Forget Melbourne for a second, even though that was a pathetic umpiring display, especially the first half.

The Carlton vs GWS match was the worst umpired match i have ever seen. 22-8 free kicks, yet some were absolute [censored] rubbish. The Carlton supporters continue to complain about the umpiring.

I have had enough of the umpires umpiring games with lob-sided and rubbish decisions. Yes, i understand that they have a tough job, but get real, it has been pathetic this year.

The holding the ball rule changes from minute-minute. The holding the man rule is god damn pathetic.

AFL, please establish some consistency, i have had enough.

AFL, please establish some consistency, i have had enough.

#Note to the AFL I'm finding the World Cup strangely addictive.

I agree the decision making by the umpires this year has been far worse than it has been and thats saying something. Bring back the Giesch! Haha

But seriously that free tha North player got when he ducked his head and led it into his opponent - they specifically said at the start of the year that would be one they would be conscious of not paying as too high. There was an identical one yeaterday as well in the Hawks/Pies game.

The worst one tonight though had to have been the free kick paid against us in the middle for shepherding when it should have gone our way, the umpire pointing inthe wrong direction and then paying advantage afterthe players had stopped and the North guy was 20m clear running forward.

I agree with Finey from SEN. For me he nailed the problem in one. The umpires are being asked to change the way the game is played through their decisions rather than simply applying the rules as they stand. As a consequence, the holding the ball rule has become an absolute lottery as has the deliberate our of bounds and high contact. It's admin not the umps in my opinion. Having said that, Razor Ray can give it away based on what I saw from him this weekend..

The first four weeks of the season were great where the umpires were only paying the obvious free kicks and they were quick to throw the ball up and keep play moving.

Nothing to do with the umpires today. We were just plain lame again. Gotta stop our players from accepting another team dominating them. Backward step today.

But seriously that free tha North player got when he ducked his head and led it into his opponent - they specifically said at the start of the year that would be one they would be conscious of not paying as too high. There was an identical one yeaterday as well in the Hawks/Pies game.

There was another with the hawks, last week i think. Hale grabbed the ball, saw the player to his right coming, turned and lowered his head and got the free. Pisses me off so much when players get a free for rubbish like that.

The HTB in front of the Norf goal (that Nyahs stuffed up) was a disgrace - no prior at all.

So many in the backs ignored, on both sides.

When will they make a correct tackle mandatory before HTB is paid - poor buggers go in to pick up or even knock on the ball, get ridden into the ground with no chance of disposing - HTB!!!

Friday night some Richmond guy went to grab the ball - a Swan wrapped him up, held to ball to the hapless Tiger who clearly didn't have the ball at all, at any time - HTB!! Disgraceful grandstanding.

And I agree with Dr Gonzo - that head butting charge called high tackle was a bloody disgrace. Will they ever get any consistency?

If they want the head protected they must clamp down hard on those who recklessly put themselves at risk by charging headlong into an opponent..

Edited June 22, 201411 yr by monoccular

Chris Dawes' first free of the season, and it wasn't even warranted.

Putrid infuriating garbage week in, week out.

I'll say it again......the VFL umpires are far, far superior to the clowns we have at AFL level. They call the infringements against the rules, like incorrect disposal.

And they throw the ball up straight away instead of indicating that they are going to exit the area backwards like the AFL have started doing again this season. I have yet to see any umpire NOT go backwards. The AFL stopped bounces around the ground to get the game going and it has reverted to this elaborate ballet now which takes longer.

Eddie was right this week when he said the reason for the rolling mauls we see is the umpires.....use the whistle and break it up and don't let it go on.

We are all confused, imagine being a player, where frees are paid one week then let go the next, no wonder the poor buggers run around confused all day.

And I counted three throws out of packs to Norfs advantage, two resulted in goals. I must watch the replay to confirm I suppose but really at the time your first impression was the player could not have had two hands free to get such a crisp ball out to a receiver on the run.

I think it's clear now there is a significant problem with umpiring AFL-wide.

Wayne Campbell has admitted there's an issue with holding the ball. It's inconsistently applied, both within matches and across matches in the same round. Too many mistakes are being made, both free kicks paid when there should be nothing done (e.g. the appalling high-tackle where the North player ducked his head and ran into the Melbourne player) and free kicks not being paid when they should (e.g. the goal where Ziebell kicked it off the ground whilst Dunn was trying to pick it up, clearly kicking in danger IMO).

