... was absolutely woeful, and shouldn't pass without comment.

Yes, the Demons got the best of it. Yes, according to the interpretation we've been going with this year, I reckon most of those fifties were there. But here's the thing:

THE INTERPRETATION IS STUPID!!!

Football's a tough game. Football players are some of the toughest athletes going around. I've lived my whole life watching a sport where the price you pay for taking a mark is that you have to eat dirt (provided the guy behind you isn't too far away), and I've loved it.

The last, the absolute bloody last thing anyone wants is for our game to go the way of soccer. Where it's smarter play to act more hurt than you are, not the other way around. Where it's smarter play to go to ground more easily, not the other way around.

And Vlad, Giesch, that's where you're taking it.

End rant.

Knights has already booked a visit to Geishen,s door

IMO The Bombers got the raw end today

Knights has already booked a visit to Geishen,s door

IMO The Bombers got the raw end today

Agree- however we have had poor returns from umpires many times before..however at least one umpire can pack his bags now for a berth in the country.

Yep, we got lucky today with the umps. First time in a long time, so I`ll take it!

What they need to do is on Monday get all the umpires together and play the Cats hawks game and then say "That's how you umpire AFL"

Don't care.

It was all against the Bombers and, I gotta say, it ROCKED!! :D

KOTD...LOL

Yeah stuff em. We have copped our fair share. And the Bombers players should have been a wake up to it after the first 3, 4, 5, 6!!!!!

KOTD...LOL

Absolutely, those were some of the most soft, and idiotic 50m penalties I've ever seen. The Jack Watts free was definitely the worst one though. Hilarity.

Mind you, nobody forced the Essendon players to run through the mark about 4 times. Or for their ruckmen to throw Jamar down in the ruck contest, with no eyes for the ball. I loved Winderlich's bemused look on his face when the free was paid after he proceeded to block Jamar's run at the contest, no eyes for the ball, bringing Jamar to ground. Yeah genius, that's a totally legitimate attempt at rucking. Idiot.

agree with grandson of a gun, we definately are due for our good run, makes up for one of the poorer weeks we have been on the end of.

What they need to do is on Monday get all the umpires together and play the Cats hawks game and then say "That's how you umpire AFL"

I was just about to write the same thing. It was so good to see a game that was allowed to flow and not be held up by marginal free kicks. No one likes to see the umpires imposing themselves on the game.

Umpiring was terrible but in terms of the 50's only the first was genuinely stiff. The holding the ball against Lonergan and the push in the back to Watts would result in an U14 umpire being demoted to the U10's.

my old man has a theory about umpiring, that if the teams are not one of the "good" teams, then umpires assume they will be making mistakes, hence more free kicks, would explain our dud run, and then such good umpiring for geelong hawks?

thoughts?

Payback for '08

Anyone think a couple of those 50's were 40's??

Seemed very short to me haha

Here's a good poll topic over the next couple of days...

Which game had worse umpiring? The last one or the Pies one from round 2? I can't split them.

The thing with Knights glaring at the Umpires at 3/4 time was that right before the siren they got three or four really dodgy calls in their favour. Surely he should have been thrilled with them at that point?

Payback for '08

Last year... 48-21 in favour of Essendon. I was there... ugh!

27-12

27-12 last year... 30-18 i '08.. so 57-30 over the previous 2 games.. to think they are whingeing about 1 bad game

what goes around comes around!

source: footywire (that site has everything!)

edit: 18-16 in their favour today as well

We beat them, we also got a good deal from the umpires.

However, Essendon were a joke. Completely undisciplined all day...you simply have to adjust. I've seen worse umpiring performances in truth. This was a case of an immature club with no obvious leaders self-destructing. They deserved what they got if just for the disgraceful display of their two ruckmen on Jamar...how about the Paddy Ryder free kick, one of the worst decisions ever?

my old man has a theory about umpiring, that if the teams are not one of the "good" teams, then umpires assume they will be making mistakes, hence more free kicks, would explain our dud run, and then such good umpiring for geelong hawks?

thoughts?

He should take up bunyip sighting.

Umpiring was terrible but in terms of the 50's only the first was genuinely stiff. The holding the ball against Lonergan and the push in the back to Watts would result in an U14 umpire being demoted to the U10's.

Agree

27-12 last year... 30-18 i '08.. so 57-30 over the previous 2 games.. to think they are whingeing about 1 bad game

what goes around comes around!

Lets think....which teams in those years were playing careless undisciplined football.... MFC in 2008 and 2009. Essendon yesterday.

The only thing Essendon didn't get pinged for was breaching the interchange.

No sympathy for the bombers at all... we have had to deal with that kind of treatment from the umpires for years. Their supporters still think its the good old days with the untouchables Hird and Lloyd running around.

It was great sitting with a couple of bomber mates listening to them squeal about every decision that went against them while I had a massive grin on my face. The entire 2nd half all I could hear from every bomber supporter around me was the cry of "fifty" and bitching like little kids. That was before they started leaving 5 mins into the last quarter.

Great day.

Taking the hysteria out of this discussion thee are always a fwew dodgy decisions in games whereby umps are sucked in or blind sided. There is also without doubt inconsistencies with interpretations. Much about yesterday was about the 50's...and quite simply most of those were silly mistakes by the essendon players....amatuer hour all but !!

Watts decision was a shocker. Besides that the 50's were there.

Surely as Melbourne supporters we know what running over marks can do.

Who cares anyway...the wins in the record books and we've suffered enough to Essendon over the years regardless of who was playing careless or undisciplined football.

That double free kick to Lloyd!?