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Umpire farce - Getting worse by the minute!

Perversely, I think the Sullivan not giving the ball to the ump free call was good umpiring. Number 8 made the point on another thread, Sidebottom had done a very blatant time-wasting one previously, and I've noticed slow ball returns while team mates get into posi at a stoppage creeping in to the game.

This illustrates a big part of the problem. there is no objective, systematic analysis. Just half-cocked, headline-grabbing reactions. Outrage at what is a reasonable, defensible decision, but no discussion on horrendous rules like the stand rule, or throws.

To me thats good officiating. It can and does get used as a time wasting tactic, pure gamesmanship, and all players should know you give the ball to the ump. The only thing I will say is that the ump should give a warning on something technical like that. Thats what they do in NRL and RU, ref will say 'keep it up and you'll be penalised'. (Interestingly, you could see Daicos knew it was a free straight away).
Daicos was involved in a free to Freo earlier on the wing. The pies player gave the ball back to his team mate and not the freo player. No 50. He realised his luck was up.
 
I have no doubt we are communicating behind the scenes.

Fat lot of good that is doing. Dimma now he is a GC and Voss can whinge, why can't we?

You want to get rid of congestion, pay holding the man. I saw a doozy yesterday in the Melbourne v StKilda game. Ball in the goal square, Melbourne player trying to gather the ball has an arm held. No wonder there is congestion when a player can't gather the ball because they are being held and the incompetent fools do nothing about it. Give the players the chance to gather the ball before being tackled and congestion will reduce.

As for the free kick ladder, here's how it looks on a chart to the end of Round 11 2024 (the export of the chart seems to be working now):

Free Kick chart 2024 to round 11.jpg

Plus an updated version of the chart of Richmond frees back to 2010

RFC Frees F&A 2010-2024 to R11 2024.jpg

Why is this the case? What is the explanation?

The club needs to ask, in public.

DS

PS: Geez I wish I could get more stats - frees in forward 50, conceded in defensive 50, goals from frees, goals conceded from frees etc. We used to get more years ago when they had those tables from each game in the paper which told you the goals from frees, but I suppose they would want you to pay for that these days.
 
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To me thats good officiating. It can and does get used as a time wasting tactic, pure gamesmanship, and all players should know you give the ball to the ump. The only thing I will say is that the ump should give a warning on something technical like that. Thats what they do in NRL and RU, ref will say 'keep it up and you'll be penalised'. (Interestingly, you could see Daicos knew it was a free straight away).
The problem is they showed an example from another gamne where it didn't happen and no free. Why do they need to warn sometimes and not others. Why do they need to apply common sense sometimes and not others. Why do they warn about the 9m rule or the 6/6/6 constantly? All players know them. Pay a free every time and it will stop. And then there will not be such an outcry when one is plucked out, seemingly at random.
 
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Dimma must be pinching himself….from bottom of AFL Free kick ladder to top in 12 months, can criticise umpires with no consequences and unlimited academy picks! no wonder they call it the Gold Coast
AFL are desperate for Suns to make the 8 and play finals
They prefer interstate team wins :cupgold
 
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The problem is they showed an example from another gamne where it didn't happen and no free. Why do they need to warn sometimes and not others. Why do they need to apply common sense sometimes and not others. Why do they warn about the 9m rule or the 6/6/6 constantly? All players know them. Pay a free every time and it will stop. And then there will not be such an outcry when one is plucked out, seemingly at random.
I agree. But in this particular case it has crept in slowly, and it was unforseen. The AFL can't plan for things that are obvious in foresight let alone not so obvious. So I can understand it in this particular case, but agree with your point in a broad sense.
 
On Fox Footy they've just mentioned that 7% of tackles result in a holding the ball.decision.

I'd be very interested to know if our stat is over even 1%
 
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Perversely, I think the Sullivan not giving the ball to the ump free call was good umpiring. Number 8 made the point on another thread, Sidebottom had done a very blatant time-wasting one previously, and I've noticed slow ball returns while team mates get into posi at a stoppage creeping in to the game.

This illustrates a big part of the problem. there is no objective, systematic analysis. Just half-cocked, headline-grabbing reactions. Outrage at what is a reasonable, defensible decision, but no discussion on horrendous rules like the stand rule, or throws.

To me thats good officiating. It can and does get used as a time wasting tactic, pure gamesmanship, and all players should know you give the ball to the ump. The only thing I will say is that the ump should give a warning on something technical like that. Thats what they do in NRL and RU, ref will say 'keep it up and you'll be penalised'. (Interestingly, you could see Daicos knew it was a free straight away).
Umpire calls it every time n every team will make the adjustment within the week before the next round of footy. Umpire gets his panties in a bunch and calls it after ten weeks or years of ignoring it and all of a sudden it's unholy outrage everywhere. Rule of the week or rule of the year syndrome kicks in.
 
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Fat lot of good that is doing. Dimma now he is a GC and Voss can whinge, why can't we?

