Umpire Selection for Saturday

[Matt79]

Except for the umpire 21 . Is his name appropriately pronounced maggots???

He was making up for it last weekend.

Umpire 21 is Simon Meridith
Umpire 6 is Dean Marggets

[Sandridge]

I think he's been quite good to us since the Dockers game.
Hopefully this will continue.

I agree, although he DID have lots to make up for after the Dockers game. Fortunately, that loss didn't cost us a place in the finals!

[Bas]

Umpire 21 is Simon Meridith
Umpire 6 is Dean Marggets

Yes it was 21 - Meridill.

[stellation]

It was somehow missed in all the excitement of the lead up to the game, but the last time we played the Saints the great Sergio Villagra racked up his 100th AFL match standing between the big sticks. Well done Sergio! The true loss of not achieving a home final.

[Nico]

I think the paranoia surrounding Ray and this game is a tad misguided. He will be umpiring to go further in the finals and will be hell bent in not putting on a shocker, and not playing to his ego, the crowd and the TV audience. I am sure he has been told to get out there and umpire the game and forget the theatrics. His standing in the pecking order of umps has taken a decent hit of late with the criticism of his bouncing ability so I reckon he will be out there to have a blinder in umpiring terms.

[Yuri H]

He will be umpiring to go further in the finals and will be hell bent in not putting on a shocker, and not playing to his ego, the crowd and the TV audience.

Let us pray.

[Red]

Regardless of whether it is good for us or not, how is it that we keep getting him time and again?

With 8 games a week and thus 24 umpires going around each weekend, it is a statistical anomaly (to say the least) that we have scored him four times since Round 17 ('THAT' game against the Shockers). Our next most 'prolific' is Margetts (three occasions - Rounds 24, 21 and 20) and Vozzo has had us twice (R23 and R16). The other 16 have all only umpired us once.

That said, he has been virtually un-noticeable recently - which is what the majority of the footy world wants from the umpires! Should be no issues for us this week as a result.

One benefit for us is that our players will be well aware of what Ray is 'hot' on, and can play accordingly. Perhaps that's why he's been pinging us less since Freo.

In an ideal world players would play according to the rule book, and not the umpires' interpretations of it. But with so many rules in AFL (and more added every year), it's natural that umpires will have ones they're more attuned to.

[Provost]

I've got to say it is easier to emotionally comment on Ray after a win than a lose but I still think he has some 'I'm the BOSS' blows of the whistle.

Apart from that some of his calls are very spot on as to the 'rules', he does get it right that is for sure but it is in circumstances where other umps will hold back especially when it comes to a free kick in front of goal or giving 50 both of which change the result of games.