AFL - Round 21

[CyberKev]

how good were the CATS and how bad were the Weagles

It was definitely more a case of the cats being exceptionally good. When they're on song the Cats play that high pressure, close checking, hard tackling game better than anyone. I really hope they can sustain more of it from here and shake up the finals.

West Coast played much the same as they did against us in Subi a few weeks back. The difference here was in the superior ball use by the Cats who were able to punish them for their lack of conviction and unwillingness to go direct down the ground and into attack.

and Nate Ablett, looking forward to next year when this kids gets a bit bigger and stronger

Looked fab, particularly early on. Reads the play well and can take a strong grab. Appears to have a good connection with his brother. Plenty of good clay to work with there for the purrers.

 

[UndertakerMike]

There has been a few smart aresed comments by the umpires coming home from the WA after the Fremantle/Saints game.

Stay tuned for more developements

 

[camsmith]

There has been a few smart aresed comments by the umpires coming home from the WA after the Fremantle/Saints game.

Stay tuned for more developements

um..Proof?

A journo and a Saints member.. :roll:

We only know one side of the story at the moment, im sure they'll hold a press conference today... its a pity after (i reckon) the best round of football all season.. we are (still) talking about umpires and not how great a game AFL is.

 

[UndertakerMike]

Proof ....You don't want to hear the Proof

24 August 2005 Herald Sun
Michael Stevens

COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire yesterday escalated the umpires' "whispers in the sky" controversy with sensational new allegations.
McGuire said he had overheard the comment "$20,000 and four" coming from the direction of the umpires.
He said he had heard the "ill-advised" comment as he walked past the umpires.
"It's not necessarily whether they did anything wrong, but was it was actually said . . . well, I heard that remark," McGuire said.
". . . $20,000 and four, which I took as inference to it has cost him, being (St Kilda coach) Grant Thomas, $20,000 and the four (premiership) points."
McGuire aired the new allegations on 3AW, but would not elaborate last night.
He had previously refrained from backing the claims of Channel 9 commentator Tony Jones involving inappropriate umpires comments after Friday night's Fremantle-St Kilda match.
Jones said he had overheard umpire Matthew Head remark: "Now I know what it feels like to have a victory".
The alleged comment was made as Head and fellow umpire Brett Allen boarded a flight from Perth after Fremantle's five-point win.
Jones' claim was backed by a fellow passenger, Mitch Rentessis.
In other developments:THE AFL appointed investigations officer Allan Roberts to head its probe into the issue.JONES made a written statement to Roberts and his assistant, Bill Kneebone.IT'S understood Roberts and Kneebone will also seek confirmation of the comments from another independent witness (not Rentessis) seated next to Jones on the Perth flight.AFL Umpires Association chief Bill Deller said the umpires welcomed the investigation.UMPIRES Matthew Head and Brett Allen were interviewed by Roberts.
McGuire said he has not previously spoken about the remark because he was not sure which umpire said it or, in fact, if it was an umpire.
"It came from where they were standing just as we walked past," he said.
McGuire said there were also reports about the umpires' behaviour after the match.
"Talking about the behaviour of the umpires . . . we'd had reports after the game in regards to them fresh-airing the St Kilda hierarchy, and also that they were pretty pumped up after the game," he said.
"That was consistent with a couple of smart alec remarks.
"Remembering that the first one was unsolicited, that was the one I heard.
"It was probably ill-advised, if nothing else."
McGuire said he didn't think the umpires should be targeted as a result of their comments.
"If somebody made a remark, well, say it, and let's not hang them for it," he said.
"But it was a public area, members of the public heard that. Tony was within his rights to report it. The comments were clearly made."
AFL media manager Patrick Keane said night there was no timeline on the investigation.

 

[meltiger]

um..Proof?

A journo and a Saints member.. :roll:

We only know one side of the story at the moment, im sure they'll hold a press conference today... its a pity after (i reckon) the best round of football all season.. we are (still) talking about umpires and not how great a game AFL is.

Ed's "20,000 and 4" comment is the killer ... The rats have finally been exposed. Incomparable can confirm a comment well known to many Richmond supporters that was made by one D Goldspink regarding Richmond and their chances of winning games he officiates ... The bastards have finally been caught admitting they are f**king cheats, let's see if the AFL does anything now.

