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I have no wish to understand why Essendon don't defend or aren't working hard enough. My wish is that it long continues

He is practising “not raising his arms”

I want to be careful that I'm not complaining here, because I'm not. I went to every game in years gone by. The Bailey and Neeld years were the most attended for my (at the time) future wife and me. In 2018 we moved to a town 90 mins from Melbourne, 2 hours home with traffic from the G and we have 2 kids; aged 3 and 6. The fact is, we can't get to night games and consider ourselves responsible parents. All 4 of us will be at every afternoon game. I've been to Rd 1 and Rd 3. The wife's annoyed, she hasn't been able to get to a game since Carlton last year. I know people aren't speaking directly to me when they suggest supporters are doing something wrong by not attending but the fact is, some people's lives don't accommodate it. We'll keep buying our memberships and keep getting to the games we can get to. That should be good enough.

Not according to 20 year VAFA umpire Brian Clarke, who says it is making it much harder for he and his fellow umpires and leading to more crowd anger. Veteran former AFL Umpire Darren Goldspink agrees with him. If they follow the AFL on this in junior footy, more morons will attack/abuse the umpires and cause even more problems. People need to understand that everyone agrees with umpires being treated respectfully. It is the heavy handed approach of the AFL that is the issue here.

I can't believe people still think Brown and Weideman will play in the same team. The selectors have ample opportunities to try this combination if they think it will work (including when McDonald was injured in late 2021), and we've seen it a grand total of once since Brown came to the club. Even then McDonald still played and it only happened because Jackson missed. Brown and Weideman are basically the same type of player, playing a very similar role. However one is an elite, proven performer and the other is a highly inconsistent and large unproven player. McDonald is a very different player who plays a role that is highly complementary to Brown (or Weideman), and that is why he keeps getting selected even if he is not kicking a lot of goals. The Brown / McDonald combination is clearly our most effective and I expect to see them reunited as soon as Brown as seen as fit enough to play.

Putting everything else aside, this is a very important point. Attendance is well down, sure that might be partly due to Covid, but there is no doubt that a lot of people are finding themselves less and less interested in the game due to the constant changing of rules, poor umpiring and the standard of games. Without fans and members the AFL has nothing. The MRO and umpiring, as well as the rules committee, needs a serious overhaul. The lack of basic consistency, common sense and fairness is becoming a real issue for fans who are disengaging from the game. I don't think you will find a single AFL fan who thinks umpires should be verbally or physically abused. Everyone deserves respect in the workplace, and there is no room for abuse on the ground. Hell, there is no room for players to verbally abuse each other either if you ask me. But we can't expect emotions to be in check to such a level that players can't show any frustration. It is human nature when you invest your whole life in something and things don't go your way to be upset. To expect anything less from players is asking them to perfectly control their emotions on top of all the other things they need to execute perfectly on the field. The AFL is focused so heavily on TV rights and media deals, but if nobody wants to watch games, then those deals won't be worth much in the future.

57,058 Really small increase since last week....have the numbers not been tallied over Easter? Still 13K ahead of last years position.

At home games I sit behind the goals on level 2 (redlegs reserved area) and really agree with the thoughts here. Although the far end can be difficult to view, the end to end view gives a fantastic perspective of both our attacking transition, movement and overlap, as well as our defensive zone shifting. When attacking, our decision to "change lanes" with 45 degree kicks, and use of the players on the wing is something that's really emphasized from this view. And seeing our zone from this angle , you can understand how we've gone 54 games without a team scoring 100 points against us. The zone shifts so quickly sideways to defend the switch, it's unreal. I was talking today about how great it is watching us shift from man on man at a stoppage to a zone defence/net. Really satisfying. You can't see that on tv, sorry Unfortunately I don't know where to get down the ground views. I seem to recall a long time ago Foxtel playing around with multiviews (ie push a red button to choose a single camera view) but I don't know if that's still a thing, sorry.

Watch this descend into an absolute farce this weekend. The AFL will be under more pressure than a one legged prawn in a flock of hungry seagulls. Watch this space!

