Match Day Rnd 13 V Richmond. MCG. 13.45 pm.

[Doctor]

About to start reading this thread from the beginning. I expect it will be entertaining! :-)

[barry]

The Reid goal was initially a stuff up by Rohan. He was 20 metres in the clear with Reid leading out which should have been a simple pass under no pressure, but instead popped it on his head for the defender to spoil.

Towers adds more value to the team than Rohan.

Rohan is being tried as a defender because he has failed as a forward.

[Beerman]

Ok, but what about your irrefutable point made with the *? how can you say that it evens out? This underlines the huge problem with this line of thinking, that it can happen in the most important game of the season and therefore any individual game throughout the season. I'm not sure of how to solve the issue, but you can't argue that it evens out when all it takes is one game to be biased/favourable when ultimately, the whole season can and does come down to one game. The 2016 GF is a landmark case in regard to the deficiencies in umpiring bias.

[RANT]
Sorry - I don't have access to your parallel universe machine which tells me how games and even whole seasons turn out if a couple of decision turn out differently.

I'm just tired of reading, every week, the outrage from fans of eighteen clubs about how they were ripped off by the umpires. There are so many armchair experts who can pick out an umpires secret bias from the comfort of their lounge rooms, while claiming to be completely impartial themselves.

Lets face it - who's more likely to be biased (a) someone who is paid to be impartial, who spends hours in training each week to apply the rules fairly and who officiates a different team every week or (b) someone who has put thousands of dollars, and probably tens of thousands of hours over decades into supporting one of the two teams in the contest.

Sure - errors happen. Sometimes those errors favour one team more than the other. But IT'S NOT AS BAD AS YOU THINK!!! IT DOESN'T DECIDE GAMES THE WAY YOU THINK IT DOES!!! Every fan thinks their team is robbed - they can't all be right, but they can all be wrong.

Even in the 2016 GF, when the situation was so bad that the AFL came out and made a statement about it, I wouldn't say we were robbed of the game. Who knows? The bulldogs were a good team who we hadn't beaten for two years - they may well have won anyway.

It's not about you, Goal Sneak, but it annoys me when so much of the talk is one-sided complaining about umpiring, when there is so much about aussie rules football to enjoy and discuss.
[/RANT]

[dimelb]

Rohan Connolly did a couple of pieces on the game. I particularly liked this one:

Richmond v Sydney Swans: Sydney get off the canvas to hurt the Tigers

I recall that he picked us to win the GF this year.

[Thunder Shaker]

What a great day. Today I got to experience one of those father son experiences I will remember for the rest of my life. Got to sing the club song with my 7yo son for the 1st time together at a game. Don't mind admitting there were some tears rolling down my cheek. Not just because we won and seeing the elation on his face. But in the manner of the win and the important little life lesson he got to experience. All through out the game I kept telling him to believe in the team and to never give up. They can do it, if you have belief. For the last 5min he was physically trembling with anxiety and fear. I kept reassuring him and we celebrated every little win along the way. The Kennedy clearances, the Papley mark, Newmans effort on the wing and gazz goal. When the siren sounded and we embraced it was a special moment. Thanks to all fellow supporters at the swans end for sharing it with us.

You have just made a Swans fan for life.

Now show him the last quarter of the 2005 semi...

[jono2707]

[RANT]
Sorry - I don't have access to your parallel universe machine which tells me how games and even whole seasons turn out if a couple of decision turn out differently.

I'm just tired of reading, every week, the outrage from fans of eighteen clubs about how they were ripped off by the umpires. There are so many armchair experts who can pick out an umpires secret bias from the comfort of their lounge rooms, while claiming to be completely impartial themselves.

Lets face it - who's more likely to be biased (a) someone who is paid to be impartial, who spends hours in training each week to apply the rules fairly and who officiates a different team every week or (b) someone who has put thousands of dollars, and probably tens of thousands of hours over decades into supporting one of the two teams in the contest.

Sure - errors happen. Sometimes those errors favour one team more than the other. But IT'S NOT AS BAD AS YOU THINK!!! IT DOESN'T DECIDE GAMES THE WAY YOU THINK IT DOES!!! Every fan thinks their team is robbed - they can't all be right, but they can all be wrong.

Even in the 2016 GF, when the situation was so bad that the AFL came out and made a statement about it, I wouldn't say we were robbed of the game. Who knows? The bulldogs were a good team who we hadn't beaten for two years - they may well have won anyway.

It's not about you, Goal Sneak, but it annoys me when so much of the talk is one-sided complaining about umpiring, when there is so much about aussie rules football to enjoy and discuss.
[/RANT]

Great stuff - a really well written post in response to so much of the whiny group-think that has become rather too common here for some time.

[Hotpotato]

I don't like zone defence , whatever it is and whatever it is supposed to achieve.
Who invented it and what is it ?

[royboy42]

About to start reading this thread from the beginning. I expect it will be entertaining! :-)

One lesson you may take away...be very, very careful re optimism or pessimism when posting during live action.

A helluva lot comes back to bite.

I learned that lesson many moons ago.

