Match Day Thread Rnd 4 V Fremantle

[Meg]

On that weekly AFL video discussing umpiring incidents, it is said that if you want a particular incident/s discussed, tweet it to the AFL using #whistleblowers. I suggest that one of you who is a Twitter user does that re the video reviews and see if we can get it/them included. Would be interesting to hear the discussion.

[Wardy]

Can't wait for umpire appreciation round.

that's hold Erica!!! Cleary the umps haven't been to OPSM lately. Mr X-ray vision boundary ump must have gone to spec savers for the super duper multifocals like I wear.

[Kelpie_X]

I just think we needed Mitchell.

[Swansinger]

Ah well , at least we did not end up getting hammered , so in a way , it was a bit like the Port v Hawks game.
We lost , away , to a good side by less than three goals.

We've witnessed GSW on the rise , Melbourne showing some fight and the Dogs belting the Crows . As Brad Scott rightly said before the first round , this is going to be a very competitive season. And I think it will be a vintage season , too.
Hang on to your hats - it's going to be a cracker !

[Velour&Ruffles]

And I thought both holding the ball decisions in front of Freo's goal (against Rampe and Shaw) were harsh, though probably not absolutely wrong.

I think your usual fair-mindedness has got the better of you here and you are, like both decisions, absolutely wrong. With both decisions, you could clearly see the Freo tackler pull the ball in and hold it against the Swan. This was something the AFL said it would be watching out for at the start of the year. But we all know that an AFL promise means about as much as a guarantee from an aluminium cladding salesman.

[Auntie.Gerald]

my concern was the GWS game

We kicked some of the most incredible goals against GWS and won by 3 goals only which should have put our players on alert

We couldnt replicate those incredible goals this week against Freeo. When you dont have the magic, can you still grind out a win against fellow top4 team? That is the question and the answer was NO NO NO NO NO

Our first half true colours have been exposed against a team that played harder and smarter with their execution

Quite simply we have some work to do on our attitude and execution with the footy, especially first half footy where the wrestle is so often critical against a top 4 team

Freeo, Hawks and Sydney are still the teams to beat in my opinion BUT until we start setting the pace in the first half against Freeo or the Hawks then I am afraid we are a step behind where we need to be

[AnnieH]

Oh dear.
Too much, too little, too late.
Would have been nice had they turned up in the first half.

[Conor_Dillon]

Just watching the recording for the first time now -currently 10 mins into the 2nd qtr- and those two frees against Rampe were abhorrent, particularly the one to Fyfe, unbelievable!

Obviously hindsight is 20/20 but so far we're really missing Rohan's forward half pressure, it's a real weapon and he has to play a full game against the dogs next week.

Shaw just got pinged too...ridiculously stiff! They haven't been paying those all year so I'm not sure why they chose this game to start. The scoreboard definitely doesn't reflect the contest so far.

I'll keep adding notes to this...that free kick to Buddy after he hand balled to Cunningham (McPharlin tackled him, professional free) had to be 50 metres...it's the perfect example of why that rule was introduced.

[ScottH]

The 50 against McVeigh for in the back after the mark annoyed me.
Whilst it was by all accounts a legitimate 50, I saw worse on Friday night and it wasn't paid.

There was also the 50 we should have got when Freo kicked the ball after the free was given.

[Conor_Dillon]

The 50 against McVeigh for in the back after the mark annoyed me.
Whilst it was by all accounts a legitimate 50, I saw worse on Friday night and it wasn't paid.

There was also the 50 we should have got when Freo kicked the ball after the free was given.

Yeh spot on...very soft 50 in the context of the season. And that kick away was a 50 every day of the week.

[stellation]

The 50 against McVeigh for in the back after the mark annoyed me.
Whilst it was by all accounts a legitimate 50, I saw worse on Friday night and it wasn't paid.

There was also the 50 we should have got when Freo kicked the ball after the free was given.

I think that was McPharlin after he had given a free away against Buddy in a marking contest? He absolutely knew what he was doing, and he had a smile on his face when he went back to stand the mark. The commentators were very kind in suggesting it was too loud for him to hear the whistle and know he'd given away a free. He knew.

The contrast between it and the McVeigh 50 is frustrating- McVeigh's was a pretty soft push, but it was technically there. McPharlin's was technically there as well so why wasn't it whistled if you're being so strict on 50s?

[AnnieH]

The umpiring was disgraceful.
The swans not turning up in the first half was just as disgraceful.
Hope they turn up next week... the bulldogs aren't the easybeats we think they are.

[Conor_Dillon]

The free kick against buddy after our centre clearance after the Tippett set shot was a massive momentum swing and a terrible decision...nothing in it at all and we were streaming into an open goal to make it 2 points.

[Conor_Dillon]

Let's all hope that in a few years time we can look back at that game, particularly the third quarter as the turning point in Sam Reid's career. When his confidence is up he is clean below his knees, clean in the air and really good in the contest.

[annew]

Let's all hope that in a few years time we can look back at that game, particularly the third quarter as the turning point in Sam Reid's career. When his confidence is up he is clean below his knees, clean in the air and really good in the contest.

Any idea on how long Sam's contract has to go?