AFL Rd 3 2023 Post Game Prognostications Giants vs Carlton

[Gointocarlton]

I strongly suspect, Pauly, that it's not so much the questioning it's the manner of the questioning. Pretty confident that had Coniglio (or any player really) asked the ump 'why' quietly and calmy (respect) rather than remonstrate, he'd have been fine. Remonstrating comes across as a public challenge to the umps decision which implies all manner of disrespect. Whitfield asked the question with respect. Coniglio did not.

All players know the risks of moaning, whining and remonstrating to the umps about their decisions. Them thar the rules, like it or not. Leadership would require from Coniglio that he understand and respect this rule of the game, indeed, all players should and most do. I'm pretty sure after this episode that players will really 'get' buttoning it when disagreeing with an umps adjudication.

And you have to ask yourself what useful purpose does it serve to give the ump a belligerent questioning. None. The message/rule is clear... respect the ump and his/her decision, regardless of your opinion of the adjudication or non-adjudication.

As Ol Mate Pacino says in "Any Given Sunday",  "Its a game of inches". You add up all the little positives and subtract all the little negatives and the net result is either winning or losing. If you are disciplined enough in every small facet of the game (training, weight, diet, behaviour on and off the field etc), the reward at the end can be huge. Rules are rules, some are missed, some are got, some are costly, some are not. As I said earlier, I hope our coaching staff drill into our guys how costly Cog's action was (whether we like it or not) and that could have indeed been a GF. If we don't learn anything from it (including Cogs), we may as well pack our bags and go home. Despite what we may all think/say, the game is about more than just kicking a ball through the two  larger posts more often than the other mob. How many games have we won recently with us having at least one goalless qtr? I'll hazard a guess and say one, Saturday's. Why? "Its a game of inches".