How about the doob against Ted Richards in 2012?
As bad as any calls in 2016…
How about the doob against Ted Richards in 2012?
As bad as any calls in 2016…
I think in 2012 there were some bog average calls - but we got a couple of lucky ones too. Stevic did his best 'I'd love to be your No 1 season ticket holder one day' impression for the Hawks, but didn't feel like the odds were stacked like 2016.
2016 was something else. In a hard, contested match like that - I will remain absolutely blown away by the fact that one team was so perfect they didn't give away a single free kick for more than a half of football. As Captain said there were a lot of shockers in that game - but we all know the desperation to get the Dogs over the line. Only had to look at the way the Giants got absolutely shafted in the prelim final late to see nothing was getting in the way of the AFL House sanctioned and formulated fairytale.
The final margin is often claimed to reflect a clam that the 'umpiring didn't matter' in 2016. But it blew out very late, and the game was in the balance until the last couple of minutes. With umpiring that more reasonably reflected the contest, and with the utter shockers actually correct (let alone the american football gridiron passes and dummy half passes practiced by the dogs), we might have seen a different result that day.
I won't be happy until we beat the Dogs in a big final (preferably a grand final) and they get as royally bent over by the umpires as we did.
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."
If I recall, the Dogs got a dream umpiring run in all 4 of their 2016 finals, including one against the Hawks.
While I'm not sure I agree with your belief that the 2012 GF umpiring was ok, your points about 2016 are something we agree wholeheartedly on!Originally Posted by Captain
The 2016 GF affected me so much I spent a lot of time studying the stats.
In 2016, the Bulldogs played 26 games. They won the free kick count 20 times, drew it twice, lost only 4 times.
They won the free kick count in all 4 finals they played that year and, the further they advanced, the more they won the free kick count by. They shouldn't have even been playing us in the GF - the umpires got them over the line in the Preliminary Final against GWS.
The AFL is discussing with clubs the introduction of a Wild Card weekend before the finals. The teams in 7th and 8th play the teams in 9th and 10th to determine who makes the final 2 spots.
I'm not in favour of this at all. We play 23 rounds to qualify for the top 8. If we don't make it then too bad.
Apparently it's based on what happens in the NBA. Why do we have to follow what the US does??
+1
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Perhaps you should have said 'sometimes pure free kick counts are meaningless, sometimes they perfectly reflect umpiring bias'.
BTW, I agree with your umpiring hypothesis.
Last edited by stevoswan; 18th July 2023 at 08:37 PM.
They are trying to give fans of two more clubs (those finishing 9th and 10th) an extra week of hope/interest in the finals.
Plus more revenue from two extra games.
The top six would get a week off as a reward for their finishing position.
Seventh to tenth would have to win five in a row to be the premier…
I am neutral on the idea, though if it existed this year, we would have a greater chance of making the finals as we only have to make tenth spot then win the wildcard game to be in the finals.
Agree....what an absolutely stupid idea.
Calling it "wildcard round" seems to be an Americanisation. Just reframe it as an extension of the finals system and it makes more sense, particularly as we move towards 19 and then probably 20 teams in the competition. Just means the finals are a top 10, not a top 8.
Yes, they absolutely did.....but the two Sydney based teams got the biggest shaftings of all.
Last edited by stevoswan; 18th July 2023 at 08:38 PM.
Absolutely! It should have been us against GWS in the GF. Both Sydney teams were totally screwed over by the umps as the Bulldogs were gifted a premiership.
I quite like it as a means to:
- dispense with the ridiculous pre-finals bye;
- advantage higher ranked teams; and
- sustain interest in the competition for more teams/supporters.
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