Open Letter to Saints Supporters

[Sainter_Dad]

To all who bleed for our blessed Club!

Speak volumes by your silence!

Next week against the Demons, do not attend - let the AFL know that if they insist on allowing unprofessional, inept umpiring to continue, vacant seats will be the result. It is a pity that next weeks game is not against the Giants, where the empty seats would be more obvious, but if the AFL is not going to make umpiring professional, and hold the individual umpires to a higher standard, then we should not attend.

Let the team that we all love know that if there are no cheers at the ground when we play, it is because we support them.

We can make a stand, Watters and the team can say all that they want, they will not be heard, but if there are no bums on seats, the AFL will have to listen. It is beyond a joke, umpires cannot get it so wrong, and have such an impact in a games that was so close in every other aspect.

Do your thing Saints fans. Let the silence be deafening.

Stronger through Loyalty!
Sainter_Dad!!!!

[saintspremiers]

Idiotic post buddy.

I'm not sure if you are aware, but next weeks game, whilst at the G is our HOME game.

Boycotting it does financial harm to OUR club.

If you were aware of that, then please support another club.

By all means a boycott of an AWAY game makes sense.

[saintspremiers]

And you are also wrong saying the game was so close in every other aspect. Have a look at inside 50's and scoring shots. The fact we kicked one more goal than them and still lost says something.

[Sainter_Dad]

Idiotic post buddy.

I'm not sure if you are aware, but next weeks game, whilst at the G is our HOME game.

Boycotting it does financial harm to OUR club.

If you were aware of that, then please support another club.

By all means a boycott of an AWAY game makes sense.

So we sit by and take it again - not standing up for what we believe in because it costs the club financially. So does not making it to the finals series. Short term pain for long term gain.

I did not even consider the financial implications because it goes beyond money, we need to make a stand, the team needs to make a stand.

The AFL wont change a thing if they do not have to. We have amateurs officiating a professional sport, and they do not even have to be accountable. We rant over players who make mistakes, and their livliehoods are affected. Coaches make calls to cut players and they lose that income, Umpires get a week in the country, have other jobs to go to, and do not have to be responsible for their poor efforts. Make it professional, attract a better calibre of umpire, make them more accountable.

Oh BTW. I bleed for the club and have done for 30+ years, have bought memberships and social club even when attending in the Medallion Club, do not tell me to support another club, you do not have that right. Disagree if you wish, that is your right, DO NOT call my support and passion into question!

[Sainter_Dad]

And you are also wrong saying the game was so close in every other aspect. Have a look at inside 50's and scoring shots. The fact we kicked one more goal than them and still lost says something.

So if our forwards are mauled and they do not get the frees, you can claim that we do not deserve them because we did not get the shot at goal, whereas, because they did get the free and had the shot at goal, they deserved more frees. Quick pay me $100.00 so that I can show you that I deserve another $100.00 because I have this $100.00. For crying out loud, look at the stats for general play.


Only one series of numbers there that I see as being disproportionate.

[saintspremiers]

On the stats issue, why did we get similar amount of possies but way less inside 50's?

That is a big issue IMO, and not due to the crap umpiring.

Might be the reason we aren't a top side - we can't move the ball fast enough when in attack.

[3rd generation saint]

I wouldn't worry about plenty of empty seats next week at the G, after all, we are playing Melbourne and the skiing is good.
25,000 at best next week.

[andrewg]

Simple answer is and like I have for the last three years don't go to collingwood games.

[santazzi]

Idiotic post buddy.

I'm not sure if you are aware, but next weeks game, whilst at the G is our HOME game.

Boycotting it does financial harm to OUR club.

If you were aware of that, then please support another club.

By all means a boycott of an AWAY game makes sense.

I get your point. Is it not possible to make your good point with out referring to the opinion expressed as idiotic?

[Moods]

Simple answer is and like I have for the last three years don't go to collingwood games.

How does not going to Collingwood games change the umpiring? How is it the answer to anything? I would label you soft, but I don't know you, so I'll say you sound very soft.

Oh no, the big bad Collingwood supporters yell a lot and scare me, I'm not going to go to their games. I'll stay at Etihad under the roof in my reserved seat surrounded by like minded ppl so I feel safe and snug

Changes nothing and all it does is hurt our club.

As for the OP. How does this send a msg to the AFL exactly? All they will think is that our team no longer has a chance of playing finals and our supporters have deserted them. If that type of protest continues then we will be having a permanent protest, and end up watching our team play games in Canberra or some other far outpost.

Let's be honest - we were on the end of some horrific decisions in that last 1/4. HOWEVER I recall a saints player diving on the ball in the 3rd quarter and held it in whilst pounced on by about 3 pies players right in front of their goal. Was a classic holding the ball decision that wasn't paid. The umpiring was awful last night and we got the bad end of the stick, but I'm not sure that has been the case all year. Maybe the fact that out of 57,000 ppl at the game, at least 40,000 were pies supporters and 10,000 were sainters. Maybe if we actually got along and made some noise instead of being too scared of the big bad Collingwood supporters, umpires would hear us vent our anger and subconsciously be influenced by our noise.

