THE BLOODY UMPIRES.

[FlyingHigh]

what a load of complete bullshit from eveyone. you all think you have the answers, too many umpires, not enough umpires, wrong side of contest, use ex-players (players dont know the F%$#n laws), games too quick, they it in for my team, too many 25m.

The fact is, if your players didnt f$%^ up so much, the umpire wouldnt be in a positon to blow his whistle... simple.

Leave it be as it has been for 100 years, enjoy the game for what it is.

or better

ring the SANFL (8268 2088) and register your name to become an umpire if you have the answers to making the world a better place!!

Exactly. That's what those who have been commenting on the changing interpretations and the umpiring this year want. Did you not read the following from CP's post?

Was in the Port clubrooms a few hours after the game yesterday, and they replayed the 99 Grand Final ... Interestingly at 3/4 time they showed the stats and they had paid a total of 17 free kicks for the game.

I noticed it and spoke aloud to myself about it being how it should be and immediately the Port lads near me said spot on.

[philcas]

what a load of complete bullshit from eveyone. you all think you have the answers, too many umpires, not enough umpires, wrong side of contest, use ex-players (players dont know the F%$#n laws), games too quick, they it in for my team, too many 25m.

The fact is, if your players didnt f$%^ up so much, the umpire wouldnt be in a positon to blow his whistle... simple.

Leave it be as it has been for 100 years, enjoy the game for what it is.

or better

ring the SANFL (8268 2088) and register your name to become an umpire if you have the answers to making the world a better place!!

OH! Please brown undies i think there some brownies in your undies
The fact is the rules dont change much its the interpretations that have changed & most people dont like what has happened over the last few years. Yes we have always had whinge about umpiring but i am sure if we could go back a few years with the interpretations that were used we would possibly be more encouraged.

In saying that there is one thing i would hope the umpires keep that is the play to continue when a pack has developed & letting the players to fight it out for a reasonable amount of time. this has enabled the play to contniue without a ball up

[Wedgie]

I still can't work out why people blame the AFL when there are a lot less frees in he AFL than SANFL and stats show the SANFL when it was better to watch had a lot less frees too (the 90s as pointed out by someone).
I hardly notice the umpires in Cats games but rarely go a minute without noticing hem in SANFL games.
Some clubs like North and West are probably to blame as much as Shane Harris because ofthe congested crap they insist on playing but Harris should take most of the blame IMHO and start directing his umpires better.

[JK]

I reckon Harris' input only stretches so far .. Yes he is responsible for directing the umpires, but he is also governed by the rules committee and the demands they make.

This year there has been a change to the HTB rule to bring it closer to the AFL, and of course the instant 25m penalty against any deliberate contact made by a player not in the marking contest.

The rules appear to be designed and instructed to enforce in such a way that it speeds the game up, but I think the supporters of SANFL football are more concerned by over officiating than the pace of the game.

[Wedgie]

How exactly has the holding the ball rule changed this year?

[Dirko]

I still can't work out why people blame the AFL when there are a lot less frees in he AFL than SANFL and stats show the SANFL when it was better to watch had a lot less frees too (the 90s as pointed out by someone).

The current round.

Hawthorn v Essendon 38 frees.
Carlton v Fremantle 39 frees.
North Melbourne v Port 39 frees.
West Coast v Western Bulldogs 33 frees.

Total of 149

Central v North 40 frees
Port v Norwood 53 frees
West v Eagles 48 frees
Glenelg v Sturt 37 frees

Total of 178

Looks like the the Central & Glenelg games on par with the AFL, the others especially the Port game way higher.

[am Bays]

what a load of complete bullshit from eveyone. you all think you have the answers, too many umpires, not enough umpires, wrong side of contest, use ex-players (players dont know the F%$#n laws), games too quick, they it in for my team, too many 25m.

The fact is, if your players didnt f$%^ up so much, the umpire wouldnt be in a positon to blow his whistle... simple.

Leave it be as it has been for 100 years, enjoy the game for what it is.

or better

ring the SANFL (8268 2088) and register your name to become an umpire if you have the answers to making the world a better place!!

I concur with this Brown Undies, gives you a greater appreciation for when the umpires make shockers especially when they break basic positioning guidelines and fail to see blatent throws. Judegment calls I can cop when they are in position but poor positioning and errors are a no-no.

Will be interesting to see if he is in the ones or the twos this week.

[nickname]

If there are 100 infringements in a game I don't want the umpires paying 40 frees, I want them paying 100. My issue isn't with how many frees they pay, it's with how appalling the standard of umpiring is.