The fact that an impartial club president who has nothing to gain from this has now put his hed on the chopping block gives the story absoloute credibility. Cam did you watch the game on Friday night? Saints were rorted, there is no escaping it now for the AFL. They either admit their on-field policemen are biased cheats, or they may as well give the whole thing away.

 

[CyberKev]

The fact that an impartial club president who has nothing to gain from this has now put his hed on the chopping block gives the story absoloute credibility. Cam did you watch the game on Friday night? Saints were rorted, there is no escaping it now for the AFL. They either admit their on-field policemen are biased cheats, or they may as well give the whole thing away.

They were deadset rorted!

My count of games decided ABSOLUTELY by umpiring ineptitude (deliberate or otherwise) has now officially risen to 5!

 

[meltiger]

They were deadset rorted!

My count of games decided ABSOLUTELY by umpiring ineptitude (deliberate or otherwise) has now officially risen to 5!

Do the other 4 involve Essendon?

;-)

 

[meltiger]

I also notice that you cannot argue my point that Richmond would be in dire straits without Richo.

Well actually, as much as I love the big fella ...

Take Richo out of the Richmond line up permenantly and the team would need to learn to take a different avenue to go rather than the current 'Just kick it long to Richo'

Richo is double teamed at best, and most weeks is triple teamed. This makes the Richmond forward line very, very easy to defend against. It also helps them when he thrashes his opponent and procedes to kick 4 goals, 4 behinds as he did on Sunday arvo. I love watching him play and he is a superstar in every sense of the word.

But, Wallace needs to instill in the team the confidence to kick the ball to players such as Kayne Pettifer etc, players who are great marks, and can genuinely kick very, very well. Rather than just letting Richo 'own' the attacking half of the ground. The long term benefit for Richo from that would be as we moved away from being so 1 dimensional ... he would no longer be double/triple teamed every week as we wouldn't be so bloody predictable.


Lost without Richo? Maybe for a season as they gained confidence in the teams other forwards.



How many games would Hawthorn win without Spider and Crawf on the ground? How many games St Kilda without Nicky, Brisbane without Brown, West Coast without Cousins, Collingwood without Buckley, Essendon with Hirdy... Every single club has a marquee player whose absence is devestating.

 

[CyberKev]

Do the other 4 involve Essendon?

;-)

LOL...

Adelaide vs Fitzroy (circa 1992-93)
Adelaide vs Geelong (1997 finals)
Essendon vs Hawthorn (2001 preliminary)
Essendon vs Sydney (2004)

This differs from the other 4 in that there is an express likelihood that this "ineptitude" was deliberately premeditated.

 

[meltiger]

Essendon vs Hawthorn (2001 preliminary)

Didn't Croad miss a shot at the death?

Had their chances ... ;-)

 

[CyberKev]

Didn't Croad miss a shot at the death?

Had their chances ... ;-)

More full-on types would classify games such as the Essendon vs Hawthorn clash from Round 3 as a deadset steal, but you have to look beyond individual moments, no matter how nasty they are.

The 5 games that I mentioned all contained a handful of brutally dodgy moments, all of which went against the losing side in what finished as a tight game.

Essendon were fragile going into that game, and despite being clearly outplayed in the first quarter fouind themselves several goals up due to all five of their opening quarter goals being gifted through decisions that were as perplexing as they were obscene.

As such, the Bombers spirits soared going into the 2nd term, while Hawthorn's dropped, paving the way for Essendon's matchwinning second term. Schwab got the side back on track superbly at halftime only to see it run out of legs and poise at the death knell.

Without the overt first term "assistance", the Bombers would have been never in it.

It still pisses me off, but not as much as it would have if I actually believed for a second we could've got close to Brisbane the following week.

 

[meltiger]

It still pisses me off, but not as much as it would have if I actually believed for a second we could've got close to Brisbane the following week.

I have always been of the belief we would certainly have given a better account for ourselves in the GF than the Scummers did... Given the final two margins and taking into account our game was in Brisbane unlike the GF, coupled with the fact we had beaten them once already that year, I think we could have run them closer. Hawthorn most certainly could have too if they had of gotten through the Prelim. They (Richmond) were spooked in the Qualifying Final and that result wouldn't have repeated itself.