I agree with the thrust of this thread.
What is going on re umpires not paying frees to Gary Rohan for high contact on him? It happened in the Geelong match, against the Dogs and then again today. I have photos from the Dogs match where the Dogs player has both arms wrapped around Rohan, above his shoulders. He didn't duck into it - previous frames show that he stood up, rather than ducked. No free paid. Has he offended an umpire or two in his previous incarnation? Or just the audacity to go to the Swans?
Re the free kicks, evening up etc. Has anyone else noticed occasions when umpires have not played advantage when it was definitely a disadvantage to us to be called back? Why call the free in the first place? Because in calling the free, they even up, but by not playing advantage they penalise us, stopping our run forward.
When will this be seen to be what it is? When does it become cheating? When does cheating become corruption? What do the Swans have to do to ensure that their players' heads will be protected by the umpires? Whatever is or isn't happening, I am heartily sick of it and so are the other people posting in this thread. And why isn't the AFL addressing the issue?
It's not about winning or losing, nor sour grapes - it's about fairness, consistency and our players being given the protection they need.
My issue is not so much a "we woz rob" mentality, (I leave that to the Round 1 game against St Kilda). In this instance the Dockers were overall the better side, and clearly so in the first half.
The problem I have is the obsession that some of the umpires have to blow their whistle every 90 seconds or so. Consequently, as a spectator you are bracing yourself, not to see some great footy, but to hear the constant blowing of the whistle. The game is losing its body contact impact, and becoming like basketball.
What really irritates me is when an umpire awards a free kick in a situation where clearly he is relying, not on what he saw on the balance of probabilities, but on pure speculation and guess work. The free kick against Paul Bevan in the third quarter that led to a Fremantle goal, (and they kicked at least 4 goals from free kicks), was a case in question. Besides the fact that there was no body contact, there was no prospect that umpire Michael Avon could have seen any such body contact. He just guessed. That free kick and resultant goal ended the Swans? momentum at that time effectively ending the game as a contest.
This fixated whistle blowing is an issue that the AFL can not put their heads in the sand. The metropolitan areas of Sydney represents a huge competitive environment for the three winter based football codes, AFL, NRL and Rugby Union. This competitive battle is particularly acute with the introduction in 2012 of a Greater Western Sydney AFL team, and the consequent need for the Swans to thereafter survive.
I was extremely disappointed by the way the Sydney-Fremantle games were administrated by the umpires. The umpires effectively dominated the game by relentless and often very very soft free kicks. Further critical decisions were made that had a significant impact on the game.
As someone who great up on Rugby League, at least you are not bombarded with constant free kicks, and where some appropriate and reasonable amount of body contact is permissible; witness a 2007 New South Wales-Queensland State of Origin game where the first free kick arose 14 minutes into the second half.
The Umpires come from Melbourne and have a subconscious hate for Sydney that goes back generations. I don't think they intentionally cheat except with say Barry hall who they wanted to have power over because the umpires are often frustrated alpha type men. The only games I ever remember where we got fair umpiring were the 3 Grand Finals and we were also lucky in the 2005 Geelong final that Kirky was not pinged for dropping the ball!
ROK was unlucky to get a HTB free in exactly the same circumstance. There was no prior opportunity and the umpire was on the wrong side of the contest to make a call on whether he was making a effort, which he was.
Very frustrating. As I stated earlier, 17 free kicks in one qtr of footy is OTT. The AFL need to do something because they are creating a game that is impossible for an umpire to keep up with and appropriately mediate.
Occupational hazards:
- animal psychic Amanda de WarrenI don't eat animals since discovering this ability. I used to. But one day the lamb I was eating came through to me and ever since then I haven't been able to eat meat.
Occupational hazards:
- animal psychic Amanda de WarrenI don't eat animals since discovering this ability. I used to. But one day the lamb I was eating came through to me and ever since then I haven't been able to eat meat.
I agree totally. Enough is enough!.
And I really don't care how much the AFL fines the Swans. It is a legal moot point that they have any right to enforce the fine via the Courts.
The other issue I have is the silence of the press, very very rarely to they get into umpiring decisions, worried no doubt that the Stalinist AFL might impose a fine or worse. The radio on the other hand and the TV to a lesser extent, are more frank.
I have never less enjoyed a game of AFL as I did for the Swans Dockers game. I did not pay my membership to watch Michael Avon "play".
Are you listening AFL?
i think we get a bum deal all the time, i just presume i am too one eyed.
Theres not much left to say
hahaha were any of you at the fence when the umps were walking back into the change rooms, screaming bloody murder at them resulting in a cop coming along to make sure you didnt jump the fence and strangle one of them?
i might be that person if we get that sort of treatment again....
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