1st QF Swans v Giants

[iigrover]

Interesting article on AFL about the umpires needing start paying free kicks for punches off the ball.

Hawk needs protection from off-the-ball hits: Burgoyne - AFL.com.au

I say this because I heard from someone close to the medical staff that one of our players couldnt take his full compliment of fluids at half time because the combined impact of multiple punches to his stomach in the first half were so severe that he couldnt hold down fluids. According to the medical staff the first punch occurred in front of of an umpire, and the umpire saw it directly. The Swans player appealed for a free (I remember seeing this at the game), but was told 'there was nothing in it' by that umpire. Following that, for plays where that umpire was in charge, the stomach punches during stoppages and at the bottom of packs escalated as the Giants were effectively handed a green light to do so by that umpire. The combined impact of low fluids and heavily bruised stomach caused that player to not perform at their peak in the second half.

[Sandrevan]

In this shot, Johnson looks like he has a few mental health 'issues' that go beyond your average 'white line fever'......at least some 'anger management' issues, besides being a dirty sniper......

There might be some history between Buddy and Johnson - given the hawks / Geelong rivalry prior to both changing clubs

[AnnieH]

In this shot, Johnson looks like he has a few mental health 'issues' that go beyond your average 'white line fever'......at least some 'anger management' issues, besides being a dirty sniper......

He should seriously look at this picture and hang his head in shame.
In my experience, the type of person who does this, has the personality of a total jerk.
Yes, I know it's a final, but this is just not warranted.
I wonder if he carries on like this in front of his wife and kids?
Just. Not. Warranted.


I L.O.V.E. love how our boys didn't take the bait.
Such class.

[KTigers]

I wouldn't get too worked up about Steve Johnson. If he gets a week suspension and GWS lose their prelim his career is probably over, as I understand GWS are
unlikely to give him another year. As well as he has gone for them this year, they've got too many younger players coming through that they want to hold onto.

[liz]

Interesting article on AFL about the umpires needing start paying free kicks for punches off the ball.

Hawk needs protection from off-the-ball hits: Burgoyne - AFL.com.au

I say this because I heard from someone close to the medical staff that one of our players couldnt take his full compliment of fluids at half time because the combined impact of multiple punches to his stomach in the first half were so severe that he couldnt hold down fluids. According to the medical staff the first punch occurred in front of of an umpire, and the umpire saw it directly. The Swans player appealed for a free (I remember seeing this at the game), but was told 'there was nothing in it' by that umpire. Following that, for plays where that umpire was in charge, the stomach punches during stoppages and at the bottom of packs escalated as the Giants were effectively handed a green light to do so by that umpire. The combined impact of low fluids and heavily bruised stomach caused that player to not perform at their peak in the second half.

I understand why they changed the MRP / suspension system this year for minor issues but I think the tummy tap syndrome has gotten out of hand. For next season I think it should be an automatic one week suspension for anyone who deliberately hits someone in the stomach - two weeks if it is above minimum force. These actions are almost always entirely deliberate and would be wiped out in an instant if players knew they would lose a week. They may look minor but the possibility to impact an opponent's capacity to perform, even if only for a few minutes, isn't trivial. I'd much rather see players get suspended for this, that for a split second late spoil where they accidentally clip a player (though the reckless end of the scale needs to be attended to, too).

[kilroyII]

Interesting article on AFL about the umpires needing start paying free kicks for punches off the ball.
I say this because I heard from someone close to the medical staff that one of our players couldnt take his full compliment of fluids at half time because the combined impact of multiple punches to his stomach in the first half were so severe that he couldnt hold down fluids. According to the medical staff the first punch occurred in front of of an umpire, and the umpire saw it directly. The Swans player appealed for a free (I remember seeing this at the game), but was told 'there was nothing in it' by that umpire. Following that, for plays where that umpire was in charge, the stomach punches during stoppages and at the bottom of packs escalated as the Giants were effectively handed a green light to do so by that umpire. The combined impact of low fluids and heavily bruised stomach caused that player to not perform at their peak in the second half.

I saw this and was ropable with the ump on top of all the other little things that help sway the game towards the team that the AFL wants to win.

I am beside myself today, really really angry at what I perceive blatant bastardy and organised corruption from the AFL, namely Mike Fitzpatrick. Now a lot of you might think otherwise because the AFL suckers everyone cause we all love our clubs, but i am making this bold statement:

The swans will not win a flag with Lance Franklin in the side, ever, period. The only way we can legitimately win a flag is if Mike Fitzpatrick is removed, until that happens we can be minor premiers, we can be the best side all year but when it comes to finals we are never ever going to go far.

