Originally Posted by
Sandrevan
There is lots of anger directed at the umpires but the free kick count was very close by the end. I can hear some of you saying it's the timing and field position of the frees that make a difference, not just the number.
We've all heard the saying 'Who dares wins', 'luck favours the brave', 'persistence beats resistance', etc. The AFL wants positive, fast, open footy. We hear the term 'the rub of the green'. My observation from watching AFL games is that 'the rub of the green' changes over the course of the game. I have a theory that the umpires are 'encouraged' to favour the team that is taking the game on and playing attacking footy. This may account for what we think of as inconsistent umpiring.
If the Swans basic footy style is contested/congested/ stoppage based play then we may be always complaining about the umpires. IMO we are always going to get a raw deal if we continue to play this way.
A while back Al Clarkson said 'we don't give a stuff about contested possessions'. But it's what he didn't say that might be more important. They care a lot about uncontested marks and possessions. The team that controls the ball controls the game.
The swans spend way to much energy playing contested footy. There is way too much 'kick it long to a contest' or 'just kick it towards Buddy even if he is double tagged'. We give up control of the ball too easily. This was so obvious against the crows.
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