Umpires and coaching

[Go Swannies]

I'm really interested in some feedback on what I see is one of the many problems the team is facing at present. Are they interpreting the rules right? Why are they giving away so many crucial penalties?

Looking at it from a distance - and thinking back on the Crows game - does much of our current lack of confidence comes from not knowing the new interpretation of the rules?

Are our forwards just standing around waiting for penalties that aren't paid?

Are our backs give away penalties at an exceptionally amazing rate?

And, since the Hawks game, have we not been able to work out what we are required to do at the centre bounce - and so give away a lot of penalties there?

For a while I thought we were being robbed by the umps, but if you watch any recent game we rarely are. It seems we just give away vital frees in defence and don't know how the rules work for our forwards?

Saturday night was the first time I could clearly distinguish how less talented the Swans were than the opposition. I think the game plan may cover that up until you come up against a talented team like the Eagles. But until our forwards remember how to kick goals and everyone on the team knows how to minimise frees against, it's going to be a sad season.

It was all summed up in one moment on Saturday when Baz was running around with his hands out asking for the free when he could have just tackled the Eagle who had taken his ball away.

Do our coaching staff need to take the players through the rules? And shouldn't we have done it earlier?

[Go Swannies]

I posted this a while ago and got no response. Have I got it right or wrong? Or is it a non issue?

It seems like the Eagles game particularly had a really unbalanced penalty count for much of the match.

[liz]

Some of it is valid but would question whether it's not knowing the rules or just another symptom of the lack of confidence coursing through the team.

High tackles (including a couple of poor ones missed by the umps) is possibly caused by rushing to execute. When you're unsure you think slower, that fraction of a second means you arrive at the contest too late (or you think you're lacking for time when actually you have plenty), which in turn means you panic and don't concentrate on correct execution.

Goodes and LRT gave away a lot of frees at centre bounces. While it's not ideal for the team, it would be harsh to criticise them too much given that neither would have had much practice with the current ruck rules in the centre.

The forwards looking for frees is a concern but again probably just reflects their frustration at themselves and their team mates. And poor old Baz has spent so long not getting paid genuine frees that he probably has convinced himself that he's being disadvantaged even when he's not - particuarly while everything else is going wrong.