getting paid a free for holding.

The game wasn't much of a skills spectacle but the umpires, especially #12, completely ruined it. It was virtually unwatchable in the end.

was 12 the dark haired young lad who got all flustered by the crowd early? I don't know his name but his incompetence shone bright all night, he paid some very soft technical frees in the marking/ contests and missed some howlers in general play, generally in favor of the saints of course

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Ladhams kicking in danger followed by legs taken out... ‘nothing to see here’

Another shocker.

 

[PowerBaz]

Is there a big article in The Age I’m presuming?

 

[Ford Fairlane]

was 12 the dark haired young lad who got all flustered by the crowd early? I don't know his name but his incompetence shone bright all night, he paid some very soft technical frees in the marking/ contests and missed some howlers in genuine play.

That was him. Made Nosferatu Nicholls look like Peter Mead.

 

[Handyandy]

Ladhams kicking in danger followed by legs taken out... ‘nothing to see here’

that was the highlight of the umpiring for me, I liked when butters got steamrolled in the middle of the back and out of bounds by their ruckmen and no one commented.

 

[Interstater]

Trying to work up the motivation to rewatch last nights game and check whether it was just my bias that had me so mad.

It felt like every time there was a 50/50 decision for St Kilda that they got it, whereas we got close to zero of the 50/50's.

The players in the last quarter looked resigned to the fact that they would get screwed by every decision.
We were not allowed to win last night, if the competition has to finish early we can't be the ones on top at the time.

 

[Shaucob_Burjan]

Dougal Howard dragging it in in front of goals and the umpire reasoning that he didn't have a choice

 

[JUSTWORK]

Of course it’s corruption, or is it a coincidence that the next game after apologising for how bad they were to the Saints, the saints get one of the greatest free rides you’ll get to see.

 

[backtozero]

We've been screwed three times so far this year - against Brisbane, Carlton and St. Kilda. Absolutely no surprise that they are all games played in front of crowds.

I think that some of these umpires actually enjoy being abused. They dont care if it's positive attention or negative attention, so long as they're getting it. The AFL are to blame for this for making them a bigger part of the game than they deserve to be.

I'm almost convinced that there's directive from AFL house to "even up" the competition. On top of the ladder? Look out because the underdog is going to knock you off. What an even competition eh? Who could forget blitzing the Hawks goalless in the first half a few years ago, only for them to get two frees in front of goal at the start of the third, for absolutely no reason that anybody can explain.

We must be the only club in the league without a home ground advantage. We all went in to this week's game knowing we'd get screwed and it played out like a bad movie.

The club needs to make a statement, not ask politely for clarity behind closed doors.
Call it out and keep calling it out before something changes.

 

[JUSTWORK]

Lel

You’re delusional if you don’t think there was an issue last night.

 

[wayb2912]

I agree with this 100%, umpire number 12 seemed to completely ignore our frees unless it was in our defensive 50. Was not a fair game last night

We've been screwed three times so far this year - against Brisbane, Carlton and St. Kilda. Absolutely no surprise that they are all games played in front of crowds.

I think that some of these umpires actually enjoy being abused. They dont care if it's positive attention or negative attention, so long as they're getting it. The AFL are to blame for this for making them a bigger part of the game than they deserve to be.

I'm almost convinced that there's directive from AFL house to "even up" the competition. On top of the ladder? Look out because the underdog is going to knock you off. What an even competition eh? Who could forget blitzing the Hawks goalless in the first half a few years ago, only for them to get two frees in front of goal at the start of the third, for absolutely no reason that anybody can explain.

We must be the only club in the league without a home ground advantage. We all went in to this week's game knowing we'd get screwed and it played out like a bad movie.

The club needs to make a statement, not ask politely for clarity behind closed doors.
Call it out and keep calling it out before something changes.

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