Yesterday I dropped my kids at holiday program - out of the 15-20 kids there were 3 wearing melbourne jumpers. And this was not a 'footy colours day' or 'dress up day', just 3 little legends wearing their jumpers with pride! 18 months ago you would not see this. Go Dees!!

No, it shouldn’t. The NFL release the ‘all 22’ footage which is the side and end cameras and allows media and I believe fans to study each plan. That then allows the media to study the game at a much higher level and create far more interesting content. Instead of this weeks ‘Essendon don’t defend’ or ‘aren’t working hard enough’ we might actually get some understanding of just where and why they are breaking down defensively.

There will always be people with legitimate reasons for being unable to attend, and as I noted in my post, I am privileged that I don't work weekends or nights or have kids to take with me to games. There is no doubt that the very large majority of Demonland posters are all crazy passionate and attend as many games as they can. But equally I think lots of people across the entire competition, not just Melbourne supporters, have gotten very comfortable watching games from their couch. The game is more accessible than ever to stream for very little money, and after 2 years of doing nothing but staying home, some people have probably come to enjoy it. Personally I hate watching footy on TV. You don't get to see nearly as much, and you miss out on the atmosphere. And I think after 2 years of playing in front of nobody, our players, who are at the peak of the competition and putting on a great show for us each week, deserve to play in front of packed stadiums. They have earnt that right and I feel sorry for them if they can't even get bums on seats when they are 5-0 and reigning premiers.

Hawkins should have been reported. Cotchin should have been reported. The umpires have been neutered to the point where they will not lay reports, and why should they when the controlling body undermines them by doublespeaking these incidents away. What a shambolic state for the game when the officials do not enforce the rules of the game. Why have these rules at all? 22.2 REPORTABLE OFFENCES 22.2.2 Specific Offences Any of the following types of conduct is a Reportable Offence: (n) attempting to kick another person; (u) engaging in an act of staging;

We're the Cheese platter to everyone elses Pie with sauce.

Unbelievable! Harry Mackay’s (deserved a fine) but was so much milder than that! Trent Cotchin has also gotten away with intentionally kicking Taylor Walker with the studs of his boots. Taylor Walker was on radio saying if he or Toby Greene did that it would be 4 weeks but for Trent ‘protected species’ Cotchin it’s only a fine. The MRP is a joke, a protectionist, uneven, totally unfair joke.

This issue of demonstrative dissent is becoming murkier and murkier. Watching Robbo last night the folllowing questions were raised: If there is no free kick awarded but a player waves his arms, what happens next? 50m can't apply if there is no free kick, can it? Do they award a free kick anyhow for dissent? If player from both teams wave their arms, who gets to decide? First come, first served? If a player at CHB waves his arms about a free kick awarded, or not awarded, at CHF, what happens next? How far away from the incident does a player have to avoid a 50m penalty? Can the other 2 umpires award a 50m penalty for arm waving when they are not at the coal face, so to speak? What about those on the interchange bench? At what point is waving arms when on the mark considered to be dissent? Who the hell will judge? At what angle away from the body will it be considered "on the marK' and not dissent? Should Brad Scott revert to being a coach of a failed football team? Would it extend his career? Does Gill really want this fiasco to be his final rules act as AFL CEO? These are far too many questions that need sensible answers for this rule to continue to be implemented in accordance with the spirit of our great game. Currently our spirit is not happy at all and at a time when the demon spirit should be at its peak, it is being deflected by this absurd rule. Get rid of it in its current form. One last point. A 50m penalty is far, far too much for such stupid reactions. I have posted before that Sheedy put a stain on our great game and it is time for his stain to be cleansed. One further last point. The rules are far, far too complicated to adjudicate and there needs to be a greater emphasis on ensuring a safe, fair contest and move away from the ridiculous rules that do not derive from an unfair contest. If two players are both jostling for position in, say, a marking contest, unless one seriously interferes with the other, it should be play on. How often has one player been penalised for what the umpire could not see on the other side? Hand in the back without a push, slight jumper pull without affecting the contest are not legitimate reasons for a free kick to be awarded. They are big boys, let them contest. This will not end pleasantly. It is sad that our greatest era in nearly 60 years is being tarnished by stupid administration at the AFL.