[Hotpotato]

What a great day. Today I got to experience one of those father son experiences I will remember for the rest of my life. Got to sing the club song with my 7yo son for the 1st time together at a game. Don't mind admitting there were some tears rolling down my cheek. Not just because we won and seeing the elation on his face. But in the manner of the win and the important little life lesson he got to experience. All through out the game I kept telling him to believe in the team and to never give up. They can do it, if you have belief. For the last 5min he was physically trembling with anxiety and fear. I kept reassuring him and we celebrated every little win along the way. The Kennedy clearances, the Papley mark, Newmans effort on the wing and gazz goal. When the siren sounded and we embraced it was a special moment. Thanks to all fellow supporters at the swans end for sharing it with us.

Thanks for sharing your special day at the footy FS, we will all remember it now.
Do they have kick-to-kick at the G ... that just puts the icing on the cake.

[Beerman]

I have learnt my lesson about giving up hope too soon! (Confession - I left before 3/4 time to run some errands. I thought at the time we could win it, but I thought it just as likely we would throw it away). It seems like a long time since the Swans made a great comeback like that and it makes me very happy.

How great was Kennedy's goal? I don't know what he was thinking or how he fluked it, but if pulling a clutch goal like that out of your arse is not captaincy material, then I don't know what is! I take back everything I said about him possibly not being the best choice as captain.

[Hotpotato]

Rohan Connolly did a couple of pieces on the game. I particularly liked this one:

Richmond v Sydney Swans: Sydney get off the canvas to hurt the Tigers

I recall that he picked us to win the GF this year.

Good take on it ....
Lot of commentators are calling KJ's goal a banana kick after the baulk/shimmy/sidestep/selling the dummy/giving out candy

I thought it was a straightforward and uncomplicated left foot drop punt through the middle .

[Levii3]

[RANT]
Sorry - I don't have access to your parallel universe machine which tells me how games and even whole seasons turn out if a couple of decision turn out differently.

I'm just tired of reading, every week, the outrage from fans of eighteen clubs about how they were ripped off by the umpires. There are so many armchair experts who can pick out an umpires secret bias from the comfort of their lounge rooms, while claiming to be completely impartial themselves.

Lets face it - who's more likely to be biased (a) someone who is paid to be impartial, who spends hours in training each week to apply the rules fairly and who officiates a different team every week or (b) someone who has put thousands of dollars, and probably tens of thousands of hours over decades into supporting one of the two teams in the contest.

Sure - errors happen. Sometimes those errors favour one team more than the other. But IT'S NOT AS BAD AS YOU THINK!!! IT DOESN'T DECIDE GAMES THE WAY YOU THINK IT DOES!!! Every fan thinks their team is robbed - they can't all be right, but they can all be wrong.

Even in the 2016 GF, when the situation was so bad that the AFL came out and made a statement about it, I wouldn't say we were robbed of the game. Who knows? The bulldogs were a good team who we hadn't beaten for two years - they may well have won anyway.

It's not about you, Goal Sneak, but it annoys me when so much of the talk is one-sided complaining about umpiring, when there is so much about aussie rules football to enjoy and discuss.
[/RANT]

I agree with this but sometimes commonsense needs to be applied overall I didn't have a problem with the umpiring in the game except two decisions which were mind numbingly stupid. The first was the Callum Mills one where he didn't have prior opportunity and was tackled immediately but was trying to get rid of the footy which was trapped under him. There was no prior opportunity and he was trying to get rid of it but free kick. The second was the Lloyd one in the pocket when he was being tackled and called deliberate out of bounds.

ALL fans want commonsense and consistency.

[baskin]

How great was Kennedy's goal? I don't know what he was thinking or how he fluked it, but if pulling a clutch goal like that out of your arse is not captaincy material, then I don't know what is! I take back everything I said about him possibly not being the best choice as captain.

Not sure how you came to think it was a fluke. Joey has kicked a number of goals like that and at important times in games. The 2012 GF comes to mind. I doubt Joey does anything without thinking either.

[Blood Fever]

Not sure how you came to think it was a fluke. Joey has kicked a number of goals like that and at important times in games. The 2012 GF comes to mind. I doubt Joey does anything without thinking either.

Good call Keith!

[liz]

I agree with this but sometimes commonsense needs to be applied overall I didn't have a problem with the umpiring in the game except two decisions which were mind numbingly stupid. The first was the Callum Mills one where he didn't have prior opportunity and was tackled immediately but was trying to get rid of the footy which was trapped under him. There was no prior opportunity and he was trying to get rid of it but free kick. The second was the Lloyd one in the pocket when he was being tackled and called deliberate out of bounds.

ALL fans want commonsense and consistency.

But Richmond can just as well point to a number of holding the ball decisions that probably should have been paid against the Swans but weren't (of which the Jones one is a clear example). And Richmond were pinged for just a silly a DOB just moments before the one that went against Lloyd.

The nature of the game makes it very hard to umpire and, as spectators, we need to accept that the umpires won't always see a contest the way a one-eyed fan will see it, and sometimes they'll just make mistakes. It's fine to rue individual decisions but not to let them cloud the overall perspective of the game. There have been games where I think the umpiring has been uneven, possibly to the extent of influencing the result, but these are very much in the minority, and it's far safer to draw that conclusion when it's a game not involving your team.