Ponderings of the AFL.

I have thought of some things that I'm sure a lot of people (or maybe it's just me) have been wondering or thinking about....

First of all. I cannot take Alan Didak of Collingwood seriously as a footballer. No doubt he has freakish ability and the game he had on the weekend against Melbourne was probably one of his best. But the reason I can't take him seriously is because of his mouthguard. I know you are trying to resemble the Collingwood colours Alan but seriously you look like a bogan! It's not the best look to smile and look like you have your front two teeth missing. Change the colour of your mouthguard and I may take you seriously as a footballer. I reckon he looks like.....um....not too sure, don't want to single out working groups, but he doesn't look like a footballer with that mouthguard. Change the colour to a white or black or clear, it looks much nicer.

Another pondering is will the umpires ever get better? Yeah right as if that's going to happen? I just want to go through an entire game without noticing the umpiring and then I can say that they are doing a superb job, but until then I will complain about the umpires. I know they must have a hard job, but they need to look at their decisions more carefully and review them otherwise they will go downhill. I really don't like the attitude of some of the umpires. Some of them go around prancing like they run the show, really it's the players (and some coaches) that put on the show not the umpires, we don't want to notice them only to say what a fantastic job they did but that won't happen for a long time. I like though the "crap bounce" rule where they can bring back the ball after a crap bounce. I have even noticed some of the umpires appologising after, yeah I know it was a shock to me as well but it was good, shows that they are not all that, and that they are just part of the game, not all of it.

Really when it comes to the umpires I would love to see some female umpires going to umpire in the AFL. The public perception of umpires isn't that great, even at Junior level I have noticed that things need to change there. I have noticed though a few female umpires coming through and I just hope that the AFL umpires don't ruin it for those female umpires wanting to make a living out of it one day. I have considered being a field umpire, I know a lot about the game and the rules and I have always said that I can do a better job than some of the bozos that run the ship. I mean I'm used to abuse, I did work for Telstra after all!

Some rules need to be looked at. Some the umpires are being touchy with, some are not even being paid at the moment. If you have rules, pay them, pay them consistently and for both clubs, not because you feel like it. The push in the back rule is as inconsistent as a polly's promise, same with holding the ball. Some of the great battles in the 1990's between the likes of Dunstall and Silavani would be in trouble now had they played now rather than then. If it's pure strength and in the contest and the player marks the ball, then it's a mark not a free kick. Full backs have it difficult these days in my book. There is a lot of things that you cannot do and full backs need to invent ways in which they don't give a free kick. Gone are the days where you were just worrying about stopping the player from getting the ball, now you have to worry about not giving away a free kick as well as stopping the player from getting the ball. Ok that's enough about my rant about umpires....for the moment.

Another question I have. Who will be the next player to go to advanced hair? I noticed that David Hale had some work done which it's hard to know if it makes him look better or whether it really didn't matter. Brent Guerra definately looks better. Although the likes of Doug Bollinger had work done as well and well I reckon it looks like his hair was missing, it doesn't look natural to me. Some it looks good and some it doesn't.

I noticed last night on Hot Seat Millionaire the guy that played Barry Soraghan looks a lot like Mick Malthouse. How funny's that considering he coaches Eddie McGuires team Collingwood. Does anyone agree that he looks like him or is it just me?

That will do for now, I will have more ponderings at a latter date.

Catch ya!