Latest defensive numbers update after round 5. An interesting stat mentioned by Gerard Healy is that if you redid the 2021 ladder based on expected goal kicking accuracy, Freo would have finished 5th last year. They may be looking at a top 4 spot, although their wins are all against teams sitting bottom 4 defensively, and they did struggle to score against the Saints.

The AFL has made a mess of this. According to Collins dictionary, dissent: Strong disagreement or dissatisfaction with a decision or opinion, especially one that is supported by most people or by people in authority. Oxford uses the word in a sporting context as: The offence of expressing disagreement with the referee's decision. I think the word dissent is fine (as some unacceptable behaviour - such as by someone like Greene - would fall under the dissent umbrella), but it should be construed together with timing, intensity and perhaps even context. For example: - If you are still dissenting 30 seconds after a decision = dissent. - If you get in the ump's face/scream/swear/intimidate etc. = dissent. - Is it a 50/50 call? Does the ump know that they're not sure??? I would say that many of the things pinged so far, and certainly some of the 50s paid against us on the weekend do not fall in this definition, with appropriate context. A player should be able to express a reasonable level of dissatisfaction, perhaps even with themselves, or an instinctual shock at a decision (sometimes players are right! - e.g. a ball may in fact have been touched before a mark/goal - and we get it, umpires don't change decisions - and you have to live with bad decisions in any sport) - but what is the AFL expecting, that players be mutes, even when a terrible decision has been made? Certainly, players should not be abusing umpires/getting in their face/repeatedly disagreeing - but this penalty should lie within the discretion of the umpires. If this rule must stick around (sigh), how about a warning for low level 'arms in the air' exasperation? The problem with discretion, is it requires brain activity and commonsense. Have you seen the umps going about? :-( (Also, for the record, I dissent from the AFL's position on this rule, and B Scott is, and was always, a tool).

Every club gets it. There’s very few secrets in modern footy. Allowing the fans (via the media initially) more access promotes understanding and let’s fans know what to look for. If nothing else it might stop idiots in the crowd constantly calling for players to ‘kick it’.

In my opinion tbere is zero doubt Brown will get selected. I'm also of the opinion tmac should and will will keep his spot, but harder to argue there is zero doubt he will. Apart from the fact tmac is the incumbent, plays his role and, in my opinion, is the better option the likely continued selection of Bedford as the menu sub is a factor in his favour. In the event of Toby being activated he is likely to play as a forward - meaning a forward has to be moved to another position. If we lose a defender, big or small tmac can go back as occurred when Salem was injured against the doggies. If a ruck goes out tmac can take that role. Hell, if a winger goes out tmac can even play that role. That flexibility is important and I don't think weed offers it, or at least nor to tbe same degree.

1. Melbourne Wing Duo: Ed Langdon and James Jordon It was only ever going to be one team at the top spot with Ed Langdon being the premier wingman of the competition. In previous seasons, it was Angus Brayshaw and Langdon who would dominate the wide areas and play their role to perfection, which was crucial to their drought-breaking premiership win last season. However, Brayshaw has found himself slotting into the backline at the Dees, leaving emerging gun James Jordon to take his position on the wing - and what a job he has done in 2022. After making his debut last year, Jordon is averaging 21 disposals and three marks in his second season, with his pressure and hard-running making him an important player in the Melbourne 22. The 21-year-old looks set for big midfield minutes for the reigning premiers and will take his game to a new level. Langdon has started 2022 in typical Ed Langdon fashion, averaging 24.8 disposals and 4.8 marks a game as well as spending 100% time on the ground in the opening three rounds. Langdon's endurance and ability to always be an option for transitional football is the reason he is the best in the competition. Not only individually, but Melbourne's usage of their wings sets them apart from any other team in the competition and is a big reason for their premiership success last season.

I just watched our goals again from last week on the website. Tom Sparrow comes from behind the centre square and sprints to the forward pocket to tap the ball in for a goal. Kozzie runs from well behind the centre square and kicks it to a contest where he runs into it himself and kicks a goal. The week before Jordon sprinted from our forward line all the way too their goal square just to get a touch on it. I haven't even mentioned Oliver, Petracca or Gawn We look like a team of millionaires at the moment but it is our work rate that sets us apart

Says it all...

