It's not just these rules its all rules. All interpretations change weekly as the agenda pushes for an emphasis on this issue this week and another one the next. Real problem is when you are a team on the bottom of the ladder it seems everything is transpiring against you. Certainly was last week and to an extent last night and certainly in the second half of the third quarter in Adelaide two weeks ago.
Speaking of the Adelaide game. Do you remember that "mark" and goal that they paid to McLeod, when he dead-set dropped it like a hot potato?
And of all the rubbish they paid against us last night, the one that stuck the most in my mind was when Vickery marked it, fumbled it slightly, and the Essendon player knocked it out of his hands.
I was waiting for the 50m penalty, and the scumpire goes "play on", and they kicked a goal. It happened right in front of me, and if Vickery was deemed to have played on I'll go "Hee".
Certainly do RR, sticks in my mind and how about to just return the favour on two occasions last night once in the first and once in the second the Ess player was paid the mark in the first when he slightly fumbled the ball on the first bite and the ball was punched away. One goal one to them resulted. Inequalities in umpiring with different interparetations of the rule in the same game are murdering the match and result of it as a consequence. My point is it always seems to go against the team that is struggling.
It has been hapenning for years. Dubious frees where inequities have been there for all to see. Three incidents that I remember as a general itemisation of proof to my theory are these in 1991 Fitzroy lost to Adelaide when Adelaide got 2 dubious frees very late in the game that got them over the line in a close one prompting Peter McKenna to spray the umpires on air much to the anger of Channel 7 at the time and the other two involved us. One that benefitted us and one that didn't. Fitzroy were bottom at the time for those wanting to know as a side note.
Richmond v Fitzroy in 1995 when the Fitzroy player ran the ball out and it was paid deliberate and Knighter got a 50 after Dougie Hawkins gave the ump a spray and we kicked the goal that won the game. FItzroy were bottom.
Dreamtime at the G in 2007. The Richo incident. Again we were bottom and the result hinged on that dubious decision also with the much hated hands in the back rule. We were winless then as well.
