Webber

A couple of decades having witnessed many premierships, perhaps 4 to 6.

The Demonland schizo-pathology in a nutshell.

Same, dworship. Been banging on about this for years. I agree with you about umps going through a ‘thought process’ to make a decision, as they should (albeit they would be more instinctive if they were full time immersed), but the issue remains that it’s literally anyone’s guess what the ultimate decision will be. When I watch AFL games on TV, 80% of the time, the commentary is off (because it’s rubbish!) Live of course there is only crowd commentary. Thus, media ‘experts’ aren’t guiding my interpretations. The rules, some of which have been commented on in this thread, are my reference point. How they are arbitrated is, in my opinion, game to game and within games, simply a raffle, and it’s never been worse. The head high-ducking shambles you outline above is another perfect case in point.

The problem with the rules around ‘holding the ball’, ‘incorrect disposal’, ‘prior opportunity’, ‘dislodged from the player’s possession’ and so on, is the utter inconsistency around their interpretation. The shambles that is AFL umpiring make it impossible to predict or trust any decision. It’s by far the biggest blight and embarrassment in our game, and sadly makes many games almost unwatchable. For which there is no accountability or even discussion. How the coaches and players cope with it, I don’t know, but presumably it’s just what they’re taught to expect.

And dare we say James Hird? Hopefully he remains less prone to d-head behaviour than them.

Read my mind. Thought Joel played a good role last night, echoed i reckon by Goody’s comments. He might be just the man to make the best defender in the game accountable. If not him, then who do you podcasters reckon might get the gig, and how?

Great pod again boys, and needless to say, my ears were burning. Thanks binman and George for re-iterating the strain-tear semantics silliness, and reinforcing the 3 weeks for ANY hamstring rule. I don’t doubt the rehab staff will be aiming to get Clarry up for King’s Birthday.

Draft camp he was top 5 speed over 20 metres, IIRC. I also remember that surprising the draft watchers. A bit like Tom Sparrow. Most assume he isn’t quick by the ‘look’ of his running. He’s top 5 at the club.

Do you mean the AFL? You’re not allowed to criticise or question anything, and if you do, they’ll go on the ‘please explain’ then fine dance. And as you wrote earlier, the journos, who should be able to question and criticise with impunity, are under their control. If the AFL were a national or state ‘government’ (and of course they are in microcosm), that’s plainly a dictatorship. What I don’t get is why there isn’t more noise about it.

Great post @Kieren from Canberra. The club and team intent are indeed trustworthy. The application of that intent on game day this season is however a bit more fickle. But that’s just footy, which we should all (myself) understand, despite struggling with the very concept. What I have lost complete trust in is both the intent and application of the AFL, reflected most egregiously through the complete shambles that is umpiring, and obviously the current actions of the MRO, a predictable extension of that shambles. And we should all be deeply concerned about this. Predictable, consistent, TRUSTWORTHY adjudication of the ‘rules and laws of the game’ is central to its survival. Watch any AFL game you like, and the standard of adjudication is simply appalling. Many invoke the idea that predicting umpiring decisions is akin to a raffle. This is no longer hyperbole. Even as an impartial observer of non-Dees games, it’s wholly depressing (laughably even, because it isn’t the MFC) how utterly spectral are its umpiring decisions. As many have suggested, it’s making the game close to unwatchable, and for this central reason. Yet nothing happens. There is no accountability, because the AFL dictate total silence from everyone in its employ, at risk of punishment and censure. Even questioning the quality of umpiring is ‘outlawed’. There’s a word for this type of authority. And we should all want to know how this has come to pass? It’s killing the game. rant over.

It’s a spectrum of severity obviously layzie, but a tear is a tear. Assuming understanding and compliance from the injured person, any activity that’s pain free, and erring on the side of less stress to the hammy is ok. Regardless of severity however, the healing time, hence time-frame of diminishing risk, remains. None of this is to say that some don’t take the risk, and get through. It’s really about risk management. The Steven May 2021 GF is a great example. They knew that he might make the existing tear worse (whence he’d have 3 months to rehab). He didn’t, as we know, AND played out the game. Was a win, but could’ve been different

Was waiting til the official word from the club @rjay. A ‘strain’ is a tear. Not sure why they insist on using ‘strain’, when they could just use the tear grading (1-3). Nobody’s fooled I suspect. Anyway, all hamstring tears begin at 3 weeks. Straight clinical epidemiology tells us that if you bring even a minor tear (grade 1) back inside 3 weeks, the risk of re-tear is markedly greater. Needless to say, the longer the rehab, the lower the risk. I’ll assume Clarrie’s is grade 1, in which case he ‘should’ miss the next 3 games, to avoid such risk. Desperation does strange things though.

Read the question Jaded. They’re not to blame for any of that. They are to blame, under the auspices of the AFL, for making our great game growingly unwatchable. Umpiring of AFL football in its present state is an outright shambles.

Me too. It’s a horrendous blight on the game, and frankly kills my enjoyment dead too often. And what does the AFL do about it?…………………….

For anyone suggesting we can’t blame the umpires for appalling umpiring, and tonight it was truly atrocious, who then should we blame for it?

Currently we don’t have that ability. At this stage we’re simply not going to challenge.

Another game ruined by umpiring. How many will it take, and affecting which clubs, will it take to force an improvement? Because that was truly disgraceful. On another matter, having let Noah Anderson and now Zak Butters make us look ridiculous, can only imagine what Nick Daicos is gonna do.

And once again, umpiring ruins a game of football. Absolutely disgusting.

Top 5 most disgraceful umpiring exhibitions in my memory.

This is just cheating now

Thinking they might want to make him a bit more accountable, otherwise just give him the Brownlow for this game alone.

Getting embarrassing now

Every weakness we have (and they are significant) is being exposed. 1. Our inability to hold the ball in attack…..Port are simply easing themselves out of our attacking 50. 2. Our inability to prevent fast ball movement through the middle and across angles. 3. Our own inability to move the ball with any degree of innovation out of defence = they’re just waiting create a ground ball and pushing easily back inside 50. 4. And this might be the worst, an inability to match the best sides for pressure and contested ball when they bring that game to us. We’re being out-worked, out-run, out-contested, out-tackled, basically out-played by every measure that counts. At the risk of going early, cos somehow we’re still in this game, we’re not legitimate flag contenders.

Looking forward to this pod, boys. A cheeky question for binman. Given Harry Petty’s excellent showing before being subbed on Saturday, his continuing presence in the forward line, and Goody’s clear intentions from his post-match presser, is binman prepared to accept that Petts will be a forward going forward (David Neitz 2.0, as I’ve been predicting since 2019), and not be shuffled back to defence as an expression of our ‘best team’? 2021 is 2 years ago…..things evolve. A cheeky question for George if he’s on. Is George prepared to accept that Nibbler is in the first 10 picked weekly? And if he doesn’t accept it, will he ever? 😉 Excellent podding boys, and only getting better.

On the plus side, he was running well and marking like a master after his foot started giving issues, and arguably could’ve kept playing (according) to Goody. On the minus, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a ***ty little fracture. Fingers crossed!