[blackcat]

Having the privilege to watch SANFL, AFL and SAAFL most weekends there is always one common denominator, the standard of umpiring as percieved by the supporters. Yes I agree that the umpiring is not to MY liking on numerous occasions, but I have come to the point in my life where I have realised that;
1/ No amount of abuse towards the umpires will change their decisions.
2/ Umpires make mistakes.
3/ Without them we have no game.
4/ They are (believe it or not) only human.
5/ Yes have a bitch when you disagree with a decision, but move on.
6/ Compliment an umpires display on the rare occasions that they have a good game.
7/ Enjoy the fantastic game that is Aussie Rules, to which the umpires are a very big part of.
And no I am not an umpire, just a thankful supporter.

Thats all Ive got, time for my medication

[CUTTERMAN]

I don't know but what I do know is that for my perception the way the game is being umpired is about the worst I have seen. Now that may be the way the Umps are being directed to umpire, which I think is largely the case, but the inconsistencies during a game is what gets to me.

[Dutchy]

Having the privilege to watch SANFL, AFL and SAAFL most weekends there is always one common denominator, the standard of umpiring as percieved by the supporters. Yes I agree that the umpiring is not to MY liking on numerous occasions, but I have come to the point in my life where I have realised that;
1/ No amount of abuse towards the umpires will change their decisions.
2/ Umpires make mistakes.
3/ Without them we have no game.
4/ They are (believe it or not) only human.
5/ Yes have a bitch when you disagree with a decision, but move on.
6/ Compliment an umpires display on the rare occasions that they have a good game.
7/ Enjoy the fantastic game that is Aussie Rules, to which the umpires are a very big part of.
And no I am not an umpire, just a thankful supporter.

Thats all Ive got, time for my medication

Post of the year...

Every year I hear the umpiring is "the worst Ive ever seen".........see a trend?

[CUTTERMAN]

Yes, it's getting worse

[prowling panther]

If you really want to have a good complain about Umpiring, go about it this way.

1. Think as if you were an umpire (and impartial)
2. Each game you watch, try and be consistent
3. a. Protect the player going for the ball
b. Watch out for head high tackles, holding on in packs, push in the back or just flopping on players.
c. Other infringements that we know happens. Marks, running with the ball, etc.
d. Holding the ball, did he have enough time to dispose of by hand or foot?
4. Dont forget there are two sides out their playing, not just your team.
5. Now do all those things correctly while you are jogging half pace on the spot or running around in ever increasing circles.
6. If you did well for 4 quaters then you deserve to have a whinge about umpires, but looking back at the end of the day, I think you would say you did a bloody good job.
7. Pity the other 2500 mugs at the same game didnt think the same way you did.

[maccad]

The one decsion that frustrates me is when a player has had prior opportunity to get rid of the ball and gets paid in the back or holding the man which is what happened today when phillips tackled the west guy ten metres out from goal not only should it have been holding the ball he never even pushed him in the back, but then in the last quater bryce campbell i think got tackled dropped the ball and got a holding the man free kick.

[mal]

The umpires may not be getting worse
But the rulemakers with the interpretations of the rules are

The player who attempts to play on , and has his opponent cribbing over the mark by a bees dick gets awarded a 25m penalty
Bad bad bad rule
We are asking footballers to have University degrees these days instead of sporting ability and sporting nouse

And Ive seen a few of them resulting in goals this season

[Adelaide Hawk]

The one decsion that frustrates me is when a player has had prior opportunity to get rid of the ball and gets paid in the back or holding the man which is what happened today when phillips tackled the west guy ten metres out from goal not only should it have been holding the ball he never even pushed him in the back, but then in the last quater bryce campbell i think got tackled dropped the ball and got a holding the man free kick.

That has been a problem for many years, and it frustrates me a player can just drop the ball and everything's okay. The catch cry is the ball is forced out in the tackle, but we know a lot of the time the player just drops it at his feet.

I won't mention the umpire's name, but I used to work with a league umpire (now retired) and used to have lunch with him regularly and we usually talked footy. I mentioned to him about players blatantly dropping the ball, and was astounded when he said he's never seen it happen. Up to this stage he'd umpired at least 100 league games.

Anyway, on the Monday he came up to me and said he couldn't believe it when in the first minute of play, he saw a player do precisely what I'd said ... tackled and just dropped the ball at his feet. I asked him what he did, he said, "I pinged him .. holding the ball". He went on to say he was amazed at how often it happened and pinged a nuimber of players that afternoon for the exact same thing.

Amazing how all the umpires' coaches weren't able to highlight this, but a work colleague could

One other thing, he showed me once the "report card" for an umpire's performance in a match. There were assessments for correct attire, running in step with the other umpires before the game, bouncing the ball, clear indications and whistle blowing, correct positioning, etc, but NOWHERE in the report was there any consideration for correct decision making!!! Sort of says it all, doesn't it?