I can safely say it, especially after the terrible remarks by Mike @@@@zpatrick on Saturday.

Saturday was a repeat performance of the GF. The hawks were allowed to go hard for the first 15-20 mins of that game which left a lot of our players in a daze. The umps didnt give us one inch of respect that first quarter. Look at the way Brian Lake almost ripped Buddies head off, look at the way Hanners was targeted.

It almost feels lie, i dunno, El Patron, Mike @@@@zpatrick, told the umps to allow our opposition to go in hard and to let it go. Yet we were penalised for minor things.

The same happened on the weekend. Non paid marks, HTB when it wasn't there, countless sniping from GWS players, mummy claiming during the week that he will go out and hurt players and then breaking one of our players jaw with an illegal tackle, Johnson concussing another one of our important players plus a plethora of non calls to them.

And the most likely scenario will be both Johnson and Mumford will get off.

Now does anybody know if the swans are going to actually say anything or are we going to lay down and cop it sweet, like always?

Now i know we like to think of our club as professional and above bastardy, but thats two times we have been bullied into submission without any help from the umps and twice we have fallen over. Enough is enough, its time to crack heads and get tough. In this @@@@ world arseholes always win and being noble gets you no where.

I wont for one second acknowledge GWS at all. Bunch of millenials with too much confidence and like all millenials everything is given to them on a silver platter.

[AnnieH]

I wouldn't get too worked up about Steve Johnson. If he gets a week suspension and GWS lose their prelim his career is probably over, as I understand GWS are
unlikely to give him another year. As well as he has gone for them this year, they've got too many younger players coming through that they want to hold onto.

Of course... but I'd like to see him end his career in suspension, rather than with a medal around his neck.

[AnnieH]

I saw this and was ropable with the ump on top of all the other little things that help sway the game towards the team that the AFL wants to win.

I am beside myself today, really really angry at what I perceive blatant bastardy and organised corruption from the AFL, namely Mike Fitzpatrick. Now a lot of you might think otherwise because the AFL suckers everyone cause we all love our clubs, but i am making this bold statement:

The swans will not win a flag with Lance Franklin in the side, ever, period. The only way we can legitimately win a flag is if Mike Fitzpatrick is removed, until that happens we can be minor premiers, we can be the best side all year but when it comes to finals we are never ever going to go far.

I can safely say it, especially after the terrible remarks by Mike @@@@zpatrick on Saturday.

Saturday was a repeat performance of the GF. The hawks were allowed to go hard for the first 15-20 mins of that game which left a lot of our players in a daze. The umps didnt give us one inch of respect that first quarter. Look at the way Brian Lake almost ripped Buddies head off, look at the way Hanners was targeted.

It almost feels lie, i dunno, El Patron, Mike @@@@zpatrick, told the umps to allow our opposition to go in hard and to let it go. Yet we were penalised for minor things.

The same happened on the weekend. Non paid marks, HTB when it wasn't there, countless sniping from GWS players, mummy claiming during the week that he will go out and hurt players and then breaking one of our players jaw with an illegal tackle, Johnson concussing another one of our important players plus a plethora of non calls to them.

And the most likely scenario will be both Johnson and Mumford will get off.

Now does anybody know if the swans are going to actually say anything or are we going to lay down and cop it sweet, like always?

Now i know we like to think of our club as professional and above bastardy, but thats two times we have been bullied into submission without any help from the umps and twice we have fallen over. Enough is enough, its time to crack heads and get tough. In this @@@@ world arseholes always win and being noble gets you no where.

I wont for one second acknowledge GWS at all. Bunch of millenials with too much confidence and like all millenials everything is given to them on a silver platter.

Of course the swans are going to sit back at take it... that's what they're good at.
If we DO say something, we get fined.

Welcome to the I hate the blacktown bogans club.

I will never put money into their pocket... even if we play them at home 10 times in one year.

[kilroyII]

Of course the swans are going to sit back at take it... that's what they're good at.
If we DO say something, we get fined.

Welcome to the I hate the blacktown bogans club.

I will never put money into their pocket... even if we play them at home 10 times in one year.

They are not even Blacktown, they are just the AFLs team which has investment from the chairman. He basically owns half of the team FFS.

