binman

Agree with the fourth umpire creating confusion And it creates a cop out opportunity. The umpires are now regularly looking at other umpired to see if they ate going to call something. The perfect example was the rivers sling tackle. That was text book and a free every day of the week. Dees fans started howling when it looked like it wasn't going to get paid. And when it finally was, the blues fans around me went ballistic. Summed things up perfectly - a free, that was 100% obvious, was paid but BOTH sets of fans were aggrieved. I'm not even sure who ended up paying it. I'm going to watch the replay tonight, and I'll spew if the commentators don't call our the appalling umpiring the way they did foe the two over the boundary like call in the cats pies game.

The wet exacerbates our biggest weakness - too many poor kicks. Even our best players are average kicks. And our best kicks - Salem and bowey - both kicked very poorly last night. I got there at 4:30. Rained non stop until about 7. So the ground was super soggy. Then during the game there was a misty raini falling for almost the entire game. Made handling tricky, and there was no chance for the ground to drain. The blues def handled the conditions better.

Thanks - that's brilliant. So on expected score their expected score at the end of the first quater was only aprox four points higher then their actual score. Incredible defence given the i50 diff. Brilliant. I'm sure goody would have made that exact point at quarter time.

Great post. Spot on. The blues were fantastic. Brutal. But if you rate the blues who are now the new pies, then it is logically inconsistent to not rate us as highly.

Why? Yes they dominated the first quarter. We were on our back foot that whole quarter. The blues might have felt they should have been up by 5 goals. They weren't because our defence was so brilliant. The matildas should have scored three times in the first 10 mins of the second half. They didn't because of how brilliant the French defence was. The blues didn't miss too many easy chances in the first. They just couldn't convert inside 50 dominance into scores. That was more about what we did right, then they dis wrong. I'll bet London to a brick, the expected scores were not far off tge actual score in the first.

I am beyond furious. Forget the result. This has got nothing to do with blaming the umpires for the loss. Though we would have won if not for the appalling display of officiating (that non free late to jvr was right below me - mind boggling that it wasn't paid - the central umpire AND forth umpire were RIGHT THERE) That was the worst umpiring I can ever recall. I feel sick with frustration. I could pick literally 15 examples, but how could they pay that free against bowey in the marking contest? That sort of grappling happens a 100 times a match. And when they mark it they hardly ever pay it. But sure, ok pay it. Then how do you not pay maxy, Grundy and jvr frees for being mauled all game? All game! Particularly maxy, who had three players dragging him on that last kick deep inside 50. The other thing about that free was the outsize impact it had on the game. This game was all about territory. Bowey marks 70 metres from our goal and would have sent it back inside 50. Instead they win it and send it the other way. Pressure valve released. I am beyond angry with the umpiring last night. Forget the result, it was simply nuts how many clear holding the ball frees were not paid - for both sides, but we copped it worse. It's a joke. And don't get me started on the arc 'system'. Scrap it. Or if not, pay for proper cameras and tech, don't have a soft call for touched and leave the decision up to the video ump to make the call. On the soft call for touch, it is completely counter intuitive - if the goal umpire is not sure if it has been touched or not surely logic suggests, given how hard is a for a goal umpire to, one see a touch (unless completely obvious, in which case no arc needed) and two whether it is over the line or not (they are looking up - how can they judge where the line is?) that it goes to the video umpire to make the call? Otherwise what is the point? A blues fan in front of me was going nuts when he heard the 'there is insufficient intent to over rule' call. Why? That was right below us and everyone around us, blues fans included thought it was a goal - and he assumed the 'soft call' was a goal. Imagine his joy when I told him the soft call was touched. Let's call a spade a spade. We won that game. That was a goal. But the blues get the four points. And we'll deserved too - they were fantastic. As were we for most off the game. Incredible fight back in the last. The game didn't deserve the appalling umpiring served up. Ruined it. For god's sake AFL, have at least one full time professional umpire in each game. And either invest in the tech to make arc work. Or scrap it. Otherwise claims this is an elite competition are just laughable. By the way, to be clear, I don't blame the umpires for that display. I blame the AFL. It’s on them, pure and simple. They are the custodians of the game. Ask yourself why the Grand Final is ALWAYS umpired really well. (Yes there might be one or two controversial calls each year but can anyone recall a GF being ruined by the umpiring or a GF umpired as appallingly as that game?) Why? The answer is simple. The best umpires officiate. They are the best because, under pressure, they consistently make the right call and apply the rules. The best umpires also don't pick and choose or bottle it - if there is a free there they pay it. Clear frees that are not paid don't get the same attention as howlers that are. But they are as bad, maybe worse, than calling a wrong free. One, because it creates inconsistency, which fans rightly hate and two it is their job to award free kicks that are there. EVERY game deserves the same high standard that you get in grand finals. There is too much riding on it for what we saw last night.

Just about his worst game. That said, that free that was paid against him in the marking contest was a howler. That sort of grappling happens a 100 times a match. And when they mark it they hardly ever pay it. But sure, ok pay it. Then how do you not pay maxy, Grundy and jvr frees for being mauled all game? I am beyond angry with the umpiring last night. Forget tge result, but it was simply nuts hoe many cleat holding the ball frees were not paid - for both sides, but we copped it worse.

I'm at the g. Didn't realise Fitzroy were playing here today

My dear departed poppa served in WWII - predominantly in Papua New Guinea and surrounds. He never talked about the war, to me at least. Except once. And that was to tell me something remarkably similar to what you have written above.

Yes, bad blue, pardon the pun, by me. Ta.

