Macca

Ha! Just about every rule change introduced over the years has been met with huge waves of derision From the Diamond/Square, interchange, 666, standing still on the mark, 50 metre penalties (before the latest incarnation) 2 umpires then 3 umpires, the original out on the full ruling etc etc Waverley was mocked for years and then became a favourite ... there are numerous other examples If the new rule has the desired effect we'll get used to that as well ... as previously stated, the 50m penalty often results in a goal scoring opportunity so it's a terrific deterrent All the players need to do is keep their emotions in check once or twice a game. How is that a big ask?

I wouldn't be the only one annoyed at the constant abuse of umpires here As previously stated, the amount of time spent here yapping about inconsequential umpiring decisions is mind boggling And lost amongst all the junk are some very intelligent evaluations And you can bet London to a brick that our football department will be hammering home the message to all the players to accept the umpires decisions In a close game, our players need to be highly disciplined towards any umpiring decision That's the new landscape ... like it or lump it

If someone could come up with a blueprint on how the game can be umpired correctly, they would deserve a medal Many here think that I've given up - not so. I genuinely believe the sport has so many grey areas (that will probably remain grey) that it's impossible to get even most of the decisions right Think about GtB, have we not complained in the same way for our entire lives? I stopped in my teens as I could see the futility in it all but most just continue on It's fair to say that the conflict is a huge part of the sport but maybe it needs that conflict to remain highly interesting Save me from what? Having a strong opinion contrary to yours?

One of the contributing factors ... of course lack of available time, fitness levels and numerous other factors could be the reasons as well But honestly, anyone potentially going into the umpiring ranks could easily be put off by the levels of abuse that are there to see (clearly) Tell me something, have you read the game day thread here lately? The torrents of abuse towards the umpires dominates every thread If you wanted to know what was going on in the games you'd have no clue And my gut feel tells me that the real reason the umpiring ranks are so skinny is because of the abuse levels You should be thankful that you only get to read my views on umpiring once a year (for a couple of days)

The correct ground not the high ground If I'm wrong, go ahead and prove it In the meantime, many here will spend the rest of their lives complaining about umpiring decisions and labelling umpires as cheats (read any game day thread) All based on a myth

No, I'm done here You and countless others can have your way ... hope you enjoy all that moaning!! haha Won't get you anywhere ... you may as well be howling at the moon

See my post above (you won't like it) Hey, I've had my yearly beef against the umpire haters ... you can all go back to dominating the game day threads and post match threads (and other, numerous threads) with your torrents of dissatisfaction re the umpiring I won't be reading. Wouldn't waste my time

Who is going to admit that they don't want to be an umpire because of the potential abuse? Truthful answers? I doubt it The numbers aren't real ... it's like the polls in the USA before the 2016 election. Numerous people wouldn't admit that they were going to vote for Trump but did so anyway And he trailed in every poll bar 1 ... often miles behind You need to read between the lines

Breaking point??!! Hysterical much

I'm not arguing against full time umpires What I am saying is that the grey areas will still be there So we'd have total professionals trying to make correct decisions in grey areas that are to say the least, contentious But make them full time as it will help I believe the AFL are going to go hard on dissent & abuse and try and stamp it out So it will remain a big topic especially with the 50m penalty involved But towards the end of the season, we may not see too many indiscretions ... let's face it, in a lot of cases a 50m penalty leads to a shot on goal So dispute the umpires decision and it could easily cost your team a goal So the free kick count per game amounts to about 40-50 per game ... that's about 1 free kick per player, per game Is it asking too much for a player to keep his emotions in check once per game? (on average)

I don't want our players wasting their time talking to an umpire Just get on with it and play the game

And that's a good story and I don't doubt you for a minute ET ... but we do have an issue with the umpiring of the sport (can we make it easier please) And at junior level there has been a huge shortfall of umpires for decades (in other words, the shortfall is not a new thing)

I like your optimism but the grey areas are in abundance. And have been for decades. People were talking about umpires in the same way in the 60's Marking contests, In the back, holding the ball, holding the man, around the neck, ruck contests, chopping of arms, the bump etc etc are all contentious Good luck trying to get all of the above clear-cut. Making the umpires professional will help but the myriad of other issues will remain (unless we change the make-up of the sport)

That would help but what about all the grey areas? That's the real issue but to eliminate all the grey areas you'll get bruise-free footy You really want that?

I have never met a person in my entire life that would ever entertain the thought of umpiring a game of football I wouldn't even bother asking as I know what sort of reaction I'd get. It's a thankless task with not a lot of upside. And I played 50 seasons of sport across 4 sports How many here have ever done it (umpired) on a consisent basis? Close to zero I'd imagine ... and none of us were ever AFL quality standard as footballers As previously stated, fix all the grey areas and you'll solve the problem But do that and you've got AFLX Make the umpires full time and they are still adjudicating on any number of grey areas

As I have said to you on numerous occasions, the umpires are going to make errors in a chaotic sport with more grey areas than a Melbourne winter The sport itself lends itself to any number of interpretations on any number of rules You want perfection, you're not going to get it. You won't even come close

Different sport and appealing to the umpire in cricket is part of the rules In fact, if you don't appeal, the umpire is under no obligation to give a player out I played in a final once where the umpire after the game told us we should have appealed for a bat-pad We lost and the bloke in question made a ton As per the footy, there are going to be teething problems and don't be thinking that I agree with all the 50's handed out But in principle, I agree with the crackdown

I disagree With the odd exception, I reckon players would predominately know what has happened with regards to a free kick decision So for the few times that they do not know, they should learn how to cop it Self discipline is something that all sportspeople should have at the top level

I would have thought it was quite obvious Anyone going into umpiring at any level knows that they are going to cop a torrent of abuse And in this day and age, there aren't nearly as many who are prepared to cop that

So we don't get to find out Why is that a problem? If we respected umpires we'd take their word for it I know I do.... you should do the same

That's your opinion ET and fair enough. Each to their own I believe that the players will eventually learn how to just get on with it We're going to have some teething issues and it might take all season to sort it all out. And some tweeking might be required None of us are experts on the outcomes here. Why? Because it's a new rule and we're not sure where it will end up However, the new ruling needs to be clear cut and in our sport, zero tolerance can often work quite well (but not always) In my view, the umpires need to be respected a lot more so I welcome the new ruling In my experience at local level nearly every player had the utmost respect for umpires & their decisions. In footy you would be sent off for dissent (and weeks) and in cricket you got weeks on the sidelines for the same sorts of indiscretions And that's at pure amateur level I rarely even heard of a player crossing the line. We all knew the consequences

Fair enough If that is what happened then we need to cop it (the team that is) I didn't have a problem with the decision at the time as I was assuming that one of our players had transgressed

And the clear reason why we have a shortfall of umpires is because of the levels of abuse So cut out the levels of abuse (at all levels) Do you agree?

The reason we don't have enough umpires at junior level is because of the abuse It's not rocket science Circular argument? What a load of rot. I'm pointing out what the issue is

Why? I would have thought that nearly all players know what the indiscretion is when they transgress Take the Lever example (and I'm not taking sides) ... he clipped the GWS player high. A soft free kick yes, but that's the way the game is umpired And Lever would have known what he did too. So under the new ruling Lever must accept the umpires decision, shut up and get on with it Now, I'm not blaming Lever for the 50 ... for all we know another player might have reacted the wrong way The issue for the spectators is that the players aren't mic'd up so we have to accept the decision not knowing what might have been said or done