If both Mumford and Johnston get off and the swans do nothing about it I am going to loose my @@@@.

I am sick and tried of this crap, pre buddy and tippo everyone loved us, the code was easy to support. Since the 2012 flag a fair few things have tainted this sport and I am just waiting for one last flag before i end my membership and stop supporting both the swans and the code.

I am not going to pour my money and time towards a code that is fixed. If the AFL wants to be FIFA lite 2.0 and Mike fitzpatrick wants to be sepp blatter, then they can steal money from stupid Richmond supporters for all i care they are not getting one more cent from me.

As for GWS they dont know the backlash that will hit them once they win 2 flags. How could the AFL allow it, how?!

I am normally OK after a loss, but the weekends game was engineered for one result only from the outset and that was a GWS win. Which other code makes the team who finishes 1st play on a neutral ground because profit????

[goswannies]

Shaun Burgoyne easily has a career in comedy when he finally hangs up the boots. From afl.com.au

"HAWTHORN star Shaun Burgoyne is urging umpires to pay free kicks to stop premiership teammate Sam Mitchell being "targeted" by off-the-ball hits."

There needs to be a full time umpire watching him & his own cheap shots on others!

[barry]

Will all due respect kilroy, its not GWS's fault that the swans have coped it over the past few years. Its AFL, and in particular Gill.
I miss Andy D so much. He was a strong leader.

I dont like Fitzpatrick any more than you, but youve got to understand how coorporate life works. Fitzpatrick would have been given some clear KPI's around GWS and Gold Coast Expansion. He has to hit those KPI's, or he's gone. Its the system. I doubt there are any KPI's about the Swans.

[kilroyII]

Will all due respect kilroy, its not GWS's fault that the swans have coped it over the past few years. Its AFL, and in particular Gill.
I miss Andy D so much. He was a strong leader.

I dont like Fitzpatrick any more than you, but youve got to understand how coorporate life works. Fitzpatrick would have been given some clear KPI's around GWS and Gold Coast Expansion. He has to hit those KPI's, or he's gone. Its the system. I doubt there are any KPI's about the Swans.

I understand how KPis work, its why executives get paid millions to basically game the system as much as they can for shareholders and when they dont they are sacked with a nice bonus if they at least meet some of them.

At which stage did the AFL send out the memo that the game needs to be compromised because executives like shiitpatrick has KPIs to meet? Or do we just forget about ethics and integrality and keep eating the @@@@ sandwitches that are given to us and wonder why?

At what stage do we call it for what it is, blatant rigging?

- - - Updated - - -

Shaun Burgoyne easily has a career in comedy when he finally hangs up the boots. From afl.com.au

"HAWTHORN star Shaun Burgoyne is urging umpires to pay free kicks to stop premiership teammate Sam Mitchell being "targeted" by off-the-ball hits."

There needs to be a full time umpire watching him & his own cheap shots on others!

I cant believe the hide of the hawks, as soon as one of their own is targeted, who BTW is a down and out thug, they whinge!

[AnnieH]

Will all due respect kilroy, its not GWS's fault that the swans have coped it over the past few years. Its AFL, and in particular Gill.
I miss Andy D so much. He was a strong leader.

I dont like Fitzpatrick any more than you, but youve got to understand how coorporate life works. Fitzpatrick would have been given some clear KPI's around GWS and Gold Coast Expansion. He has to hit those KPI's, or he's gone. Its the system. I doubt there are any KPI's about the Swans.

I want Theo Andy back too. At least he appeared honest.

[kilroyII]

I want Theo Andy back too. At least he appeared honest.

Yeah its obvious how good Andy D was to the game even if he pissed of a few Victorians. But Gil the Dill..i am convinced the guy has been labotimized and has a chip inserted as i have never come across a more uninspired and pathetic CEO like him. I mean did you hear the guy commentate a few weeks ago? I wanted to pluck my eye brows one hair at a time after having to put up with his monotone voice.

[Meg]

1st QF Swans v Giants

Heeney non-Mark/non-free kick is discussed on Whistleblowers. Hayden Kennedy says decision not to award a free kick was correct - but he would not have disagreed if a mark had been awarded.

Which is a long way to say Heeney was dudded!

Mind you the impact is diluted by him also saying the decision to disallow a GWS goal (for illegal disposal/holding the ball) was incorrect. So others will tell us the two decisions (at least) cancel out.

Is blocking the mark allowed? - AFL.com.au