Kit Walker

I genuinely don't get the complaining about umpiring in this particular game. They've been okay - not brilliant but not terrible. Most of the issues have been with both teams doing stupid, undisciplined things. That Nankervis downfield for instance - what does he possibly expect for collecting a player late, unnecessarily, and two metres away from an umpire looking straight at him? Sydney have given away a four goal swing from crazy fake-tough frees.

Swans have cost themselves with goalkicking and discipline. Should be winning this game

No - only a 50 if team already has the mark/free kick. From a neutral ball it's a free kick. Commentators picked that even before it was given - just undisciplined by swans

Blind Freddy can see why the Tigers give away so many free kicks

I don't think it should even have been a free kick let alone a report. Head/spine injuries are the danger areas. Ribs, shoulder, etc. are the risks inherent in a full contact sport

Surely Essendon have the most reason to complain?! Fringe finals side gets to start the first three rounds of the season against three of the top 4 including the premiers. No wonder they're stuffed this year...

Fox Footy are a bit selective in their stats use - just giving the number is meaningless. Pressure numbers for the (atrocious) game in Cairns were probably through the roof because no-one could hold onto the footy, whereas our game against Port would have been incredibly low because we just waited for them to make mistakes chipping it around. Average is going to be skewed by that after only 7 games.

Bontempelli is either injured or being horribly misused by Beveridge. Should be a top 5 player in the comp and wouldn't be in the top 50 on performance this year

Sydney are a good side being beaten by a better one.

Buddy probably has at least another year in him....

Membership numbers are a bit false - it's not like the old days when most memberships were 11 home games. 3 & 6 game memberships, armchair(!), country/interstate, and international ones all count

Is that the first game where the inside 50 count for both teams exceeded their respective scores?!

Without Darcy and Taberner, this is very impressive

This Geelong Freo game is a shocking watch - just one continuous rolling maul...

ANB - works like a dog every week to make himself undroppable

Crows absolutely deserved that. They are a 6-8 goal better team with Walker in the side.

Pretty much all of them really: Cricket - lbw is literally predicting what's going to happen next Soccer - passive/active offside, whether a foul is careless/reckless/dangerous Union - good luck trying to work out anything to do with scrums! Getting rid of all subjectivity is impossible. Just make it clearer what the parameters are, and don't bring cards/sin bins into elite footy...

Tackling technique of cats is terrible. Just giving away high free kicks and every one has been the right call

I feel like listening to Cameron Ling is reducing my understanding of the game

I think that's always going to be hope rather than expectation, especially in the immediate Covid aftermath. In that context, matching 2019 crowds is probably a win, and exceed against teams a neutral would want to see. Games against Carlton, Sydney and St Kilda are where the crowds really count, not GWS

I've no issue with the intention of the rule. The equivalent basically works in rugby union but it's going to take time for player's responses to change. Umpires do need to get a lot better at consistency in enforcing it too - I don't know why they don't have some sort of published list saying these are examples of obvious dissent? I watch a lot of European soccer too, and that is so far the other way that it can be a disgrace.

I don't agree we are getting lower crowds. As far as I can tell, the dogs game had the highest ever H&A attendance between the two clubs, Essendon games tend to get between high-30k and low 50k so 44k is well within the range. As for GWS, 2016 and 2018 were higher but yesterday's attendance beats every other game (just) including 2019. Given it's a night game during Easter, I don't think that's a bad result.

Carlton best 6 as good as anyone in the league. The drop off to the bottom 10 in their 22 is absolutely frightening though

Brutal. Absolutely brutal.

Precision footy