The complete opposite was the case at the Bullets home game last night. I was lucky enough to have absolute courtside seating (aka. "Hollywoods" as the Bullets like to call them) and boy, do people get their $75 worth.

We were sitting near 2 dragon supporters who were very vocal in their support which was great. HOweverm some of the Bullets fans however were VERY drunk and VERY vocal and at times VERY offensive towards Dragons players. I love a heckle at the best of times, especially clever or witty, but seriously, asking the refs constantly 'if they think Shane Heal looks like Michelle Timms' isn't funny. At all.

Basically my point is, come up to Brisbane for the sixers game on the 19th. Say whatever the hell you like, to who ever you like, youll be fine :)

me, I know where you are coming from and can sympathise. I attended a game there with my daughter at Christmas time 2004. We got the same treatment as far as being treated like unwanted intruders. The people behind us were continually all night making rude remarks that where irritating but I did not respond simply because there would have been no satisfaction on their part if they failed to intimidate. We got lucky however, the 36ers actually won that game. It was at the end of that game that 2 lonely people became bigger than the rest of the 4000 or so. That was the opportunity that I took to turn around and give the people behind us the cheesiest grin you could imagine. All of a sudden they had run out of words. We walked out of the stadium with our heads held high while all the Cats fans were quiet and subdued. Talk about sweet revenge. I only wish you could have experienced that same revenge last night.

Thanks Kad...wish we could be there


hahah, brilliant EC...and last night we were sooo very close to winning again...and a couple of guys who had given us crap for much of the game..were silent in that last minute or so...DAMNN if only lol

Sorry for posting this here, but yet again..there is nothing like this fantastic site elswhere..so.its the only place to vent.

Again..my issue is not with the fans...who have the right to make comments and in fact should make them..its with the "officials", in fact..when we were evicted from VIP area, the steward said.."some of the directors are complaining"...WEAK!!

"Is WA so very insular that you have never experienced opposition support?"

Well, that just about sums it up. WA is a victim of geographical displacement and it's people feel that they are in their own little world.

As pointed out by "EC"  shame that you didn't get to walk out with a smile on your face after a win.

What was your view of Hodge from that game? Does he look like he will make a greater impact than Chappell did? Did he really have 8 turnovers?

To be honest...i really like hodge, yes..the turnovers were there...he gets to the 3 point line...and just DRIVES damn hard to the basket...this cost him/us a few times...and my hope is that with a little more time..to "gel" :) he will dish a few of these..but..either way..hes very good to watch...

An hilarious moment late in the 4th, Julius was taaking some free throws..the cats crowdn behind the basket were singing the famous HODGES A WANKER clap clap clap....we were laffing big time..and so was he...then as he sank the first free throw...he looked up at them held up his index finger to count off the first shot.

Later again as the stadium was on its feet shouting and clapping...Julius joined in with the clapping..

if he finds his feet...i think hes a got a future for us

Interesting reading that.
can I ask if ballinger could have been on a bit more ?

I would lovee to have seen more of ballinger...but also..the cats were really hard against him...didnt get an inch to breathe

reading all that you have written, I feel like I was there, if you think of any more let's know.

must comment again on the last chance ...about 20 seconds to go, we were attacking...both hodge..and another 36er (cant remember who) were IMO fouled and ended up on the floor...the cats then get the long pass for the closing dunk.

was the true example of hometown decision and cost us the game

Excellent Reporting Me. Cheers for that, much appreciated.

BTW...can anyone tell me why the box scores dont show hodge?

That was awful, last nite trying to follow the game on nbl scores, no hodge, and sutton played a full game
perth had eight players on etc.

Sutton played a full game??....hmm

there was also a mid game "scuffle" they may have gone unreported...darren got smashed at one stage and copes charged in to the cats player (not sure who) and gave a shove...bit a of back n forth..with Julius and pretty much all players getting involved.

good to see some hard action too

Posted by me:
"BTW...can anyone tell me why the box scores dont show hodge?"

No $h1t, cross my heart, I'd love to help you out, but you'll have to ask "Anonymous" from the "NBL Scoreboard" thread nicely, & with a pretty please. He's in control of this site lately, & may have a massive hangover.

