consistently inconsistent!!

the 50 metre rule is still one of the most intresting in its application - you can walk over the amrk or to the side of the mark but it is not 50... you can rgab a player then let go - still not 50.. you can bury a bloke after amark - still not 50.. when a bloek takes a few steps, thens tops - this is 50.

the wrestling or one on one;s are a simple case of paper, scissors, rock... they dont know so they guess...

the umpiring was poor but it was as a simialr standard as to our foot passing and decision making in the third quarter!!

My belief on umpiring is that every decision should be made as if it is the Grand Final, the scores are level and there is 30 seconds remaining in the game.

We could only dream!

Had to be the most over officiated game i have seen. Even my essendon supporter mates were baffled and acknowledged it was ruining the game. One of those bizzare cases was against McVeigh for too high while he was getting tackled. This has to be a first.

With fairer umpiring it WOULD have been closer, but not worse.

Do Melbourne supporters ever get sick of worrying about the umpires?

Every teams supporters reckon they get a raw deal from the umps.

Friday nights game, Essendon 36 scoring to Melbournes 18, twice as many.

With the game in the balance at half time [16 points], Melbourne produce a 3rd quarter of 1.0 to 7.6.

Yet the umpires are to blame.

Ash Llyod was holding Frawley, Frawley was not holding him and McLaren said that, it should have been a free to Frawley.

And No the umpires did not cost us the game nor have they cost us a game this year, our disposal and decision making has.

The umpiring was terrible Friday night for both teams, you got the soft ones early in the first, we got them in the second.

The umpiring was terrible Friday night for both teams, you got the soft ones early in the first, we got them in the second.

That's what bugs me. I just wish they'd pay the decisions when it's warranted and the free kick IS there. I don't want to see at half time Team A has 13 free kicks to Team B's 6 Free Kicks, then them level out to 22-a-piece at the end.

It's as if one team is in front with free's, the Umpires see the stats or are told of the free-kick count at half-time, and they say, "Oh well, looks like we'll have to balance the ledger in the second half to Team B".

I don't care if it's 41 to 5 in the free kicks in a game. If the free kick is there, PAY IT. There should be no 'SOFT' free kicks as far as I'm concerned.

Also, there needs to be a clear indication of the Rushed behind rule, the players don't even know what it is, the clubs don't either. This needs to be sorted out immediately. Aaron Davey's handball that went to Lloyd, goal... he was surrounded by 3 essendon players at the POINT line. Had he backed back, it may have been deemed deliberate. Interpretation needs clarification once again. We'll get to a final, and no one will know what's going on under the current format.

I'm no McLaren fan, but if it's the incident I think you are talking about, Lloyd ask why didn't he get a free kick, and as you said, McLaren told him that he was holding him, as in 'you were holding him as well'.

Both players holding = no free kick.

It did seem like the umpires were in a time warp back to early in the season when everything was getting paid.

It was frustrating, and had the game been closer, it would have been worse.

good to see you back around ash, it has been a while since i've noticed you.

"Do Melbourne supporters ever get sick of worrying about the umpires?"

The Bomber supporters near me were whingeing about the Umps at quarter time, despite a 7:1 count in their favour.

Very few supporters have such a fair, unbiased, balanced,(?pious), attitude as you, Ash. We Demon supporters are no better or worse than other teams' fans, especially with a 27:12 free kick count against.

The argument that Ess played better , therefore got the frees doesn't hold water, since the count was very lopsided at half time when the game had been very even up to then. In fact, the count evened out slightly in the third quarter, when we hardly got a touch!

[quote name='Ash 30'

"It was frustrating, and had the game been closer, it would have been worse."

With fairer umpiring it WOULD have been closer, but not worse.

3 of our 2nd term goals were from free kicks....

[quote name='Cards13' date='Jun 24

"3 of our 2nd term goals were from free kicks...."

The Bomber supporters must have known about this when they were complaining at quarter-time!

i dont care if it was 12 goal to 0 3rd quarter that does not change the fact that they dont know how to apply the rules!

im sick of inconsistancy all we as fans ask if for the umpires to put the whistles away and be consistant from week to week

not this game to game crap! how can players learn the rules if they change the rules every game!? or have different focuses every week?

get ur [censored] right AFL!

as for the bombers 3rd goal the player had his head over the ball bate/ someone tackled him high ?

HOW MANY BLOODY TIMES DO U SEE A PLAYER HEADLOCKED BECAUSE HE HAS HIS HEAD OVER THE BALL AND ITS NOT PAYED HIGH BECAUSE ITS NOT DANGEROUS ITS NOT WRECKLESS AND THE PLAYER HAS HIS HEAD DOWN!

[quote name='Cards13' date='Jun 24

"3 of our 2nd term goals were from free kicks...."

The Bomber supporters must have known about this when they were complaining at quarter-time!

They were average for both sides. Grant Thomas is correct for once they need to ge better at there craft. They seem to be looking for free kicks instead of waiting to see what happens and allow play to roll on. Instead it has become a look at me exercise.