Sydney Swans and the umpires

[Matt79]

It was a deplorable display by the umpires todays, particulaly number 27 Michael Avon. It all started in the first quarter when Shaw got pinged for holding the ball after absolutely NO prior opportunity.

The big issue too is not the number of free kicks it is also where you get them. Freo got at least 4 goals that I can recall as a result of free kicks, I don't think we got any.

The bloody umps also no doubt try to even the count late in a game in junk time. At the 8 minute mark of the last quarter we were down by about 26 points. I said to my mate next to me to wait until the 20 minute mark and if the margin is the same we will start getting cheap free kicks to even things up. It started at 19:54 in the last quarter!

In short, the umpiring was DISCRACEFUL!

[KirkysSocks]

Seriously why is there this mindset that we should just accept it and deal with it? (not in this thread but by many non swans supporters)

It's blatant cheating.

You don't square up a free kick tally just so the free kick stats at the end of the game can look even. Gee the AFL are a grade bastards.

[Nico]

KS, ROK was slam tackled by a Brisbane player.

Today watching on TV most decisions both ways were there. It are the ones that get missed that irk me.

Kennedy gets pinged for HTB in a standing tackle when the replay showed he had no prior opportunity. After that there were at least 6 the same or even more blatant where Freo were caught in standing tackles but none were paid.

2 deliberate OOB against Freo not paid. Duffield's was disgraceful.

Gary Rohan was hit head high and front on by Crowley and no free was given about 30 out from goal. Crowley will probably get cited by the MRP. Ball goes up the ground and Crowley kicks the goal.

3 slapping of the arms to Goodes in the first Q. Pavlich gets a little touch and it is paid.

[KirkysSocks]

KS, ROK was slam tackled by a Brisbane player.

Today watching on TV most decisions both ways were there. It are the ones that get missed that irk me.

Kennedy gets pinged for HTB in a standing tackle when the replay showed he had no prior opportunity. After that there were at least 6 the same or even more blatant where Freo were caught in standing tackles but none were paid.

2 deliberate OOB against Freo not paid. Duffield's was disgraceful.

Gary Rohan was hit head high and front on by Crowley and no free was given about 30 out from goal. Crowley will probably get cited by the MRP. Ball goes up the ground and Crowley kicks the goal.

3 slapping of the arms to Goodes in the first Q. Pavlich gets a little touch and it is paid.

I was reffering to the essendon and st kilda player (hayes and hille). And some others last weekend.

Goodes has been treated poorly. How many times has he used his strenth and pace to beat a defender for only to get pinged. Happened against North and i think it was the cats? Both times he took a good contested mark.

[mcs]

I can deal with the odd bad call, but its the inconsistency that kills me. What is a free at one end of the ground is a free at the other. Perfect example today was when someone (LRT or Kennedy maybe) got pinged for HTB in our defensive 50 because he tried to get posession, dragged it in than the Frockes player jumped on his back and held it in. FK which gave Freo an easy goal. About 90 seconds later, exact same thing (Except Swans player didn't jump on guys back but did hold it in)- no free given. its that sort of inconsistency that I am sure shorten's my life expectancy every time I watch us play.

There has been some awful umpiring this year- worst by far was the 1st quarter of the Kangas game, but there are a few other patches of dreadful umpiring as well. And the junk time free kick thing happens often across the AFL i find to try and line up the FK numbers.

[bodgie]

In the last few weeks there has been a pattern of overly officious inconsistent decisions in the first half, sucking out any momentum we were generating, then a second half of open umpiring when we're out of the game.

[KirkysSocks]

I can deal with the odd bad call, but its the inconsistency that kills me. What is a free at one end of the ground is a free at the other. Perfect example today was when someone (LRT or Kennedy maybe) got pinged for HTB in our defensive 50 because he tried to get posession, dragged it in than the Frockes player jumped on his back and held it in. FK which gave Freo an easy goal. About 90 seconds later, exact same thing (Except Swans player didn't jump on guys back but did hold it in)- no free given. its that sort of inconsistency that I am sure shorten's my life expectancy every time I watch us play.

There has been some awful umpiring this year- worst by far was the 1st quarter of the Kangas game, but there are a few other patches of dreadful umpiring as well. And the junk time free kick thing happens often across the AFL i find to try and line up the FK numbers.

The one that still gets my blood boiling is dawsons attack to the back of tadhgs head in rnd 1. At that stage had we got the 50 we would have goaled and the margin would have only been 2 points. Sure we could have lost but we had all the momentum at that stage. As it stood Tadhg was left seeing stars from a double hit to head (2nd blow when head hit the ground) we fluffed up the free outside 50 the saints get the ball and score a goal. Dawson did not even have too face up to the MRP.

The ROK tackle, which ironically enough has seen ROKs current form slump (he was at that stage of the game tearing it up) is another major one. Just because of the mumford suspension a week later.

[AnnieH]

I said a few times during the game that the umpires umpire the game like the Sydney crowd don't know the rules.

Personally, I think it's about time a formal complaint was made.

Cop the 20K fine (I swear to L Ron Hubbard I'll stand outside the ground with a bucket to collect it) - and maybe not get beaten by the maggots.

[Swanner]

i agree with the sentiments of th eoriginal post. I am seriously thinking it is a waste of time watching the afl. The umpiring got a lot worse when there was more gambling on games. Its not inconsistency trust me.

[bondy]

HTB was awful today. Baffling interpretations for die-hard AFL fans let alone those new to the game. Disgraceful.

[swansrule100]

i actually thought there were a few throws not called today

[SimonH]

Sure I was frustrated by the performance generally by late in Q4, but I just absolutely blew up after Rohan was collected head-high, front-on, in a reckless challenge by a player who never had possession of the ball and was going over the top.

Right. In. Front. Of. The. Umpire.

We are deprived of our #1 ruckman, who we desperately need because our #2 is out injured, for 2 of the most critical games of the season, because the AFL decrees that the head is so sacrosanct that you can't even tackle someone vigorously around their midriff if it may have any possible ill-effects for the noggin of the tacklee; yet when a young player of ours putting his head over the footy has his head removed, it's play on.

@@@@ this bunch of absolute @@@@ing moronic @@@@wits, was something like my immediate reaction.