BTW, great game night call.

When the crowd starts chants like "Hodges' a wanker", then that well and truly crosses over the disgusting and personal line. You can show support for your team by not making personal insults against the opposition. Apart from that, what authority do they have to say that, the guy only arrived in the country 10 days ago and has never been seen previously in the NBL. His own home fans have not seen him play yet apart from the few that travelled for games or saw a glimpse of him on Fox last week. That just shows the ignorance and unintelligence of the crowd.

the crowd were very tough on him.

When he injured hi knee, he did react in a rather petulant manner slapping away the helping hands of his team and spending 2-3 minutes on the floor, from his reation..i thought (and posted) it was a serious injury..i thought maybe ACL.

when he came back out to play..the crowd served him big time about it.

At another trip to the line..the crowd sang to him the old fave...

U G L Y..you aint got no alibi.. you ugly

IMO was funny..but..they got to him he missed 2 0f 3 in the time (..hmm 2 points?)

What was with the Wildcat cheerleaders dancing in a semi-circle around the sixers bench during a timeout as shown on channel 10 news? I wouldn't mind it at all but it must have been very distracting for the players and borders on unsportsmanship.

Maybe when the Wildcats arrive in Adelaide the sixer girls should do the same to the perth bench. And all the supporters behind the wildcats bench make lots of noise during timeouts so the players can't hear what Fisher has to say. Afterall, what comes around, goes around!

#165263, People in Glass houses!

I have been part of the same chant, only directed at Shane Heal at the Dome.

Loved every second of it and would be happy to do it again to the little man.

shanenot

Shane Heal has a history of doing things that label him as a wanker. julius hodge does not have a history in the league yet much less a history of being a bad boy.

the crowd at the dome have never rided a player like that without that player either

A) getting stuck into a 36er
B) getting stuck into the crowd

case in point mick hill brisbane bullets play offs 05/06
shane heal any team he has played on
etc


show me what julius did to deserve the riding he got. fair enough if he got stuck into the crowd or a wildcat but i didnt hear that happen.

i have said my bit

the cheerleaders were right up against the 36ers in that time out..and i assume would have been off putting...of bigger concern was..they seemed so close, that had the 36ers turned and moved quickly..a fair chance of collision and who knows..injury to cheerleader or player.

and no..julius didnt get into anyone, i think it was mainly the time he took in his knee "injury"

Oh how precious 36ers fans seem to have become

Im sure Hodge - being the professional that he is -coudnt give a stuff what was said/chanted and probably took it as a compliment that the opposition tried to put him off his game.

As i said, i think Julius enjoyed the chanting, he was certainly smiling and returning the favours.

I think all players enjoy being chanted against and seem to step up. Heal does when he is here in Adelaide, Lampley did it in Perth last week and I am sure Hodge did as well.

Kruger's a wanker
Heal's a wanker
Bradtke's a wanker

Been involved in all of these. As well as Kerle i think at some stage. Its part of the game but genuinely these guys are wankers (for one reason or another). The perth crowd dont know Julius from a bar of soap so I really dont get what they're on about.

I think they were critical of his apparent overacting when he fell in the first half. A few Perth fans on OzHoops have described him staying down unnecessarily long and slapping away hands of team mates who were trying to help him up. Of course, make of that what you will - might be a bit of bias in their description of events!

I remember the big derbies between the Magic & the Tigers....15,000 (yes, that's right) screaming people, most of them unfortunately fly by night Tigers fans who went to 2 games a year.

There was one FGrand Final game where I got particularly vocal (back in my younger stupid days...and my wife was overseas at the time) and had a big group of 50 or so people chanting and having a great old time. I got told by a couple of chardy sippers a few rows in front to sit down and be quiet. Yeah right.

Having had enough of their stares and snarls, I walked down during a tine out and VERY calmly said something along the lines of......

"I'm not a part timer....I follow this team, game in and game out, I will support them however I see fit. If it's a problem, please feel free to site somewhere else because the 50 of us are not moving nor stopping the support of our team. I will not swear, I will not offend nor insult anyone, I will simply follow my team. AND and the end of the game, I will come down and shake your hand....win, lose or draw and tell you how much I enjoyed it. If you can claim to do or be any of those things, then I will leave you alone".

