We all like watching Kerr, Ablett & other midfielders who take the game on but something bothers me about Kerr & Ablett’s attitude and how they carry on when they do not get the free kick.
Looking at Kerr’s stats it is obvious the umpires do protect him with an average of 2.5 free kicks a game (total of 28 for 11 games). This is one of the highest for any player this year.
We all remember the St Kilda v Geelong game and how good a game it was but in watching the game, I am continuously reminded of the last 5 minutes. This is where villains & heroes are made. One Kick2Kick commenter mentioned that we talk about Gardiner because of his last minute mark and that is true also for Gary Ablett jnrs last 5-minute sulk to the umpire.
He was on the boundary line and he was tackled by St Kilda’s tagger Clinton Jones a little long as Ablett made a feeble attempt to dispose of the ball. Now if the umpire was technically correct, he could have paid the free kick either way but we all prefer when the umpire puts the whistle away for the soft decisions in the close games right?
And the umpire did and Jones pressure and tackle meant that the ball went to the other end and St Kilda won the game. However where was Gary Ablett jnr when this all happened? He was crying foul to the umpire…
I am not saying he lost the game for Geelong because of his selfish sook (or maybe I am) but you do not see Joel Selwood or a Chris Judd sook and continuously complain to the umpire like Daniel Kerr & Gary Ablett. Yes their needs to be balance in that they are protected by the umps but if you cannot handle the pressure of a tagger, maybe you should not be playing.
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July 15th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
The comment re Gardiner is a wild and imaginative reading of my post, but on to other things.
Kerr averages 2.5 free kicks so he’s protected? I’m not going to paint him as some paragon of virtue, but do you think maybe he’s HELD a few more than 2.5 times per game? Kerr’s entitled to an unrestrained effort to get to the ball unhindered by illegal actions, isn’t he? The same applies, perhaps more so, to Ablett.
If both Kerr and Ablett are not clearly held at least fifty times a game, then I’m watching a different game. The same would apply to Judd.
I suspect that even gentle remonstrations to umpires have entirely the opposite effect to that intended. Yet how many of us, if illegally restrained as Kerr and Ablett are, would not call loudly for the adjudicators to look more closely next time?
As for umpires putting the whistle away in close games (I assume you meant finishes, but the point is the same), the players, coaches and fans have a right to expect that free kicks will be paid on the same criteria at the end of the game (or season) as at the start. Why should we have to adjust our expectations quarter by quarter, game by game, month by month?
aussierulesblog´s last blog ..A ‘victim’ of changing expectations?
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July 16th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Yes Kerr & every other midfielder gets held at least 50 odd times more than the 2.5 times the umpire pays a free kick but the fact is that Kerr gets better treatment from the umpires than many others. Think when I looked at the stats only Joel Selwood got more free kicks than Kerr but thats due to him ducking his head and playing low to the ground.
I think all of us prefer when the umpire does NOT pay the soft 50/ 50 decisions which this one was (between Ablett & Jones).
You do raise a good point about the umpires should be consistent quarter by quarter, game by game etc but until we get robots as umpires that wont happen, no matter how many times we talk about them!
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July 20th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
the simple fact of the matter is, is kerr and ablett are not true superstars. they are great players but they cannot handle the attention placed on them by opposition teams and players. Judd, Selwood, Bartel and even cousins got just as much if not more attention that kerr and ablett yet they complained (and in kerr’s case) got suspended alot less.
ablett is a sook who when he gets roughed up or doesnt get his own way, he has a cry to the umpires and gets that look on his face which makes him look like a whinging little girl.
And kerr, he doesn’t really cry that much, he just lashes out, punching people and losing the plot. lets not forget when he punched sam mitchell in the groin. in my opinion. both players should learn to control their temper and stop being sooks and play the game like men for crying out loud.
Mike´s last blog ..WS: Trip to FeilongShan
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