I have been saying for years, the worst part of footy is the umpiring. Tragically, it just seems to get worse every year.

If you don't have prior opportunity and your tackled and you make a attempt to dispose of the ball it doesn't have to be a correct disposal? So by that logic a player can just drop or throw the ball, what about the incorrect disposal rule? no wonder why players, coaches and fans are confused and frustrated.

Wait, you can have prior, unsuccessfully dispose of the ball, and it's okay because you tried? That's the last bit of solid ground disappearing below us supporters.

Watch the third quarter again and tell me anything is wrong: Minute mark listed for easy finding. 18.42 - Draper clear high contact ruck not paid. 18.35 - Danger dropping the ball free to Durham not paid. 12.45 - Draper arm chop not paid 11.30 - Perkins clearly being held not paid 11.23 - Stringer holding the ball free which even Ling chimes in and says “he doesn’t like it and what more could he do to try” 10.33 - Menzie rushed behind free 10.33- Durrsma was pushed in the back by Dempsey before Menzie ran it through 9.50 - Essendon free, Stewart picks it up, pauses, then handballs it away to the ground, should’ve been 50m and a shot at goal. 8.45 - Goldstein clearly held in ruck not paid. 7.50 - Ridley holding the ball tackled immediately, Danger got away with it 5-6 times. 6.45 - McKay obvious free, Geelong boot it away, even the commentators state it should be 50m. 5.00 - Bowes holding the ball to Durham 40m out, not paid. 4.50 - Henry kicks it straight out of bounds like Ridley does earlier, not paid. 4.30 - Durham clearly held by Stewart without ever taking the ball not paid. 3.35 - clear push in the back by De Koning in ruck not paid. 3.23 - Blicavs drops the ball with prior in Essendon’s F50, not paid. 3.10 - The clear holding the ball not paid against Stewart in Bombers 50 again not paid. 3.05 - Atkins picks up Stewart fumble, takes on tackle, also drops it, also not paid. 1.45 - As commentators state, throw by Atkins in Essendon’s 50 again. 1.19 - Caldwell held at Bombers F50 stoppage. Watch these moments and tell me these didn’t happen?….

How the Stewart decision isnt HTB is beyond me, as textbook as they come. What a shambles to coach and play this game - Freo fan

The 3rd quarter of this game produced some of the worst umpiring I’ve seen in years, all of it going Geelong’s way. And how they can say Tom Stewart wasn’t holding the ball is beyond me. And no, I don’t support Essendon.

There is no such rule ad making an attempt. It's called incorrect disposal

Easy fix, no prior opportunity, no holding the ball. Prior opportunity, unless a clean disposal is achieved, it is holding the ball.

The 👏problem 👏is 👏not 👏the 👏inconsistency. 👏It's 👏the 👏dumb 👏rules. 👏

We were robbed... RIGHT IN FRONT OF Meee

So if you are tackled with no prior opportunity, just pretend to try handball or kick it. Got it.

Bit late for that now those decisions by the umpires killed the passion for the game sat night between Essendon and Geelong with all the rule changes from one year to another I think I would rather watch footy from the 80's and 90's were the game was pure and great to watch and fun entertainment the AFL has ruined it by too many rule changes and we are now watching 3 sports in one Cricket Soccer and Basketball, I am really starting to dislike the game now.

2:00 when discussing why Tom Stewart wasn't called holding the ball, the afl told Scott that "Stewart didnt have prior opportunity and had attempted to get rid of the ball". He further clarified what that meant which was "if you don't have prior opportunity and you attempt to get rid of the ball, it doesn't have to be a correct disposal". .... there is literally a rule for this... it's called INCORRECT DISPOSAL!! 18.6. 3 Holding the ball: Incorrect Disposal - Where a Player in Possession of the Football has not had Prior Opportunity, a field Umpire shall award a Free Kick if that Player elects to Incorrectly Dispose of the football when Legally Tackled. So it's perfectly fine to say it wasn't holding the ball because it wasn't....but it WAS an incorrect disposal and THAT is what should have been paid!! This is further proof that the afl doesn't even understand their own rules!!!!

What happened to incorrect disposal? Dropping the ball not a thing anymore?

I don't get it. I was there Saturday night and the crowd could clearly see these free kicks should or should not have been given, but the guys who get paid to know and enforce the rules have no idea what they are doing. It's insane.

when there is a run of things like this against the same team as there was in this game it's not a mistake it's a deliberate act.

At this point, I’d love to see some ex players come back and start umpiring. Players and coaches clearly see the game differently.