Major changes need to be made. The AFL needs to stop using rules and umpiring to try to dictate how the game evolves. Umpires need to focus on the obvious frees and let the 50-50 ones go. Holding the ball needs to be clarified, publicly, and a huge effort needs to be put into training umpires to see situations the same. Ruck free kicks should be virtually abandoned save for the bleedingly obvious, where KPFs and KPDs are tousling, just call play on (they're usually holding each other). And so on.

Rules are constantly changing and this causes confusion,

They need to leave the bloody game alone and [censored] off that stupid sliding rule that costs ya a free for attacking the ball

The other interpretation I just don't understand any more is the chopping of the arms. If a player has two hands on the ball in an overhead mark and somebody punches/hacks/grabs their arm and the ball spills free, is that within the rules now? I understand that you have to be strong in the contest but some of these 'spoils' when the guy can barely reach up to the guys elbow is flat out ridiculous.

I hate rule changes, however here are a few which may (but probably won't) help reduce congestion:

• Free kick against the third player into a tackle.
• Automatic push in the back for any player on the ground with a player laying on his back (irrespective of any holding the ball).
• You can't take possession of the ball unless you are on your feet.

I hate rule changes, however here are a few which may (but probably won't) help reduce congestion:

• Free kick against the third player into a tackle.
• Automatic push in the back for any player on the ground with a player laying on his back (irrespective of any holding the ball).
• You can't take possession of the ball unless you are on your feet.

Don't mind them but I think you're getting into dangerous territory telling players they can't assist in a tackle, or play the ball under circumstances. Can I offer some tweaks?

• Free kick against the 3rd player into a tackle where the ball cariier is on the ground.
• Automatic push in the back for any player on the ground with a player laying on his back, providing the ball acriier has not rolled over.
• No 'in the back' decisions apply where the ball carrier has taken possession of the ball whilst on the ground. (Tempted with this one to saying no head highs either but the whole sacrosanct thing....)

That last one could potentially swap in for the stupis sliding rule as well, as a player would be far less likey to do it knowing he wasn't aligible for a free and quite likely going to cop a belting.

Don't know, thoughts? Agreed, hate rule changes.

Nothing unusual or unexpected. The umpires were just their usual deplorable selves.

I used to be a Juventus fan. The officiating in Serie A during that terrible, league-wrecking drama (match fixing) a few years ago was immesurably superior to what we get in the AFL.

The AFLs standard of umpiring cannot reasonably be put down to incompetence because it is always biased, and incompetence is blind.

They are cheating.

Edited June 22, 201411 yr by wretched.sylph

What I didn't understand was when Jamar gave away that free in the ruck, everyone basically stopped because no-one knew which way to run. North happened to have the ball and the umpire called play on.

I'm not intimately familiar with the rules but surely in the case of a ruck free, you can't call play on because neither team knows which way the ball is going to go.

I just wonder how many bloody weeks our forwards can get held onto until the umps crack down on it, Collingwood maggots were holding onto us all day, same with Bombers, and North, absolute disgrace. So many missed free's too with in the back. The umps must hate us or something.

What I didn't understand was when Jamar gave away that free in the ruck, everyone basically stopped because no-one knew which way to run. North happened to have the ball and the umpire called play on.

I'm not intimately familiar with the rules but surely in the case of a ruck free, you can't call play on because neither team knows which way the ball is going to go.

The umpire pointed the wrong way.

This as far as I'm concerned is completetly unacceptable from an umpire and to then call advantage once everyone had stopped (becuase they thought it was a Melbourne free kick) should be a punishable offence.

The umpire pointed the wrong way.

This as far as I'm concerned is completetly unacceptable from an umpire and to then call advantage once everyone had stopped (becuase they thought it was a Melbourne free kick) should be a punishable offence.

Ah, thanks for clarifying.

Calls like this kill the game.

When will they be accountable for their poor decisions?

They need to umpire to the rules, simple really. The current umpire bosses, Evans, Campbell and Kennedy under the direction of the AFL are so obsessed with continuos movement that they have screwed the game.