If the plan's not bold or radical, Eddie's not interested. And this isn't even going into his mad idea to give the winner of the old pre-season cup a bye into the finals, or his bold plan for theatre marketing.

To be fair round 1 went for 25 days this year...

Or, as a friend who was on North's List under Barassi said today: People don't go to the footy to watch the umpires. He also thought for a very long time on the question of how much umpire abuse he witnessed in his playing career at North. He finally said, I recall hardly any. He also made the point that since his playing days, the rules have not changed for the better overall. He's not sorry that the Mathews/Wallis/Brereton etc He-man head hunting has been wiped out, but he doesn't understand how anyone who devised the present day Tribunal system hasn't been sent to Siberia, nor does he understand how the AFL tolerates umpires who allow players like Hawkins, Selwood, Dangerfield, and a host of other 'star' players to get away with shenanigans for which no-namers are punished. In other words, until the AFL understands that a Professional Sporting Code needs to ensures all umpires/referees are also professional, the AFL will continue to be ruled by a gang called Riff Rafferty, who plug holes in the Titanic with bubble gum, who treat cancers with band aids.

Yes Wrecker, our work rate is quite incredible It wasn't so long ago that we had a few players (in leadership roles) explaining that we needed to buy-in to the game plan!! We've come a long way from those days to a point where, as you correctly mentioned, we have not only totally bought into the game plan but we are doing the extra's These are the sorts of threads that we should see more of too. Our game plan being analysed correctly with selfless individual acts being highlighted Of the ones you mentioned the Sparrow effort was amazing. Tom is really coming on as a player. With so many top players in the team we have now got everyone getting in on the act. Pressure for spots improves a team It's out of our hands on how we keep everyone together and under the salary cap. That's for the list managers and bean-counters to figure out Big bright future It's good being a Demon supporter!

