Gieschen!

AussieRulesBlog has noticed in a couple of this week’s games that umpires’ boss Jeff Gieschen has ordained a new and devastating interpretation of holding the man — well devastating for the Adelaide Crows anyway!

 

It’s not that long ago — four or five weeks? — that a player making a tackle was penalised if the player he tackled was held for a micro second after ‘disposing’ of the ball. Well, that interpretation has been well and truly shelved.

 

Tonight, the Crows were denied three crucial free kicks in the midfield in the last minutes of the game as they pressed to extend their hard-won lead over the Blues. In each case, the Adelaide player was slung in the tackle after the ball had spilled loose. Not to put too fine a point on it, the Crows were probably cost the game by these non-decisions. Clearly, by their expressions and gestures, the Adelaide players expected free kicks.

 

Thank the umpires Blues fans, because they got you the game.

 

Regular readers will be aware that AussieRulesBlog fights for consistency in umpiring. We don’t care if the decision is wrong, as long as it is interpreted consistently the same way every game and every week of the season.

 

Instead, what we get under the Gieschen Ascendency is constantly-changing interpretations leaving players, coaches and fans utterly bewildered.

 

What is there left to say? You guessed it! RELEASE THE GIESCH!!!!!!!