The Lake 'Free' and Other 'Frees'

[The Coon Dog]

Akers main intention was to get the ball forward 50m, it going OOB was a bonus result.

Aker's only intention was to get the ball out of bounds. A free kick every day of the week.

[LostDoggy]

Aker's only intention was to get the ball out of bounds. A free kick every day of the week.

Right now we are just proving how the "interpretation" part of the rules just doesn't work.
You would pay that a free kick every day, and I would never pay that a free kick.

[soupman]

I can live with the Aker one, he even admitted that was his intention.

I can live with the last Riewoldt goal, because even in slow motion it isn't clear whether Harbrow touched it after or during Riewoldts boots contact, and the umpires can't be expected to notice that.

What I can't live with are the stupid inconsistencies; The Riewoldt free after half time that was the same as 20 other incidents, the Ward Htb when he never had a real chance, and yet Baker and Dal Santo both got away with the same sort of thing. Hudson getting grabbed high but having it let go, even though Gardiner had gotten at least 2 for the same thing. Just so bloody frustrating.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Aker's only intention was to get the ball out of bounds. A free kick every day of the week.

It shouldn't be, but it is.

[bornadog]

It shouldn't be, but it is.

Another flawed rule.

You can't kick the ball 55 metres and let it bounce out because its deemed deliberate.

You can, pretend you are going for the ball but run out of bounce if you make it look like you were trying to run around the player.

You can punch the shit out of the ball and make it go out of bounds and its not deliberate, but we all know it is deliberate.

Another JOKE of a rule.

[LostDoggy]

It takes a fair amount of skill to kick it 50 down the line then bounce it over the boundary. It shouldn't be penalised. I understand if you kick it directly towards the boundary.

[alwaysadog]

Any bad decisions didn't lose us the game, plain & simple.

Logically in such a close game you can't state that any more than you could state that they did.

Perhaps you are emphasising the opportunities we had to win but failed to take, but that is an entirely different issue.

Perhaps you like all of us are trying to get over your disappointment by not looking for what seem like soft reasons, and that is perfectly understandable, but let's put that to one side for a moment, what is being suggested is that crucial opportunities were made for St Kilda by other than the quality of their play.

What this thread highlights is that there were a range of doubtful decisions that seemed to go against us. This was my comment to friends while watching the game while we were leading.

I am a biased observer and could be wrong but can anyone think of anything like an equivalent number that went our way, because if not the balance of probibilities seems to be on the side of the argument that the outcome of the game was influenced by the supposedly impartial force because they had been pre-programmed to certain issues which they applied irrespective of circumstance.

Whether this determined the result won't be canvassed too far beyond the bounds of this site, but if the black and white filth or the navy blue filth were on the receiving end then there would be calls for a royal commission in the national parliament.

[aker39]

Just to get one thing clear.

Brian Lake was not warned to stop bumping Riewoldt. Dale Morris bumped Riewoldt in the 1st quarter and the umpire told him to be careful. Brian Lake was NEVER warned to stop bumping Riewoldt.

And it is little consolation, but McInerney will not be umpiring the grand final.

[Desipura]

I wonder if Ray Chamberlain being vertically challenged hinders his ability to see the play? You hear of umpires being on the wrong side when they have not paid a decision, well he has more than one thing that can obstruct his view of the game.

[LostDoggy]

I know its pointless but did anyone notice the missed free at the throw in with 1:44 left on the clock? Hudson has been headlocked at the throw in but it is allowed to go on because of the stage of the game.

Bloody oath I noticed it and a goal was scored as a direct result.

Of all the questionable decisions this was up with the best (or worst depends how you look at it).

[Mantis]

As many as 6 of their goals where a direct/ indirect result of poor/ questionable umpiring decisions.

[LostDoggy]

Another flawed rule.

You can't kick the ball 55 metres and let it bounce out because its deemed deliberate.

You can, pretend you are going for the ball but run out of bounce if you make it look like you were trying to run around the player.

You can punch the shit out of the ball and make it go out of bounds and its not deliberate, but we all know it is deliberate.

Another JOKE of a rule.

Agree with this. As I heard on the commentary later, it was said that if Will Minson kicked the ball they wouldn't have called it deliberate. To assume that a player has the skill to kick a ball 50+ metres, let it bounce just inside the line, then roll end on end over the line (which of course was Aker's intention) is too much within the realm of interpretation, I believe -- umpires should be blind to individual players and just call the play consistently, but of course they don't. There's too much 'interpreting' going on.

If anything, Aker should take it as a compliment from the umpires that they know he's good enough to do what he did deliberately.

[LostDoggy]

As many as 6 of their goals where a direct/ indirect result of poor/ questionable umpiring decisions.

I thought that was the case. Not too bad a gift in a game where only 16 goals were scored!

Did we even get 1 goal from a free kick?

[LostDoggy]

I thought that was the case. Not too bad a gift in a game where only 16 goals were scored!

Did we even get 1 goal from a free kick?

Yep. A genuine one -- Johnno got a free kick in the third when Dawson punched him without eyes for the ball, but Johnno took the mark anyway, then kicked the goal when he played on quickly (and nearly gave me a heart attack).

[Mantis]

Yep. A genuine one -- Johnno got a free kick in the third when Dawson punched him without eyes for the ball, but Johnno took the mark anyway, then kicked the goal when he played on quickly (and nearly gave me a heart attack).

Last.