I’m sorry but that is bullshit. WE are not the reason the umpires make so many one sided decisions. Are you saying that the kids who are preferentially put off umpiring are those who would have the innate ability to do a good job? That is perhaps the longest bow ever drawn on BB.
And the media go out of their way to ignore the mistakes the maggots make. The commentators even have instructions not to criticise them - that is why when maggots make egregious mistakes, they are mostly silent, or say “I missed that” or “player X was unlucky there” or “look over there!”
Yeah I know the one you are talking about. Stringer was leading up pretty far almost to the left (or right from his perspective leading out) wing. The Sydney guy sort of got tangled up with him and they both sort of slowed down without falling completely over.
I guess it was technically called holding the man/not letting him get a clear run at the mark. But there was absolutely nothing in it, the ball ended up out of bounds, and you can bet if the game was close or an important game like a final that would have just been a ball up.
And really that is the problem with modern umpiring/the AFL’s handling of the rules. There is no consistency and mistakes don’t seem to be highlighted and corrected. I don’t want us to win the free kick count, I just was rules to be implemented consistently (or as consistently as possible, obviously mistakes will be made sometimes).
Yes you are, although not directly. I’m pointing the finger at the culture of contempt for umpires which puts young people off umpiring, thereby reducing the gene pool.
Of course I’m saying that. It’s not a long bow, in fact it’s self-evident. If you reduce the number of people entering a profession then you reduce the talent pool. Kinda obvious really.
Right. Maybe pop the replay on. Try the third quarter - Buddy’s push on Hurley. Watch the coverage and you’ll see that they analyse the decision again and again from multiple camera angles. All of the commentators discuss the (non-)decision, eventually concluding, correctly, that the umpire erred. Player errors are not analysed to anywhere near the same level. Find me one example in that game where a player’s mistake is dissected with the same scrutiny. Then consider the fact that umpires make decisions at the rate of about one every few seconds. I’d estimate that they’d make several hundred decisions per game, all the while having to run several kms to make position. And then there’s the pressure of 40,000 people, often angry to the point of potential violence constantly screaming at you. Imagine working under those conditions. Tough gig.
Thank christ its umpired with common sense now. Took them long enough when the whole footy world worked it out weeks back which ones impact the play deliberately.
No it is not obvious and you are missing the point. Your hypothesis relies not on a simple reduction of the gene pool but a preferential reduction of kids who would grow up to be non-stupid/non-biassed umpires.
That is just ridiculous. And as someone else said, the AFL does not scour the land to find the most stupid umpires, so what does that leave us with?
As for your example of commentary - that is a single example and if I could be bothered I am sure for each one like that I could find 100 examples from our games where they either make no comment or say something like “player X was unlucky there”.
Nahhhh, you’re flat out wrong AT. Take a hundred people, pick the best four golfers (say). Then I’ll take a million people and pick the best four golfers. Then your mob can take on mine and we’ll see who wins! Howling at umpires stops potentially good, bad and indifferent umpires from taking it up - I’m certainly not arguing it discriminates! But it’s a simple statistical fact that in a random distribution if you increase the count of the set then you increase the value of the top n elements.
And I don’t doubt you could find 100 examples where the commentators don’t mention a poor decision. My argument is that they disproportionately highlight umpiring errors over player errors. Watch any passage of play and you’ll see a fumble, a missed tackle, a poor handball, a kick not quite on target but yeah that’s all part of the general wash, but then BOOM the ump screws up and so let’s look at that for the 20th time … “yes, the replay definitely shows a hand in the back, let’s look at it from side on … yep, that’s a push in the back, every day of the week … “.
To be honest that’s part of my problem with the game currently. That sort of free is let go all the time. Instead of umpiring the rules and the AFL making sure umpires are trying to be consistent always, we take about consistency in a game or an interpretation setting the tone of the game early.
How about consistency across an entire round, a month, a season? It shouldn’t be that hard (minus a few mistakes which I’d accept) but the AFL have shown through their actions they don’t really care about it and any real scrutiny of umpires/umpiring is just carefully handed and then forgotten about.
Anyway this isn’t really directed at you tinhillterror, more just my annoyance with umpiring leaking out.
I agree.thi even back when I was a kid the umpire would come in and check your boots. He’d tell you what he was going to pay or be on the lookout for that game
Heeney didn’t just drop the ball he deliberately tossed it to the ground making it look like it had been hit out of his hand …yet no Essendon player touched it at all …staging pure & simple …as for Buddy & the forearm chop to the back of Hurley’s head/neck area not being called a free for Hurley was beyond a joke it was a high hit not a nudge to the back with the forearm…still it was Buddy !!! & the one where Buddy stopped & propped causing Hurley to run into him as he was going for the spoil with eyes for the ball only to be told by the umpire he wasn’t going for the ball ?? wtf???
@Gate4 stfu. If you don’t like the thread find another.
I made it to simply state what I saw and continue to see. I know I’m not the only one as I have an army of mates off the forum who couldn’t agree more.
The umpire’s position for this contest was awful. He was behind Hurley and there was no way he could have see the Hurley was watching and ball and that Franklin wasn’t and propped back into him. When in doubt pay the free to buddy.
I thought the one on Brown was exceptional umpiring.
On first view I thought Brown had infringed on the Sydney bloke taking the mark. The umpire had to be both in perfect position and watching the entire contest to actually see that free kick to Brown.