I really for the Dons and Brad Scott - he has done wonderful things with the group and the club, and they genuinely have been on the wrong end of quite a few poor decisions. Props to him, the group and the club for what they’ve done this season, and really happy for the Dons fans finally getting to enjoy the club performing well.

Start paying free kicks for incorrect disposal like they did up until 2016 🤷🏽 if you don't correctly dispose of the ball after your prior opportunity it's holding the ball. It's not rocket science 🤦🏽

If an average person was as bad and inconsistent at their job as the AFL umpires they would not last more than a month and yet they somehow keep getting worse and worse🤦‍♂️

I can’t watch it anymore it’s so inconsistent

Watched the game as a Freo fan who really didn't care who won and was thinking "Geez,the Bombers are having a rough run with the umps tonight"

This was far beyond bad umpiring. This was blatant cheating. When the umpire is consistently paying frees for Geelong and not paying the same frees for essendon that is clearly cheating

Mistakes are made sure, but the amount of mistakes their making is RIDICULOUS!

Did they show the Draper diving on the ball one?

Yes to the royal commission into the 'holding the ball' rule!!!

Make no mistake, Geelong received a push on the weekend and the league decided that this was the game to do it because it was against a side that hasn't beaten anyone of significance.

During halftime, are the umpires monitored?

What is Jye Menzie doing with the ball in his hands 15m out from goal on several occasions. He has never played in D50, and terrible coaching threw him to the wolves like he was against Carlton. Why didn’t McGrath, Ridley, Redman etc have the ball in their hands? Appalling structures and coaching.

Geelong are the most protected species in the competition. The umpires go out of their way to make decisions that favour Geelong

We can "bash" the umpirING without "bashing" the actual umpires. I don't blame any individual umpire. I actually feel sorry for them. The game has become so hard to officiate with a million different nuanced rules its no wonder they struggle. Especially with rule changes literally from week to week throughout the season.

I've never in 40 years seen a coach get airtime to bag the umpires. His team just isn't good enough

Get rid of the umps and install A1 Cameras with Megaphones

Cats fan. Definitely got the rub of the green on a few this week however it is amazing how quickly people forget how the cats were absolutely crucified by the umps after Chris Scott called them out earlier in the year. Against PA and GWS the cats couldn’t buy a free and against the suns it was 17-3 in the suns favour at half time. In that game a 50 m was paid against stengle for having the audacity to contest a bloody marking contest yet dozens of late spoils and tackles have gone unpunished since. My biggest beef however is the fact so many throws go unpunished from all sides and yes I fully acknowledge Dangerfield is a serial offender. As for 4 field umps, sorry but the decisions have just gotten worse.

All these grey areas started when some knob in HQ decided the game wasn't fast enough, let's make it fast paced by changing some rules and it's snowballed from there. Without sounding old school I will just say that the rules were crystal clear up until the early 2000's. We still had a go at the umps as we always do but everyone knew the rules. Now I don't know many, I just cheer and clap when a goal is kicked because the big sticks rule is the only one that is crystal clear to me.

Wait so do players not need to handpass or kick it now? Is an attempt all of a sudden enough to not be pinned? Wtf is the point in playing footy then if you dont need to yknow dispose of the ball by kicking or handballing it? If you tackle a player as they're kicking it and it misses there boot its not holding the ball by this logic lmao The game is cooked and Laura Kane is absolutely failing to admit any fault of the afl and how terribly it umpires the games

17.10.2 Free Kicks - Deliberate Rushed Behinds A Free Kick shall be awarded against a Player from the Defending Team who intentionally Kicks, Handballs or forces the football over the Attacking Team’s Goal Line or Behind Line or onto one of the Attacking Team’s Goal Posts, and the Player: (a) is greater than nine metres from the Goal Line or Behind Line; (b) is not under immediate physical pressure; (c) has had time and space to dispose of the football; or (d) from a Ruck contest, hits the football over the Goal Line or Behind Line on the full.

Really disappointing to hear the club wouldnt contact the AFL for a please explain after that disgrace

How about the saints player, ball pops into his hands he takes one step the opposition jumps on to his back, flattens him to the ground his head hits the turf hard too, he's pinned but in 2 sec the umpire gave holding the ball, so jumping onto his back flattening him to the turf hitting his head hard pinning him and it's the opposite of what everyone thought dangerous takle in the back his head slamming into the turf, im confused, im a lions supporter, that changed the game they lost it with 30 sec to go with giving a free kick , what happened to protection of the ball player cheap shot hit on the saints player, he had headaches after the match come on get real to much to soon others now know how to cheat the system

Isn't it funny how they don't call it the same way for the opposition in the same game..so making wrong interpretation is not really the issue!

