Tigers’ loss to Giants down to poor kicking not the umpiresGreg Denham, Bridget Carter, Scott Murdoch
The Australian
16 July 2018Stop being a sook Dimma, even in jest.
After Greater Western Sydney outlasted Richmond in a thriller at Spotless Stadium on Saturday night, Tigers coach Damien “Dimma” Hardwick took a swipe at the umpiring over free kicks for high tackles.
He may have been referring to isolated incidents that went against his team, when returning Giant Toby Greene got one and Tigers star Dustin Martin did not.
Hardwick obviously thought there was an imbalance in the way some tackling free kicks were umpired.
“Look, I can’t really comment on the umpiring, but it would be fair to say we’re going to do a bit of ducking practice at training tonight,” Hardwick said trying to disguise his displeasure with a laugh.
“The game is incredibly hard to umpire, let’s make no mistake about that. It was a pretty good contest, transition-wise it was up and back and it’s tough.
“They (the umpires) get a lot right. Sometimes they get some wrong. That’s life.
“The game, as I said, I don’t think was dominated by umpiring tonight, I thought we saw a pretty good game of footy that we should be looking at the game and that’s how it should be played. Two sides going at it for a long period of time and one side got out the winner.”
Umpiring is no laughing matter.
Hardwick’s dig comes a week after Essendon coach Whingeing Worsfold bleated repeatedly about the Bombers’ free-kick differential, following a loss to Collingwood.
Richmond did not lose by two points because of any umpiring decisions.
For most of the night, GWS were the more desperate side. The Tigers lost because they kicked poorly for goal and did not take their opportunities.
They stay on top of the ladder, but only on percentage. After seeming to have consecutive premiership flags in the bag this far from home, maybe the Tigers are human and vulnerable after all.
Or was their fourth loss of the season — all away from their happy-hunting ground at the MCG — just a wake-up call with six rounds of the season to play?
After all, the Giants did have their measure last year at the same venue when Jeremy Cameron kicked the winner inside the final minute after Richmond squandered too many opportunities, just as they did on Saturday night.
In Richmond’s first defeat this year in a game decided by less than 10 points, they had more inside-50s than GWS and more scoring shots, including 11 of the last 15.
Instead of ducking exercises at training, perhaps some goalkicking practice wouldn’t go astray at Punt Road this week.
Richmond’s 10.17 (77) was the first time they have kicked more points than goals since their upset loss to Port Adelaide, when they kicked 8.10 (58) in round 12.
Forwards Jason Castagna and Shai Bolton had opportunities to be heroes in the final minutes, but Castagna kicked a point and Bolton’s set shot sprayed wide and right to go out of bounds on the full.
The normally reliable Castagna kicked five points and one out on the full. In the first 13 rounds of the season he had booted a healthy 19.12, but in three games since he hasn’t kicked a goal, but has totalled seven behinds.
He’ll eventually get it right and it could be as early as Friday night against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/tigers-loss-to-giants-down-to-poor-kicking-not-the-umpires/news-story/344b7a50021b44fa8bacf86c324b9b11
