Umpires officially have no value or worth and contact with them is inconsequential and unimportant. The umpires will say nothing, though they now accept that they are fair game and " Don't touch an umpire, EVER" in simply a meaningless slogan. 

How naive got them to think they will be protected. .......ever. 

Hopefully they stop doing this silly waving behind them before a bounce. I've always hated that stuff.

6 minutes ago, Gorgoroth said:

Ha ha AFL lotto at its finest.

Carlton must have r3verted back to the good ol brown paper bag under the table.

There is no reversion - it obviously still occurs through the brown paper bag.

2 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

My frustration has nothing to do with us playing Carlton this week. In fact, I’d prefer we get a full strength opposition to ensure we approach the game seriously.

My frustration is that the MRO/Tribunal system is dishing up inexplicable and inconsistent decisions on a far too regular basis.

Yeah I agree.. 

Feel very sorry for Hawkins. 

The AFL are corrupt bastards. They play favourites 

It was pedantry of the highest order that Hawkins got done, this is just a return to sanity...

bring them on!!!

Edited May 15, 20187 yr by PaulRB

Both Curnows playing with Murphy, Weitering and Marchbank returning.

A lot of demonlanders wish to play a full Carlton side is pretty much granted.

2 minutes ago, chook fowler said:

The AFL are corrupt bastards. They play favourites 

That is not a news item, chook 

3 minutes ago, deebug said:

This could also work in our favour as well, you would think the umps would not be a very happy bunch right about now, so maybe they will be on our side for once?

That fits with the AFL's flavour of the month syndrome. I think we need to revolt against the AFL for their bias.

Well, the precedent has been set. Good luck to them.

20 hours ago, Moonshadow said:

Regardless of what they should get, Gill wets his pants watching the Curnows light up the G. He'll want them to play: "To hell with the tribunal"

Maybe I saw it in a dream...

Hawkins was also threatened with two weeks before accepting the one. 

Just for a fleeting moment you think, deep down, that surely the AFL can't stuff this one up.  It's too obvious, too clear, makes too much sense.  They laid their hands on an umpire.  We know the message we want them to send to anyone playing AFL footy - you don't lay a hand on an umpire, regardless of your intentions.

And then the tribunal makes the unfathomable decisions to just fine them, which in turn sends a different message instead - if you can argue you didn't notice the umpire, then it's okay to lay a hand on them.

What a horrible precedent the tribunal sent tonight.  Neither were any different to Hawkins, yet he gets a week while the Curnow brothers get a small fine.  It's outrageous.

4 minutes ago, Return to Glory said:

Well, the precedent has been set. Good luck to them.

The precedent has been set with both the Hawkins and the Curnow cases.  They can now legitimately argue that the precedent has been set.

I was going to say that you couldn't make this shite up. But they actually are.

Bugger. Was hoping they would miss or one of them would.  I guess because they went down the may path pleading guilty to carelessness not intentional.

Also didn't Hawkins have a record as well which added on.

26 minutes ago, Deeoldfart said:

Just unbelievable .... that's all!

This is the AFL we're talking about. What would have been unbelievable is if they DIDN'T pull out a chooklotto decision.

 

Next week some poor bugger will be shoved into an umpire by an oppo player and cop 2 weeks.

It is telling that the AFL used a different legal Counsel. 

Jeff Gleeson QC vs Hawkings. 

Andrew Wood vs Curnows.  From my google search he seems junior.

Add that the three Tribunal Members selected for tonight were different to those last week.

And, it all sets the stage for a perfect whitewash by the AFL.

1 minute ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

It is telling that the AFL used a different legal Counsel. 

Jeff Gleeson QC vs Hawkings. 

Andrew Wood vs Curnows.  From my google search he seems junior.

Add that the three Tribunal Members selected for tonight were different to those last week.

And, it all sets the stage for a perfect whitewash by the AFL.

You have to wonder, don't you. It's got a touch of 'you haven't heard it from me but tell your lawyer to go down the careless route'.

Every few years the AFL reforms the disfunctional discipline and tribunal system. Only takes a few rounds into a new season to see nothing changes. 

Edited May 15, 20187 yr by america de cali

Ahh what happened to the good old days.

Alah Phil Carmen. Now that was crowd entertainment Gill.

18 minutes ago, Return to Glory said:

Well, the precedent has been set. Good luck to them.

We thought the precedent was set last week. Turns out we were wrong.

19 minutes ago, pineapple dee said:

Hopefully they stop doing this silly waving behind them before a bounce. I've always hated that stuff.

The umps should not go near players, should not talk to players at breaks, or let players talk to them. Should not touch players or let themselves be touched. Instant report, don't wait for big Chrissie to hunch over in front of his video player.

They should not call players by name, should tell them ONE TIME where to stand on the mark, should not wait for ruckmen to show up at ball-ups or boundary throw ins. Should not give speeches explaining their decisions. (Maybe to captains at breaks, but preferably not at all.)

The mollycoddling and babying is unbelievable. These professional athletes need constant coaching by the umps on facets of how to play the game? Get real AFL.

There should be standard calls that the umps use and nothing else. Like in sports with actual proper rules (not "interpretations"), like tennis, cricket, etc. As it is, there are some standard calls, eg "play on", etc. But a lot of ad libbing too ("hold .... hold! back one. back one.") which is bullsh**.

An ump who does not speak English but knows the rules should be able to run a game just by knowing the standard calls. But at AFL level football, the players are used to a running commentary and constant direction from the umps. It's bullsh**.

3 minutes ago, Chook said:

We thought the precedent was set last week. Turns out we were wrong.

"Precedent"? To the AFL, that sounds like a challenge.

Gil: "Precedent, eh? How about this for precedent? I'll precedent you, you #$%#$ %! %$#% %$~s!!!!"

22 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

Just for a fleeting moment you think, deep down, that surely the AFL can't stuff this one up.  It's too obvious, too clear, makes too much sense.  They laid their hands on an umpire.  We know the message we want them to send to anyone playing AFL footy - you don't lay a hand on an umpire, regardless of your intentions.

And then the tribunal makes the unfathomable decisions to just fine them, which in turn sends a different message instead - if you can argue you didn't notice the umpire, then it's okay to lay a hand on them.

What a horrible precedent the tribunal sent tonight.  Neither were any different to Hawkins, yet he gets a week while the Curnow brothers get a small fine.  It's outrageous.

It's already well established that the AFL run a corrupt competition.

Not in the sense of brown paper bags (although we know that has happened at clubs). Not in the sense of Gil calling in Mick Gatto to make sure Ablett gets to Geelong.

More in the sense of damaged, tarnished, warped. Corroded. And that doesn't bother the AFL one little bit.

The AFL runs a damaged and warped competition.