We shouldn’t blame umpiring for the loss. We made far too many errors and deserved to lose because of them.
Richmond have a far bigger free kick differential than what we do and they are on top of the ladder.
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Good to have friends in high places, isn’t it Clarko?
Hang on a sec guys while I extract my head out of the AFLs corrupt butthole…signed Clarko
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■■■■ me we’ve had more than our fair share of non holding the ball calls in our F50 this year. Almost always preceded or followed quickly by a lightning quick call against one of our players.
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Some odd calls for sure. But if I was a Port fan, I’d be furious. We were certainly getting the rub of the green in that game, plenty of frees where no one knew what it was for. Even one where the umpire admitted he had no idea and explained it was from the umpire in a different zone. Bizarre.
So my read on the tackle/HTB decisions is if you get tackled, whatever you do, don’t let the ball get out while standing up.
Hold onto it, act like you’re trying to dispose. You’re not likely to be called for holding the ball even if you are rotated around or brought to the ground with the ball.
Don’t drop it unless you get taken to the ground, then they appear to let you roll it out.
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So basically rugby.
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Twilight Zone most likely.
The non free to Merrett for where he brought the Port player to ground in a textbook perfect display of the art of tackling, is the single worst piece of chumpiring l have ever seen. How all 3 of them missed it defies belief.
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Exactly what I thought at the time. Up there with the Stanton one against Swans.
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And act like a child, hitting the ball repeatedly, or somewhere near the ball, so you can ‘get away with it’ and all is good.
These are the little things that make our game so great.
Not sure who tackled him but the play on call after Polec was tackled for 5 seconds and then handballs after taken to ground is up there with Walla tackle on Zac Jones as the worst no decision of the year.
Some Amart furniture and Makita drills sent to the umpire department might change our luck next year.
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Think you’re referring to the Zak Merrett tackle.
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Same against Brisbane some time ago.
Even the commentators, then were flabbergasted.
Seems to happen too often to Zach.
OK . The non free for the zach tackle on Polec was just stupid umpiring.
Everyone else watching knew it was a perfect tackle.
It seems to me that after woosha complained publicly, the chief umpire visited the club to give advice. From that time the appalling imbalance of frees stopped dead and in many games we actually won the free kick count, sometimes by large margins.
Any ideas why? Instruction to umpires to go easy on us or learning how to play without infringing so much and learning how to win frees .
If it was changes to the way we play to avoid giving away frees and getting more it was a very smart thing to do.
Correct. Better off taking a punt on a ball up then making a certainty of incorrect disposal. Been a clear change in interpretation and the way players maintain possession as a result.
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Looking forward to the “put the whistle away” season. When the umps completely forget all the completely bullshit interpretations and garbage rules they’ve been paying all year and just let the players play.
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Me too, but it really is the cherry on top of the mockery that is the AFL
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Your sarcastica filter is on the blink this morning?
How much congestion would it free up if they paid it as it should be paid? If you are tackled and don’t get rid of in good time, holding the ■■■■■■■ ball, free kick. Clearing ball. Easy.
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How do you get called for “holding the ball, incorrect disposal”.
I’ve heard umpires call that a bit over the past month. Surely it is one or the other.
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