IMO the problem is not so much that we are giving away too many free kicks, it is more that we are not getting our fair share.
Of course you can say all of the umpires were incompetent/biased. It happens all the time with little kickback.
It’s only when you say that all but one of the umps were competent that you get threatened with deregistration…
Don’t forget that the excellent analysis by Trevor Bix uses data including the “evener-upperers” that the maggots give to us on the backline in Q4 to make their statistics look better. So even after that, there is still a huge differential.
The other take home message from that analysis is the 2000 season, and we were still getting penalised. This refutes another theory put up by maggot sympathisers that the best team gets the most frees. There have been fewer better teams in history than the 2000 side and they still copped a hiding from the maggots.
I don’t think numbers prove anything. When you play n a particularly aggressive fashion, like we did in 1999-2001, you concede a lot of free kicks willingly.
Saying that though, we just don’t get justice in frees for holding the ball. And Sunday was a massive example of that.
Semantics Albert. Payback. Bias against Hird in light of his very public attack on the umpires department, specifically disparaging the character of one of their senior umps. Human nature. Given the integrity of the award, the umps should’ve been above what happened but their response was predictable. They embarrassed themselves that night. They IGNORED him but not sure they cheated, in the strict interpretation of the word - “acting dishonesty or gaining an unfair advantage”
Comprehension skills are a bit dodgy around here.
I dont think there is consistency for any team for prior opportunity. It’s a friggen lottery and should be abandoned almost entirely. They pay them sometimes, when a player has had barely a second, and sometimes they dont. It’s the biggest blight on the rules at the moment

Semantics Albert. Payback. Bias against Hird in light of his very public attack on the umpires department, specifically disparaging the character of one of their senior umps. Human nature. Given the integrity of the award, the umps should’ve been above what happened but their response was predictable. They embarrassed themselves that night. They IGNORED him but not sure they cheated, in the strict interpretation of the word - “acting dishonesty or gaining an unfair advantage”
Look, you can’t have it both ways. They acted dishonestly by not awarding the best player a single vote. They acted dishonestly by not being honest in their voting.
They get more exalted treatment than any other person in the country, including the PM, the Governor-General, High Court Judges, senior church officials - to name a few positions that used to be exalted. And despite all that, they still get people coming out and defending their indefensible behaviour.
I dont for a minute go for this bias thing.

Isn’t anyone going to add some meaningful comments about the in-depth statistical data that Trevor Bix has just put up?
Yeah I will
ASSUMPTIONS MADE DURING THE STUDY
- That free kick counts should be even in all games of Australian Rules football

While there at it…they can ask why the Weagles over the last 15 years, are not only top of the free kick differential ladder, but also double that of the next highest?
With Freo there, it proves its not so much crowd affirmation (although it definitely helps), but something else, cause the Weagles win it everywhere, and here is my theory…it’s colours of affirmation.
Find out which umpires are religious…Gods colours are Blue (for the sky) Yellow (for the sun), and obviously he hates the devils colours (Black & Red).
When a decision is 50/50, the subconscious mind of the umpire will always err on the side of God for selfish obvious reasons regarding there own wellbeing going forward.
Even the subconscious minds of any atheist umpires, may also work this biased way, just in case there is a god.
SO…Colours of affirmation! For me, Its the only thing that makes perfect sense as to whats going on.
Its either the above mentioned, or if there does happen to be a god, then he’s actually intervening himself.
I’ll never forget the Weagles chaplin saying on TV, that god wears an West Coast Eagles jumper.
Colours of affirmation! Look into it (cause the subconscious mind will err towards it), and rip the biased umpires subconscious mind apart.
I’m an atheist by the way, and i hate the Weagles a million times more then any Fark Carlton hater.

The Club can’t come out and openly criticise the umpires. So they have to couch their enquiry in terms of ‘seeking clarification’ and ‘to help us better instruct our players’ etc
I will say it is about time. Umps will be very careful against us this weekend because the media will be watching to see the outcome of our public complaint. And it was a public complaint, just carefully worded. It isn’t just about the ones against, it is also about the ones utterly ignored.
If it’s not umpiring they’ll just keep finding ways.
Someone needs to kidnap Gil’s jaunty hat.

If it’s not umpiring they’ll just keep finding ways.
Someone needs to kidnap Gil’s jaunty hat.
With his head still in it?
In Federation Square?
I’m in favour of that.
I seem to vaguely recall a time they threatened to strike over the way they perceived they were being treated. I could be wrong though. I know they actually went on strike once
Showing my age here but who can remember the old days of World of Sport on a Sunday morning and they had the segment of called ‘Whats your decision’. Get an umpire in and walk through / explain the dodgy decisions given the day before.
Can’t recall maggots ever going in strike.
I reckon Captains should still umpire the game.

I dont for a minute go for this bias thing.
There is an astonishing amount of unstable thinking in this thread. I can only assume this sort of rampant conspiracy theorizing is simply a result of there being a concentrated echo chamber of emotional fanatical supporters on the forum (consider myself one of these too btw). Fascinating stuff.
I’m sure they did late 70’s possibly early 80’s
They used to do this on Sen recently but if course they are never wrong. Derek Humphrey B Bear segment. And recently they started interviewing them on tv just to blow smoke up their rrr’s and stroke their egos
Pointless waste of time .