Well, i'll be damned. 1.52 is short. By way of comparisons, Port are 1.50 to beat GWS - at Adelaide Oval!

The red states in the USA, tragically partic the ones in the South with the biggest black populations, top every health, poverty, and educational disadvantage measure - not to mention drug overdoses, vioelnet crime, sex crimes, homicides, deaths in custody, accidental death by gun etc etc measures. And ironically the governor of those states (eg Sarah Huckabee) are always complaining about federal overreach and pumping up their own tyres for being so independent yet also dominate the list for receiving federal funds. If California, the most 'liberal' of all states, was a country it would be something like 6th in the world for GDP and basically subsidizes the southern red states. America would economically collapse without California. Which makes the periodic calls for succession by some blue states, like Texas, so utterly ludicrous. And by the by, violent crime and homicide rates are dropping in California and increasing in most red states.

Time to back the pies for the flag? PSA The MFC bandwagon is now officially full. The club will not be accepting any more on board. The club will run a waitlist, but please note Pies fan boys and those jumping off the Pies bandwagon will not be added to the list. A picture of David King has been provided to security.

Ta. The other metric is crowd size in relation to membership numbers. So only 54k turning up to a tigers home game againsy the dees is worse than if 54k turning up to a dees home game because they have so many more members. I'd argue, in addition to the social media stuff influencing dees fans perception of our preparedness to turn up to the footy, a big factor in this weird enduring myth Is the media has been driving this myth as long as I can remember. A perfect example of the impact on the public perception when the footy media push false and/or misleading narratives. Even dees fan buy into the dees fans don’t turn up myth.

There's always someone willing to sell the farm.....

I didn't mean 15k dees fans wouldn't turn up. I meant they are the home team, and get the gate receipts. And I'm guessing the crowd will be up to 15k less than it might otherwise been if not for the maltidas game. Hence my comment the matilda game might cost the blues 15k fans. As in literally cost them in terms of reduced revenue. Do dees fans turn up? Well i do. I know you live in the country dazzler, so it's a top effort by you to regularly get to games. At least that's my assumption, otherwise surely you wouldn't be knocking dees fans for not turning up. Are you going tonight? And our crowds have been pretty good this season I would have thought, bar two or three games. There were more dees fans at the tigers home game and pretty healthy crowds for the two previous games given the crows and lions are non Vic teams. Let's see what the mcc looks like vis a vis how many dees fans turn up compared to blues fans. It can be a little misleading on TV because the cameras face the shane warne fans where more oppo fans sit.

Agree on that. In fact I'm guessing, that with the weather, the matilda game might cost the blues 15k fans. Plenty of fans, particularly anyone who hasn't bought a reserved seat will just stay home and watch item back to back in the comfort of their lounge room.

No. But if I was on the fence about going to the footy (which I'm not), a game which is on free to air TV too, and didn't want to miss the matildas game i might decide to stay home and watch both back to back on 7. With it on the big screen at the footy, I might think, hey that's cool I'll go watch it at th g and then watch the dees. Which is exactly what I'm doing.

He's so well spoken.....

We willl win our last three and so it won't matter if the lions win But yes to a gruelling and bone crunching game ( for both sides).

To be fair, they have made finals for, what 12 years, won three flags, made mutiple prelims and played in a losing gf. That is an amazing record, one that had made it very hard to restock with quality young players through the draft.

That's what I meant. If they have, extremely risky. Unnecessarily so. One, that would increase the risk of soft tissue injuries (as per selwyn Griffith) at a time when a two to three week injury to a couple of key players (eg Moore hammy, Sidebottom some foot issue) could disrupt their preparation for finals. Two, they risk losing one of their biggest advantages - the aura of invincibility. And three surely you want to be coming into finals with a decent block of games where you are playing your best footy? Let's say they have gone hard on the track. Well all three of the above risks have come to pass. Not that it matters if they are loading and are flying in September. I have had us as premiership favourites all season. The market is now catching up (my tip - we will be favourites with the bookies on Sunday morning). Even with no inury concerns, at their fittest and playing their very best football we have them covered.

This times 100, 000, 000

Yes, very interesting. It's possible they have been doing some sort of pre season loading program because they simply don't have the same run they had in the first half of the season. Nowhere near it. And they are not running out games like they do at their best. And they don't have the run we have atm either. Nowhere near it. We are stronger for longer. The alternative is they haven't got their program right and that are simply running out of gas late in the season in the exact same way we did last year (our lack of run late in games at this point in the season was equally apparent). The latter is probably the more likely scenario becuase after a season of being hunted, they have just played their 4th super physical, taxing game in a row. That has to take a huge toll. And they have the Lions next Friday night. And finish the season against the bombers, which may not be as taxing but will be a packed house and the bombers may be playing for spot in the finals. So potentially six taxing games in a row, with Daicos and Moore out and queries on Steele's fitness I watched the last quarter of out round 22 game against the blues prior to this game and it was full on finals pressure, We then backed up against the Pies for another epic and finished the season at the gabba. I have no doubt that run flattened us.

Cats shot. 'Superp performance from collingwood' Brayshaw said. He can't be serious. Yes good enough to win a flag, but not on that performance. All of their vulnerabilities were on show again, particularly their defensive issues. And they have not got a premiership midfield Cats were a defensive horror show and slow as a wet week. And the reality is the pies allowed dads army to put 100 points past them and got smashed in terms of inside 50s in the last quarter. All the pies last quarter goals were a result of absolute howler clangers from the cats. Let's see how they go next week against the lions. They will struggle big time to cover the lions talls with no Moore.