The ANZAC Eve blockbuster between Melbourne and Richmond has become something of a bellwether event for the two clubs. The winner has gone on to collect the premiership flag on four out of five occasions since the Tigers overran an injury-stricken Demons side late in their 2017 encounter. The outlier was 2018 when Richmond dominated the season but like Melbourne, it stumbled at the final hurdle and failed to make the Grand Final. The 2022 version might turn out be just another game but there’s a fair amount at stake here. The Demons came into last year’s encounter with five wins from five matches but the football experts were as yet unconvinced. It was the win and the ruthless manner in which it was achieved that gave them legitimacy in the eyes of the pundits. It also reversed the roles of the respective teams. Melbourne was not longer the hunter; it became the hunted. Richmond slowly fell away as the season wore on and eventually lost touch with the top eight. Their dynasty was over, our day had come. Twelve months down the track, it’s the Tigers who are still battling for legitimacy in the eyes of their supporters and the football public while the Demons are riding high. Not high enough to develop complacency because fortunes can change quickly and dramatically in this day and age. However, they do seem to have the wood on Richmond who would gladly welcome back superstar Dustin Martin from personal leave and co-captain Dylan Grimes from a hamstring issue. Melbourne have developed a high level of efficiency and proficiency in everything it does. Last week for instance, they broke even statistically with their opposition counterparts in the rucks. The number of hit outs was 34 each but GWS “won” the clearances by 41 to 33. But the quality of the clearances that went in favour of the Demons was by far the greater and this allowed them to break loose in that third quarter and apply maximum damage on their opponents. Once they had control of the football, they ran with vigour and I’m not just talking about the player with the football. So much of that athletic advantage can’t even be quantified in terms of statistics, other than the really important one that we see on the scoreboard. The result was a 10 goal quarter that left their prey shattered and gasping for breath. Vanquished. This is why Melbourne is traveling along so nicely at the moment. The players are fit, focused and invested in a total team effort. Of course it helps to have midfielders like Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney playing at the top of their game with the likes of Angus Brayshaw, Ed Langdon, James Jordon, James Harmes and Tom Sparrow as a sparkling support base. By way of contrast, Richmond’s very best is a fading memory of the past. Some of the characters are still there but they’re worn down and weary. A few are past their prime but there isn’t the same attacking spirit that we see from Melbourne and they can’t match the iron clad defence that has left opposition attacks frustrated and in despair. Even so, Nathan Buckley insists the Demons are still not playing the way they want to play. "They're going to ramp that up over the next couple of weeks, I think there's better to come." Heaven help the rest of the competition if he’s right and heaven help the Tigers on Blockbuster Night. Melbourne to win by 45 points. THE GAME Richmond v Melbourne on Sunday 24 April, 2022 at 7.25pm at the MCG HEAD TO HEAD Overall Richmond 107 wins Melbourne 76 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Richmond 72 wins Melbourne 64 wins Drawn 1 Past five meetings Richmond 4 wins Melbourne 1 win The Coaches Hardwick 4 wins Goodwin 1 win MEDIA TV live and on demand on Kayo and live on Foxtel. Check your local guides for free-to-air. Radio - check your local guides. THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 12.10.82 defeated Richmond 6.12.48 in Round 6, 2021 at the MCG The Tigers were out of the blocks early but when the light drizzle turned to rain, the Demons edged past them and with the Christians (Petracca and Salem) and Clayton Oliver all picking up possessions at will, it was Melbourne all the way after half time. THE TEAMS RICHMOND B: N.Broad 35 R.Tarrant 6 J.Gibcus 28 HB: J.Short 15 N.Vlastuin 1 D.Rioli 17 C: J.Ross 5 T.Cotchin 9 K.McIntosh 33 HF: J.Castagna 11 L.Baker 7 S.Edwards 10 F: T.Lynch 19 J.Riewoldt 8 N.Balta 21 Foll: T.Nankervis 25 D.Prestia 3 T.Dow 27 I/C: S.Bolton 29 R.Collier-Dawkins 26 J.Graham 34 R.Mansell 31 Sub: M.Parker 37 Emerg: S.Banks 41 M.Rioli 49 T.Sonsie 40 In: R.Collier-Dawkins J.Gibcus K.McIntosh R.Mansell Out: J.Aarts (omitted) B.Miller (omitted) M.Pickett (injured) H.Ralphsmith (ribs) MELBOURNE B: J.Hunt 29 S.May 1 H.Petty 35 HB: J.Bowey 17 J.Smith 44 T.Rivers 24 C: A.Brayshaw 10 C.Petracca 5 E.Langdon 15 HF: K.Pickett 36 S.Weideman 26 A.Neal-Bullen 30 F: B.Fritsch 31 B.Brown 50 C.Spargo 9 Foll: M.Gawn 11 C.Oliver 13 T. Sparrow 32 I/C: L.Dunstan 27 J.Harmes 4 L.Jackson 6 J.Jordon 23 Sub: T.Bedford 12 Emerg: J.Melksham 18 A.Tomlinson 20 T.McDonald 25 In: B.Brown L.Dunstan J.Smith Out: J.Lever (H & S Protocols) T.McDonald (omitted) J.Viney (H & S Protocols) Injury List: Round 6 Michael Hibberd - Calf | 1 week Daniel Turner - Foot | 3-4 weeks Christian Salem - Knee | 4-5 weeks Blake Howes - Foot | TBC

Settle down Jaded. How Cotchin didn’t get at least a week is mind boggling. He could have really done some major damage to Walker’s leg with his studs. No wonder Walker was furious with the MRO on radio yesterday. The AFL didn’t like his comments, but watch them do nothing, to make it all go away. Cotchin has repeatedly got away with incidents that others would have been penalised for.

DD double down on that! Cast an objective eye over Tom's performance last round, it will show a statistically improving trend and be more fairly adjudged as influential at the key moments. Not quantitatively hitting the scoreboard, but qualitatively embodies the selfless team ethos and always seeks to put the team first by creating opportunities for team mates.