P.S. Has anyone on here ever actually umpired? I do it every year for high school interschool footy. The first year I did it was a massive game b/w two schools. About 50 supporters screamed ball in unison. My first reaction was to put the whistle to my lips and reward the crowd. Now professional experienced umpires would learn (you would hope) to block crowd noise out. But they are flesh and bone like the rest of us. Just reckon making it clear at a game that we are unhappy about things tells them far more than staying away in numbers and they get no feedback if you like, on their decisions.

[saintspremiers]

Idiotic post buddy.

I'm not sure if you are aware, but next weeks game, whilst at the G is our HOME game.

Boycotting it does financial harm to OUR club.

If you were aware of that, then please support another club.

By all means a boycott of an AWAY game makes sense.

I get your point. Is it not possible to make your good point with out referring to the opinion expressed as idiotic?

No, because it was a stupid idea. And I explained why I thought it was stupid. Stupid/Idiotic whatever.

[saintdooley]

Stkilda v Melbourne at the G, i dont think you need to ask people to not go mate.

what are we playing for?
what are they playing for?

[st_Trav_ofWA]

Just thinking outside of the box ... Why no print a whole heap of "should have gone to Specsavers" posters with a picture of the umpires ?? Similar to the free Steven baker posters all those years back ... The AFL would hate a competitor of a major sponsors tag line used to heckle the untouchable

[Stephen Theodore]

To all who bleed for our blessed Club!

Speak volumes by your silence!

Next week against the Demons, do not attend - let the AFL know that if they insist on allowing unprofessional, inept umpiring to continue, vacant seats will be the result. It is a pity that next weeks game is not against the Giants, where the empty seats would be more obvious, but if the AFL is not going to make umpiring professional, and hold the individual umpires to a higher standard, then we should not attend.

Let the team that we all love know that if there are no cheers at the ground when we play, it is because we support them.

We can make a stand, Watters and the team can say all that they want, they will not be heard, but if there are no bums on seats, the AFL will have to listen. It is beyond a joke, umpires cannot get it so wrong, and have such an impact in a games that was so close in every other aspect.

Do your thing Saints fans. Let the silence be deafening.

Stronger through Loyalty!
Sainter_Dad!!!!

You would be better off magnifying the poor skills at crucial times THAT cost us the match, not the umpiring.

[SainterK]

[quote="saintspremiers"]On the stats issue, why did we get similar amount of possies but way less inside 50's?

/quote]

Scored 10 of our goals from the half back line.

[bobmurray]

I'll be at the G this Saturday....

I've been pining for a Saturday afternoon game all season...i hate night games....

[Dr Spaceman]

Sorry but I am unable to attend....





......your forfeiture, that is.





Have friends to meet, beers to drink and a team to barrack for.

[miskycat]

I'm meeting all my female country cousins at the ground. We will be cheering for our team, looking to the positives and the improvements we've seen this season.
We will always be passionate Sainters. Bad umpiring needs to be taken up elsewhere, not by boycotting games. Go You Saints!

[magnifisaint]

God some people have too much idle time to dream up stupid posts!

[asiu]

what are we playn 4

... draft picks.
(as we have been all season)

re the other

most successful intents / organisations / passions are rewarded by 'brainstorming'.

which , by nature , draws forward some good ideas and some shite ideas.
... but the process is treasured ,
by winners ,
... the others can reinsert their heads .

rework the idea maybe ?

[asiu]

team up with the 'specsaver idea' man 'n u2 will be unstoppable.

classic idea in formation.
(send a finished item to grant 'n build momentum off your free kick)

or

send grant a poster , preferably sp , 'n let grant kick him.

whatever amuses u more !

[thejiggingsaint]

I'm making my "stand" by moving on from umpiring decisions in this game against Coloncrud, and getting along to the G this saturday to SUPPORT MY CLUB in the task of making the eight! (sorry mate, but the sentiment of the OP is one that I can never agree with)

[3rd generation saint]

I will be attending this Saturday, though I do like the Specsavers idea.
Would also add, Sack Geischen, I'll celebrate when that happens.

[plugger66]

I will be attending this Saturday, though I do like the Specsavers idea.
Would also add, Sack Geischen, I'll celebrate when that happens.

I must say i dont get the sack Geischen idea. He is like the CEO of the umpires. Port Adelaide didnt just sack their CEO, they sacked their coach.

[yashpal sharma]

Its a tricky question. How do we, as fans, punish the AFL for its incompetence or corruption without hurting our team?

If its corruption, the boycott could work on one level by sending a clear message that fans won't waste their time on watching scripted 'entertainment' (just as they won't watch GWS or Gold Coast).

That we have been involved in three of these debacles in a decade - Whispers in the Sky against Freo in 2005, Port on Anzac Eve 2006 and now this one makes us very jaded/cynical. The Fitzroy v Adelaide from the early 90s is the only non-Saints match I can recall that has really smelt fishy.

I think it is more likely to be incompetence, because its unlikely that organisations like the AFL can suddently become brilliant operators who can pull off a coup.

If it is incompetence and weakness, then the boycott becomes the problem. Would Saturday night have happened if there were 40,000 Saints fans there? I doubt it.