Toast Umpiring last night - the best i have seen this year

[bigman]

After witnessing so many putrid displays of umpiring this year and particularly in our games against Carlton and Hawthorn and dont let me even get started about the preliminary final - the umpirig last night was sensational.

No cheap free kicks - no stupid Thommo clangers we have seen in the last 2 weeks - they allowed players to use their physical strength in marking contests as long as it was legal.

No silly 50m for getting too close to the marking contest.

I could count the mistakes on one hand.

Now if we can this comon sense approach each week.

I wonder if the uproar this week about umpiring had any effect.

 

[swanfan]

The probably forgot they had mics.

 

[Elite Crow]

Good call, I didn't notice them, they must have been good. It was interesting watching the Fox team at half time, they showed a number of marks that were technically a push out under Geishens explanation. They've got to get rid of him Nd Bartlett. He said last week that they've given 100 more frees this year and the umpires said it was the hardest to interpret. Surely that tells you something.

 

[spexau]

I was thinking the same after the game and noticed that the free kick count was 15-14. That's about spot on for what you want in an AFL game. More than 30 is too many.

 

[Godallblighty]

I'm not sure this wouldn't be better as a roast. Personally, I found it infuriating that, after a week of strident justifications, stupid arms-half-extended arguments, and high handed dismissal of all the concerns being expressed, the AFL quietly instructed the umpires to officiate in a way that completely contradicted the public explanations.

Every time Hawkins was pushed out of a marking contest, I was saying, 'What...? Isn't that supposed to be a free?' Last night's umpiring was exactly what we all want to see but, in the context of the current debate, only adds to the confusion. Will Gieschen come out with a different explanation this week? Is this how contests will be umpired for the rest of the year?

Why on earth didn't the AFL just come out and say, 'You know what, we agree that the interpretation has gotten too strict. We're going to fix it.' Then we could applaud last night as a successful readjustment and a new benchmark.

 

[crows1991]

The reason it was so good was that 2 Victorian teams were involved. Week after week I see games where things are let go by the umpires and then you watch the Crows games and it seems they are onto us for the smallest infringements

 

[Mike Smyth]

It's always going to be good when its 2 VIC teams.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

The reason it was so good was that 2 Victorian teams were involved. Week after week I see games where things are let go by the umpires and then you watch the Crows games and it seems they are onto us for the smallest infringements

This is absolutely true.

Any game where there is strong crowd support for two teams you get better umpiring. The umpires are careful not to infuriate the crowd too much and this keeps them on the straight and narrow.

Games with only one fan base though the umpires are expecting to be booed or don't get booed and get more experimental in their interpretations.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

The umpiring was better last night.

I expect the umpires to be hauled over the coals and dropped.

 

[Punchy Bassett]

Two Victorian teams, lets see what happens in the Freo Pies game this weekend.

 

[Slippery Pete]

Good call, I didn't notice them, they must have been good. It was interesting watching the Fox team at half time, they showed a number of marks that were technically a push out under Geishens explanation.

Eddie is gunning for them and will get them eventually.

Oh to have an actual club leader like that.....

 

[King Elvis]

The big games get the good umpires. They umpire them like finals.

We've got a bunch of rookies tomorrow.

Someone needs to take one for the team and run over Gieschen and Bartlett.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Could this be the end of Umpire Appreciation round...

 

[FR0GGY]

Could this be the end of Umpire Appreciation round...

we need an umpire stay out of the spotlight round/s

 

[Mattrox]

The reason it was so good was that 2 Victorian teams were involved. Week after week I see games where things are let go by the umpires and then you watch the Crows games and it seems they are onto us for the smallest infringements

Didn't one of the Hawthorn players, maybe Gunston even, push (shoulder) a Swans player in the back to shove him under the ball in a marking contest.... Play on....... if it has been Shitney they would have called the free against that.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

we need an umpire stay out of the spotlight round/s

We need an umpire stay out of the spotlight - forever! Would mean giving a few of the "look at me" umpires the flick, which would be oh so tragic

 

[ftmch]

This is absolutely true.

Any game where there is strong crowd support for two teams you get better umpiring. The umpires are careful not to infuriate the crowd too much and this keeps them on the straight and narrow.

Games with only one fan base though the umpires are expecting to be booed or don't get booed and get more experimental in their interpretations.

This is a good point. I've long wondered if we tend to get a rough trot in home games due to the umpires over compensating for the crowd factor. I don't think it's a deliberate thing, but reckon they try so hard not to be swayed by the crowd that they miss plenty of genuine frees.

 

[rayven]

It's always going to be good when its 2 VIC teams.

Plus it was Friday nite, the big stage. With all the negativity over the last few weeks, they had to put on a good show.

Its unfortunate they think they need to be seen to be competent, rather than actually being competent.

 

[swanfan]

Certainly a one-off.