None of the other rules in the game are 'emotional'. That is, all umpires know they need to pay free kicks for in the back, trips, incorrect disposal, head high tackles etc etc. Yes of course it can be interpreted and umpires, like all humans, will make mistakes and see it differently, but overall the rules are quite clear cut. This rule is dependant on the emotions of an umpire. What I interpret as abuse or dissent, is different to what you would, and can also vary greatly from day to day, depending on what else is happening in our lives. Sometimes we are more sensitive, sometimes we aren't. Similarly an umpire might like a player, have a good relationship with them, and will be happy to get asked a question. Sometimes the umpire would have had a crap day and is sick of everyone and will call a 50 for everything and anything. This rule is too prone to inconsistency, as seen by the 50 plus actions this week that you could interpret as 'dissent' that went unpunished, and the few that were borderline abusive and did get punished. What if I put my arms out because I am annoyed at myself or my teammate and an umpire thinks it's to do with them? As always, the AFL has good intentions, but their execution is horrendously flawed. You want to get more umpires into the fold and improve the standard of umpiring, then pay them. You say how important umpires are to our game, and they absolutely are, yet they aren't important enough to employ full time, when the AFL employs people to work on their Instagram full time for goodness sake. It is clearly not important enough for the AFL, so they try to plaster over the real issues with bandaid solutions which are making it worse. If umpires were full time professionals who got paid handsomely for playing such a big role in our game, it would significantly improve participation in lower levels, because it is a legitimate career path instead of something you do on weekends only to get a rousing round of boos from fans.

Still people here assuming disagreement/questioning is the cause of a lack of umpires when the AFL's own review found that even abuse was not the cause, let alone non-abusive arm lifting. Daisycutter is right - a line has to drawn but in a sensible and consistent place. Seems to me the AFL would prefer to meddle with the rules (in their usual incompetent way even if you supported the changes) rather than make umpiring well paid and solve the actual problems fo'und in their own review.

Add Petty also!

Love the quotes and attitude from Goodwin in last week's press conference "we're not looking for perfection, we're just looking to be a really strong footy team ...looking to dominate every week is just not a reality in modern AFL footy. There's alot of great teams out there and we'll respect every one of them". Says to me that we value winning consistently more than being show ponies and Fig Jams. It's that sort of attitude that means we're more likely to be there in September than be March premiers. Winning ugly beats loosing any day and you can see that Goodwin and the teams attitude is that if there is anything they are about perfecting it's maintaining and tuning a system and team ethos to grind out the wins on a systematic basis. How many times do you hear opposition supporters these days say that about Melbourne - "they just grind you down and pressure your team into submission" - I love it!!

I live a 5 min walk to the G, and was considering not going (I went) because the crew of 3-5 i'd normally go with, were Out with covid Away for Easter (now lives past Torque) Deceased Away for Easter (family holiday) MFC has an affluent supporter base, many people have moved permanently to coast or hills to work virtually and commute to town, many are just starting to re-establish family holidays for the first time in 2 years, some have covid, some just don't want to get it. I ended up going alone, and loving it, but having had covid (and long Covid) just after Christmas, I am not as enthusiastic about big crowds as some on here would like me to be. I try and keep space, and would find the prospect of 100k jammed into the G a little anxiety producing at this stage. I'll get over it I'm sure (fourth booster and finals will help), but we all have our reasons and they don't necessarily reflect any lack of love for our club or the fantastic team we have at the moment. Just being human stuff..

This is incorrect. All 116 AFL umpires are on one-year performance-based contract, that like players, end on October 31. The AFL Umpiring Department is currently working through a list management process to determine who will be offered a new 2020 contract and who won’t. This year there were a number of umpires “put under review” towards the end of the season. For many it was the first indication that their time on an AFL umpire list (field, boundary or goal) might be tenuous. Like AFL Clubs the AFL has an umpire’s list manager who reviews the performance of all our umpires and looks to the state league competitions to see who is coming through the ranks. The list manager is then responsible for the transition process of the list ready for the October 31 deadline when the lists need to be lodged and those who will not be offered a contract need to review their circumstances. Some will retire, some will go back to state leagues to mentor young umpires through the system whilst a few will join the coaching ranks and use their skills and expertise that way. https://aflua.com.au/umpires-and-players-tread-the-same-path/ AFL umpires’ coach Hayden Kennedy runs the meeting, with input from assistants Michael Vozzo, Bryan Sheehan and Michael Jennings, who have graded each game and will meet individually over the first part of the week with every umpire. Analyst Briana Harvey and AFL national umpiring director Wayne Campbell also sit in. Using software from Champion Data, every on-field decision for each umpire is charted by time, zone, the players involved, whether it was correct, missed or unwarranted, what sort of contest it was, the reason for the decision (or non-decision) and with a comment from the coach. Each centre bounce is also graded as follows: straight, offline, badly offline, recalled. It is a painstaking but necessary process, with every umpire assessed for about three minutes each. Everything gets noticed – even the fact one umpire went an entire match without taking a bounce. https://www.afl.com.au/news/444965/umpire-insider-reviewing-the-reviewers

That’s only because the AFL will end up silencing the supporters as well. Heil Gil.

