Umpires

[Brad]

I think the umpiring had dropped to an all time low this weekend, friday night and the holding the balls they paid were an absolute disgrace, Saturday afternoon Essendon were shafted with two terrible frees at critical times at the end of the match and the umpiring at the GABBA Saturday night was a complete and utter joke, Steve Mcburney as usual tries to be bigger than the game and couldn't help but give 50M penalty after 50M penalty, when are these umpires going to realise they are there to do a job, they are not celebraties and bigger than the game all we ask is they umpire fairly and within the spirit of the game!

[Jim05]

Yeah they have been terrible. They didnt cost us yesterday, we couldnt kick straight but the peanuts who did the job at the GABBA were disgraceful. The 50 m penalties were laughable

[redden whites]

all we ask is they umpire fairly and within the spirit of the game!

I get sick of hearing "the spirit of the game"stuff from commentators/supporters.A chop of the arms
in the goal square at the 24min mark of the final term is no different to one in the first 30 seconds of the game.
I have heard the old "let it go in the last term already 100 times this year.The umpires go by the laws of the game......fullstop.

[Interceptor]

Yeah they have been terrible. They didnt cost us yesterday, we couldnt kick straight but the peanuts who did the job at the GABBA were disgraceful. The 50 m penalties were laughable

Essendon's kicking was costly, but I reckon the run you got from the grey-haired ump was shocking.
He seeming to be involved in most of the dubious calls.

They're handing out 50s more readily than 15s used to be (or so it seems).
The inconsistency starts with umps who insist on being very technical (McBurney, "Razor Ray"), while others will let players contest with only more blatant frees paid.
They're never going to be perfect, but standard could be a lot better.

[Rams52]

I'm sure most would agree with me that the most frustrating thing is the inconsistency. They pay one free for "chopping the arms" or 'holding the ball" then less than a minute later, another one almost the same is not paid. If they let most of the technical free kicks go, it would be more consistent and there would be less to complain about.

[Drop Bear]

Umpires are bad, but the "rules" certainly don't help the situation.

[Adelaide Hawk]

Essendon were shafted with two terrible frees at critical times at the end of the match

Something you rarely hear in an Essendon v Hawthorn game. It's usually the other way around.

[CK]

Umpires are bad, but the "rules" certainly don't help the situation.

The changing of the fabric of some rules has really hurt the game this year, more so than nearly any year I can remember - and I usually support the umpires a fair deal.

In some cases, it has hurt the instinct of players, who now have to change their reactions to game situations that have worked fine for years. Players going in at the bottom of a pack now run the real risk of being pinged for holding the ball under the 2010-11 version of the rules. Technicalities seem to hold up games for unnecessary lengths of time. It is really, really frustrating at times now to watch a game.

[Columbo]

The changing of the fabric of some rules has really hurt the game this year, more so than nearly any year I can remember - and I usually support the umpires a fair deal.

In some cases, it has hurt the instinct of players, who now have to change their reactions to game situations that have worked fine for years. Players going in at the bottom of a pack now run the real risk of being pinged for holding the ball under the 2010-11 version of the rules. Technicalities seem to hold up games for unnecessary lengths of time. It is really, really frustrating at times now to watch a game.

Spot On

[FlyingHigh]

The changing of the fabric of some rules has really hurt the game this year, more so than nearly any year I can remember - and I usually support the umpires a fair deal.

In some cases, it has hurt the instinct of players, who now have to change their reactions to game situations that have worked fine for years. Players going in at the bottom of a pack now run the real risk of being pinged for holding the ball under the 2010-11 version of the rules. Technicalities seem to hold up games for unnecessary lengths of time. It is really, really frustrating at times now to watch a game.

Spot On

Agree.
It seems ironic that they want to keep the game moving yet hold it up for 20 seconds when paying the most trivial 50mt penalties, when a lot of the time the game has started to continue anyway.

[The Sleeping Giant]

Carlton v WCE umpiring is shocking. Ruining a good game.

[Voice]

Did anyone hear Razor Ray umpiring the game on Friday? His condescending tone and smartarse comments make it obvious that he thinks he's bigger than the game.
He said to one player who queried the length of a kick into Hawthorns forward 50 (blatantly obvious it travelled about 10m) "when you get time you step it out for me, I reckon it was about 16m". Doesn't quite have the same effect written down but if you put a patronising spin on it you'll see what I mean.
All he and any ump needs to say is "it's a mark" and get on with it, not get a hard on because they "control" the game.

[The Sleeping Giant]

Yes I heard it. Didn't sound good but you would get sick of every decision you make being questioned. I don't like hearing the umps. When they get one wrong, hearing them try and justify it makes it worse.

[hawks21]

Did anyone hear Razor Ray umpiring the game on Friday? His condescending tone and smartarse comments make it obvious that he thinks he's bigger than the game.
He said to one player who queried the length of a kick into Hawthorns forward 50 (blatantly obvious it travelled about 10m) "when you get time you step it out for me, I reckon it was about 16m". Doesn't quite have the same effect written down but if you put a patronising spin on it you'll see what I mean.
All he and any ump needs to say is "it's a mark" and get on with it, not get a hard on because they "control" the game.

Heard this also. Its absolutely disgraceful! Its not the first time ive heard Razor say smart arse comments either! Reckon i heard him a few times friday night and thought how are the players suppose to respect umpires when you act like that.

[Drop Bear]

Did anyone hear Razor Ray umpiring the game on Friday? His condescending tone and smartarse comments make it obvious that he thinks he's bigger than the game.
He said to one player who queried the length of a kick into Hawthorns forward 50 (blatantly obvious it travelled about 10m) "when you get time you step it out for me, I reckon it was about 16m". Doesn't quite have the same effect written down but if you put a patronising spin on it you'll see what I mean.
All he and any ump needs to say is "it's a mark" and get on with it, not get a hard on because they "control" the game.

Biggest toss going around. He's been bigger than the game for years now.

[Booney]

Did anyone hear Razor Ray umpiring the game on Friday? His condescending tone and smartarse comments make it obvious that he thinks he's bigger than the game.
He said to one player who queried the length of a kick into Hawthorns forward 50 (blatantly obvious it travelled about 10m) "when you get time you step it out for me, I reckon it was about 16m". Doesn't quite have the same effect written down but if you put a patronising spin on it you'll see what I mean.
All he and any ump needs to say is "it's a mark" and get on with it, not get a hard on because they "control" the game.

"You step it out Ray. 16m, should be about 35 paces for you"