Frustration with AFL umpiring boiled over and now AFL faces ongoing booing issue, writes Mark Robinson
The AFL this week pleaded for an attitude change towards umpires. On Anzac Day, they got it — from a hostile Essendon crowd. Mark Robinson on why the AFL must listen to furious fans, even if the booing is out of control.
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On Tuesday, the AFL pleaded for an attitude change towards umpires.
On Thursday, they got it — from a hostile Essendon crowd.
Weekly frustration became a toxic overload during the final quarter and in the post-game on Thursday.
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The booing of Scott Pendlebury after the Anzac Day clash was shameful, writes Mark Robinson
And if the AFL wanted a temperature on what the fans think of the umpiring this year — and especially on this day — they should wonder no more.
Fans are furious and commentators are perplexed.
Interpretation and consistency are the major concerns. What constitutes holding the ball? What constitutes incorrect disposal? And prior opportunity can be in the eye of the beholder.
The AFL says the percentage of correct decisions this season is no different to other seasons — it’s at about 90 per cent — but that won’t soothe Bombers fans.
Still, they were shameful scenes when Anzac Day medallist Scott Pendlebury was given the microphone.
The Bombers can say they were booing the umpires, and via extension the AFL, as many have said on social media in the past 36 hours, yet that doesn’t excuse the disrespect shown towards Pendlebury and the occasion.
There was further little comfort for Bombers fans on Friday after AFL boss Gill McLachlan acknowledged the umpiring might have contributed to the angst.
He told 3AW Essendon supporters felt “the rub of the green” went against them.
“I think it was an emotional response to the loss,” McLachlan said.
“I don’t personally think they were booing Scott Pendlebury.
“I think they were booing the situation.’’
Whatever the “situation’’ McLachlan was referring to, the other situation is more prevalent and divisive — and that’s the booing itself.
It can’t be stopped — and it won’t be stopped — and when the AFL said it would act if the booing of Gary Ablett continued, it did nothing but incense the growing mob.
Ablett made a mistake, and while there are people who had no issue with Ablett liking the anti-gay post by Israel Folau, there are many others who did.
Briefly, Ablett supported hate speech, and those angry with Ablett would believe he deserves to be booed.
Certainly, there is a foreboding feel ahead of the Round 7 game between Essendon and Geelong.
Because if the Bombers fans will boo Pendlebury on Anzac Day after he was acknowledged for his brilliant game, there’s little hope they will give Ablett a free pass for what he did.
Might be wrong, but the mob mentality has woken and it’s loud.
The AFL is in a pickle.
They’d prefer to ignore the booing, but can’t do anything about it other than ask for calm.
“I think, personally, booing is a chink in the armour of our game,” McLachlan said.
His message to fans was: “Go express yourselves” and “don’t target individuals”.
If you have listened to Essendon fans, the booing of Pendlebury was the collateral damage for what they considered had been poor umpiring decisions.
Having watched the final quarter again, Essendon clearly was on the wrong end of several fifty-fifty decisions. Three contentious free kicks and non free kicks were:
■ 11th minute: Collingwood’s Tom Phillips kicked ball to Jack Crisp who marked the ball 70m from goal. He played on, Mark Baguley missed the tackle, Joe Daniher ran Crisp down and made the tackle. Crisps goes to ground, gets a handball away and all players stop because they thought it was a free kick to Essendon. The umpire, meanwhile, was screaming play on. The umpire was right.
■ 21st minute. At halfback, Pendlebury bent over to the pick up the ball and as Zach Merrett came in to tackle, Pendlebury thrust his head forward and slightly down. Pendlebury won the free kick for too high. Bombers fan were incensed, but those frees are paid more often than not because the ball winner has to be protected.
■ 27th minute: Jaidyn Stephenson crumbed a ball of the pack, Matt Guelfi tied him up, Stephenson tried to shrug him but couldn’t, the ball spilt free, and Jordan Ridley went straight into back of Callum Brown. That was incorrect disposal because Stephenson had prior opportunity because he tried to break the tackle. The rub of the green indeed.
The booing will be long be remembered — and no guessing what happens next season if an Essendon player wins the medal — yet there was so much more to assess on Thursday than bad umpiring and horrible sportsmanship.
Like, Essendon is now a bona fide premiership contender.
The Pies are certainties to play finals and are likely to finish inside the top four — and the Bombers ran them to four points.
This after being 33-points in arrears at the 21st minute of the second quarter.
From that time, the Bombers took control of the game.
Reliant on their stoppage work, which is a strong source of scores for them, the Bombers won the clearances 25-13.
Pleasing for them was the spread of winners.
In the first quarter, Collingwood won the clearances 10-5 and Dylan Shiel had four of them. After that Zach Merrett, David Myers, Dyson Heppell, Tom Bellchambers and Andy McGrath among others had far greater impact.
Most importantly, the showtime Bombers showed they had a toughness about them.
They won stoppage, but they also forced turnover which is what premiership contenders must do.
Forcing turnover is applying pressure and tackles, and from the time they were 33 points down, they outscored Collingwood 46-22 from turnovers and 54-25 overall.
On the flip side, Collingwood was able to withstand Essendon’s pressure.
It was a beauty of a contest.
There was high pressure, mistakes and moments of brilliance.
The pressure rating was 185 Collingwood and 181 Essendon. From that 21st minute of the second quarter, it was Essendon 193 and Collingwood 189.
The query on Essendon was not their ability to run, but their ability to stop Collingwood’s feverish ball movement.
Very rarely did the Magpies threaten to open up Essendon after halftime.
In the end, the Pies hung in, the Bombers gained respect and the umpires, and Pendlebury, felt the wrath of the crowd.
It will be an Anzac Day to remember.
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