I think what would be a much better system is that outright abuse (mouthing off directly at the umpire) get paid on the field preferably with a 25-30m penalty, and dissent (arms up etc) be a fine directly to the player, and make the fine a % of the players match fee rather than a set price. The thing that bothers me the most is that the 50m penalty is the HIGHEST penalty on the field. Late hits, thuggish behaviour, and violent acts are on the same level as a player putting their arms up in frustration. That doesn’t make sense to me.

You are getting a bit rude with people who disagree with you about the issue of this thread. And you are increasingly misinterpreting what people say or attributing to them views they don't have. How do you know that I am "certainly not one of those people"? You don't sit next to me when watching a match. I don't even read the match day thread once a match starts as a firm matter of policy, let alone post there, so you won't be able to find any such posts by me. I doubt you post there every time we get away with something, nor that I will get an apology from you.

You make it look like I'm the only one who has taken up a stance in favour of umpire respect And the article doesn't really support your view ... did you even read it? The article actually highlighted how things have got out of hand at suburban & junior level (which most should know about already if we're being honest) There's been an overreaction which has quickly turned into outrage ... take a chill pill Your thinking is antiquated. Get with the program, dc. We live in a different world where workplace bullying and respect all round is now recognised. Finally And to further emphasise that point, we've now got an Australia-wide womens league and that league might be able to lead the way with regards to umpire respect. I hope so, anyway These people (the umpires) are just trying to do their best in a sport which is impossible to adjudicate correctly. Why punish them the way we do? It's so unfair The answer is don't back-chat, don't remonstrate, get on with it and play your best And I agree with others that frivolous reactions shouldn't be penalised. But as previously stated, there will be teething problems. There always is with new rulings

Brad Scott fined $30,000 by AFL for accusing umpires of bias, North Melbourne cops $50,000 punishment Posted Tue 21 Jun 2016 at 4:22pmTuesday 21 Jun 2016 at 4:22pm, updated Tue 21 Jun 2016 at 4:32pm The AFL has fined North Melbourne coach Brad Scott $30,000 for accusing umpires of bias. In the immediate aftermath of North Melbourne's nine-point loss to Hawthorn, Scott claimed he had been told an on-field umpire made the remark after a crucial non-decision went against the Kangaroos, but an investigation on Saturday morning proved the claims to be false. The Kangaroos have also been fined $50,000 as a result of the incident. "The comments by Brad Scott, on behalf of the club in his position as senior coach, were extremely serious in regard to the conduct and professionalism of the umpires and how they officiate all players equally across the competition," AFL general manager of football operations Mark Evans said in a statement. "It was totally inappropriate for any doubt to be cast over their professionalism in a public environment without having detailed the facts of what had occurred in any player-umpire conversations through the course of the match.

oh just go away, nev and learn to read peoples posts properly, you are a real pest at times i have NEVER said abuse shouldn't be cracked down on.......just where the line drawn is reasonable

behind the goals footage is afl exclusive and clubs pay a pretty penny to access it. and the likes of fox footy license it in order to use it in their mag shows (e.g. afl 360, couch) like a lot of things, it's something that the hoi polloi aren't allowed to see for whatever reason