You want to get rid of congestion, pay holding the man. I saw a doozy yesterday in the Melbourne v StKilda game. Ball in the goal square, Melbourne player trying to gather the ball has an arm held. No wonder there is congestion when a player can't gather the ball because they are being held and the incompetent fools do nothing about it. Give the players the chance to gather the ball before being tackled and congestion will reduce.

As for the free kick ladder, here's how it looks on a chart to the end of Round 11 2024 (the export of the chart seems to be working now):

View attachment 22874

Plus an updated version of the chart of Richmond frees back to 2010

View attachment 22875

Why is this the case? What is the explanation?

The club needs to ask, in public.

DS

PS: Geez I wish I could get more stats - frees in forward 50, conceded in defensive 50, goals from frees, goals conceded from frees etc. We used to get more years ago when they had those tables from each game in the paper which told you the goals from frees, but I suppose they would want you to pay for that these days.
Hun's match day stats still show the frees for each team n whether they were paid in defence mid or forward.
 
Hun's match day stats still show the frees for each team n whether they were paid in defence mid or forward.

Hmm, don't read the Murdoch rubbish, maybe I could look in the library.

Or . . . you could post them here!

Would be a good stat, wonder why AFL Tables doesn't include this. Anyone know anywhere online this is published?

DS
 
So Dillon says congestion is the problem and whilst they don’t want to bring in zones it’s obviously something they have looked at.

The best way to reduce congestion is to pay free kicks. So instead of calling play on when a player is tackled and drops the ball, or throws it away creating a rolling maul, pay the free for incorrect disposal. The congestion instantly disappears.

I’m not talking about going to the opposite extreme and becoming free kick happy but maybe reducing the time period that constitutes prior opportunity to less than 45 minutes!!!
 
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Finally the AFL media is starting to recognise that congestion is a major issue. Lets see what if anything comes from it..

Probably more stupid rule changes, still no enforcement of rules which could reduce congestion and allowing more grey areas (yeah, throwing is fine, holding the man is fine etc).

They need to get rid of the silly rule changes introduced recently (6-6-6 and stand) and consistently enforce the rules which have been ignored for over a decade.

It is the AFL's fault there is so much congestion, they have let the adjudication of the game decline because of their obsession that there should be less free kicks per game. It hasn't worked, quite the opposite, abject failure and has exacerbated congestion.

DS
 
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So how is it that a Damien Harwick who's sides because of " the way the play" end up miles below of the free kick ladder for something like 5-6 year in a row now the same coach who's coaching the AFL's little play thing team is now top of the free kick ladder. Tell me there in not an agenda.
 
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Or . . . you could post them here!
Fair crack Dave, Old farts a luddite when it comes to comp tech. I can manage the on button n click on the PRE link my daughter glued onto the screen n that's about it. Got no idea how to link or copy n paste and pretty much every time I start pushing stray buttons n stuff the comp goes into melt down n chucks a two year old type tanty at me.
 
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Here we go Dave, just for you I dug Sundays Hun out of my recycle tub
Essendrugs 17 frees. D50 - 4 Mid - 8 F50 - 5
Richmond 14 frees. D50 - 3 Mid - 11 F50 - Ooooh look a big fat zero.
 
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It is the AFL's fault there is so much congestion, they have let the adjudication of the game decline because of their obsession that there should be less free kicks per game. It hasn't worked, quite the opposite, abject failure and has exacerbated congestion.

DS
That's because they have constantly pandered to the coaches requests over the last twenty or thirty years and increased the number of match day players and allowed massive interchange rotations per game. Then because they wish to keep the century old aesthetic of 18 players per team on the field at all times they're left with no alternative than to fiddle around the fringes of the rules with starting positions and stand and twenty metre kick out zones to pretend to open the game back up. They keep achieving nothing that the coaches can't out manoeuvre in a couple of games.
Structure of the game needs to be completely revamped to suit the 21st century levels of repeat sprint fitness, player numbers, player rotations, coaching tactics. Only then will there be a possibility of fast open high scoring footy returned to the game.
 
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Besides the fact it’s completely against the rules, how does the ever manipulative, ever contrived AFL think that in congested situations, by not paying a blatant HTB that this is helping relieve the situation ? All that happens - per Cripps, Walsh, Treloar etc - is that they either throw it (again against the rules) or they just drop it (incorrect disposal ….against the rules as well) and that otherwise the ball just bobbles onto the ground again, stacks on again , more congestion.

Pay a free you idiots and besides the fact somebody will kick it out of a congested zone, you’ll also be avoiding multiple incorrect applications of the rules.

Just how well is the AFL going right now under Dillon and Kane ? Not very well I’d suggest. Especially given the ripping that Hinkley, and to a lesser extent Brad Scott both gave them last night. Hinkley pretty much suggested that AFL House is a mess at the moment.
 
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On Fox Footy they've just mentioned that 7% of tackles result in a holding the ball.decision.

I'd be very interested to know if our stat is over even 1%
I think there is the other side as well.

Some of the tackles are close to assault. There seems to be a license now to jump on a player's back or grab him around the neck, as long as he has the ball it's all ok.