Someone is lying or the afl doesn't know its own rules, or they have changed the wording of the rules without telling anyone. Rule 18.6.4 genuine attempt says this does not apply to prior opportunity. You have to dispose of the ball correctly when you have prior opportunity or your pinned.

*AFL is a mess... its great the Essendon coach got an explanation so his players can understand whats expected next week but the 16 other clubs dont...... so Carlton next week get the same bad decision and get the same explanation.... why isnt the AFL circulating this to every coaching department?*

Grow a pair Brad. Start defending the players, demanding accountability from the AFL and don't take any more 1 week suspensions like what Dangerfield did. Bombers need to harden up.

Whatever happened to incorrect disposal?

So if riddles dropped the ball and failed to kick it would that not be a free kick to Geelong for incorrect disposal? Either way there was nothing he could have done.

Ridley was also being twisted and supporting the weight of the tackler. If he tried to throw a leg at the ball, he'd be very likely to injure the knee of his supporting leg. It's idiotic for an umpire to expect him to do this, when player welfare should be the first priority.

It was like the AFL had Chris Scott at gunpoint under the table when they asked him what his position was on this. AFL is one of the worst organisation atm in my opinion.

The Ridley decision was the biggest BS of the nite

wow we cant even speak the truth now

4 umpires, 4 different interpretations of the same rule/free kick. Get rid of 2 umpires. Better quality personell, fewer misinterpretations on adjudications.

im a neatrul supporter but clearly insificient attempt to dispose of the ball and i hate umpires but ridley gets spun around twice makes no attempt to get rid of it until he's on the ground then decides to wiggle like a dead fish to late sorry holding the ball but thats essendon for ya

Don't get paid against Geelong and Collingwood afl loves them

Scott of the antarctic

Afl day grand final a.m annalogue yesterday twilight or night grand final f.m digital tomorrow move forward 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

I think the coaches dont say what they mean umpires are protected why? players get fined or reported coaches get fined umpires need to be accountable for there rubbish decisions sometimes blaten cheating if you dont understand the rules dont umpire

Afl media, teams and coaches need to go on strike

Get over it ffs u lost by 45

Afl footy has gone the drain, the draw is a joke, uneven, all about money, favors the rich clubs, give Adelaide clubs an additional game each year, lets Geelong play home game every year in last round and i could go on... Umpires made to make games close and the competition so that people will watch games to help television sponsors and ratings and AFL coffers... The competition is all about MONEY MONEY AND MONEY ... five day breaks makes teams not go in hard one week and be great the next... The AFL competition is not a fair competition. Do the fans get a fair chop no they can go to all games but miss out on a Grand Final ticket to someone who goes once a year that being a sponsor with the AFL.

Try sitting in the stands watching an Essendon game. The supporters are completely rabid. Absolutely feral. Perhaps even worse than Collingwood and that’s saying something. They would never accept any decision against them.

2 goals in 2 quarters ant winning at all forget the umpires Brad how about the list and your tactics

See bombers you are still just ordinary

now I'm really confused. Read the rules and you will find the deliberate rushed behind was a correct decision when you follow the written rules. The holding the ball decisions, well they are a toss of the coin.

Just let players chuck it/drop it. Out with the handball. A relic of the game that does nothing but slow the game down.

What's the point of the AFL coming out & 'talking to the fans' it will just be the usual Condescending Bureaucratic double speak

This smells of bad Umpire Leadership I experienced it in a Local League

Sack DEI Laura Kane and soyboy Dillon, and put real footy men in their positions …

The Dons shouldn’t get too far ahead of themselves……over an 8 week period this year they didn’t beat a team that was higher than 9th on the ladder…….while the Blues played the top ten sides in the first 12 weeks ……….Carlton have earned their spot on the ladder………. No other team in the League had played the top ten…….Not even the Swans !!

He walked the ball over the goal line. He could have kept the ball in play. That was the correct call. If he did that over the boundary line it would have been a free kick as well.

Poor decisions ruining too many games unwatchable

Utter rubbish!!!! Just making things more complicated 🙄

typical essendon fans blaming someone else for their own failures to beat anyone decent, they should be greatful that they get to play 10 weeks straight in melbourne

Players have been for years being gaming the rules. Making fake attempts to dispose of the ball fr exmaple. If the Coaches trained their players to play with the spirit of the rules they would not be a problem.

Free kick Pies or Cats take your pick. Unfortunately it won't change the result and the Bombers crashed. AFL media weekly hysteria again ?