You'd think with streaming services we'd get more options to do this, would be good to see. (Also an option with no commentary aha)

seems like local football and umps don't agree with you, macca Umpires say the AFL’s abuse crackdown is doing more bad than good There are fears the controversial crackdown on dissent in the AFL’s top flight is opening up community umpires to more abuse. Brayden May, Daniel Cencic and Chris Cavanagh (Herald Sun) The AFL’s crackdown on abuse towards umpires is having the opposite effect of its intention according to match officials. VAFA umpire Brian Clarke, who has over 20 years’ experience, said it’s becoming even harder for umpires to remain as “invisible as possible” in their roles, with the new dissent rules making them a target for crowd abuse. The crackdown reached boiling point at the top on the weekend when 50m penalties were handed out for players having their “arms out” in response to umpiring decisions. Clarke said he understood the push to reduce abuse but said the AFL have “yet again, gone too far.” He said local footballers would soon be calling for 50s when an opposition players “waves their arms around”. “At a community level, if I umpired the way they do in the AFL, I would be shot so I don’t officiate that way,” he said. “Our role is to be as invisible as possible and the AFL have not helped us at all with the constant changing of rules. “Many people work hard during the week – they come down to the footy to not only barrack for their team but also let off a bit of steam. “In this role I believe we play an important community function. “It’s great for individual and community mental health to not keep life’s pressures bottled up inside you. “So if a supporter or player is giving me some feedback during the games, and offering some unsolicited advice, then fair enough. “None of us – the players, supporters or umpires – are robots. “We all love footy because of the passion and emotion involved, and long may this continue. “Where would our game be without it?” AFL field umpire Darren Goldspink spoke on radio SEN station on Tuesday morning saying there was now “more pressure on umpires”. In February, the AFL had written to clubs about the need for more respect towards officials. “In isolation what the AFL has tried to do is fair enough and we all know the reasons why they do that,” Goldspink said. “To me it seems like it’s had the opposite effect at the moment.” The veteran of six AFL grand finals said officiating was “bleeding” at community level where some umpires are watching over up to five games a weekend. “How is that any good for anybody? The guys who are doing five games are old guys like me who aren’t in any physical condition to do five games,” he said. “What’ll happen, and this might be over the top, but one of them is going to have some sort of serious medical episode on the ground and then we’ll all stand up and say, ‘Oh sh*t that shouldn’t have happened’. “It just riles me.” Former AFL umpire Michael Vozzo said the crackdown on abuse at AFL level served to create a safe environment for those at local level. Vozzo, who umpired 281 AFL matches between 1999-2011, previously held the head of umpiring post at the Eastern league. “To be honest, I used to laugh a little bit … we were sort of the first crop of umpires that started clamping down on it (abuse) and I remember commentators were saying ‘The umpires need to be a bit bigger than that’ because they (thought) we should accept it and put up with it,” he said. “They’re doing it to create an environment at local level for umpires to go out and do their job without the threat of abuse. I’ve coached umpires and I’ve seen the abuse where it’s easy for someone to get at an umpire in local football, whereas in the AFL, they’re protected. It’s quite rare at AFL that it hurts an umpire, but we do it to ensure that local level umpires aren’t subjected to it. “I’ve seen a grown man threaten a 15-year-old umpire … and his mum sitting up in the grandstands crying. If people are going to get all huffy and puffy over umpires trying to clamp down on player abuse, they’ve got to think about that mum that’s put themselves in that position where if it was their child out in the middle of the ground, what would they think when a player’s going up to them, pointing in their face and threatening to bash them after the game? “I think people would have a bit better understanding if it was their kid.”

So the message has gone out. Staging is worth trying -- you might get away with it. Kicking is okay. One week suspension for these characters nips the problem in the bud. Now there will be more incidents of staging and kicking and the AFL will tie themselves in knots without fixing the problem.

Spreading ones arms and shaking a head is a very normal human reaction and may well be in many cases actually berating oneself. Ever see a golfer who hits a shank or a duck hook and shakes his head or spreads his arms? Now, thanks to the infinite wisdom of AFL HQ that sort of reaction is automatically deemed to be abuse, or disrespectful. Like the mindreaders in yellow, who call "insufficient intent", they now apparently KNOW what the player is thinking.

Very disappointing news about Blake Howes' injury. He is only in his first year though. So luckily he has time on his side. Hopefully, he can still bulk up muscle in his arms and upper body while allowing his stress fracture in his foot to heal? However, I am sure Selwyn Griffith will sort out a plan for Blake Howes. I wish the young fella all the best and a speedy recovery.

Would be a tough ask for a 9yr old. (Sorry I couldn't resist)