Of course the response was complete silence.

And after we wopped the Tigers and took the championship, I walked down to the couple, held out my hand, congratulated them on a fantastic game and told them I hoped I would see them at more games. They actually admitted having a lot of fun, once they got into it.

So the answer is to speak to these people clearly and carefully, but above all POLITELY.....It really does work.

But for the record, I also remember friends of mine being spat on at the powerhouse, so 6er fans are hardly above it, are they? Albeit, these sort of things always seem to be a very small percentage of people involved.

Me, in answer to your initial query, yes WA people have real chips on their shoulders, just try dealing with them on business matters, they never listen, are always right and fair dinkum pains in the backside!

Isaac, you are right re the length of time Julius spent on the floor during his injury.

i posted that...and i am certainly NOT a cats fan lol...when i saw him laying there, i assumed from his contortions and slapping away of assistance, that he had a SERIOUS injury, when he came back on, without so much as a limp...think it did understandably upset the cats fans.

By the way, great respect and credit to Mr Vlahov i did get a response in regard to my concerns.

Dicko, I reckon we've crossed paths. I was there when the Magic took care of business in 1992 at the Powerhouse, supporting a S.Ninnis in his endeavours, holding up MAGIC banners with Rob Rose's face on sticks, standing by the entrance asking the 36ers' fans leaving early ..... "where's the fire? where's the fire? why are you all leaving? the fun's just starting?" And yes, there was some spitting.

But they were good times, good times. S.Ninnis is now firmly back in SA and all is forgiven. If you were one of the Magic guys, that was one hilarious, crazy night. Thanks for a super time.

There may not necessarily have been anything wrong with the amount of time Hodge spent on the floor. He may have needed that resting time on the floor before being forced to move to overcome the immediate impact of the fall. Who's to say he wasn't cramping up and needed it to pass before he was comfortable enough to move?

"was the true example of hometown decision and cost us the game"

Hilarious.

Giraffe..please explain the hilarity?

I am sure we have all seen "hometown" decisions where the weight of, the timing, court location and crowd etc leads to a decision that would not neccessarily be made.

I certanly am not suggesting any form of cheating or even that we were ripped off, simply a 50/50 call that went the home teams way..part of the game.

me, there were several people in the know that were convinced we were cheated. Following is Boti's exact words in the Advertiser -

"Don't want to sound like a moaning Adelaide ref-basher but when both coaches, both captains and the Perth CEO ALL privately agree the 36ers were "screwed" by the Men in Black (and white), I don't have to add much."

Now how did Boti know what was said in private? He must have heard it. If he did not personally hear it then he runs the risk of being sued for libel. So take your pick which way you want to go. I appreciate you were there at the game, but I think you are being a bit modest in your comments.

If Boti wasn't at the game, Smyth probably talked to those guys and then mentioned it to him.

Bad, unfortunate calls.

To print it in the paper, I would be making sure I heard it first hand. Risky! Especially if Phil's opinion might be a bit biased. I have had my fair share of ref bashing, but this was an absolute disgrace. Its not just the loss that's disheartening to the players but all the preparation they put into this game and the effort to win it. They really played to win but through no control of their own, the game was robbed from them. That would leave a sour taste in your mouth for a long time to come.

Isaac, I don't agree with your comment about bad, unfortunate calls. The word unfortunate suggests unavoidable bad luck. The calls made by the refs were entirely under their control.

Of course the players are pissed off about it, but refs make judgements in a fraction of a second. Some of those judgements are fairly subjective I'd imagine. Having some errors is absolutely unavoidable - these are not robots calling the games. They don't have the benefit of infinite replays from any given vantage point. There are 10 players on the court running around and three guys trying to make calls from the best view they can get.

Sometimes it goes one way, sometimes the other.

For example, I always thought Adelaide were very fortunate not to get called for a foul in that game against Cairns a couple of years back when Dusty pressured Mee.

EC - Were you actually at this game or are you just basing comments such as

"...but through no control of their own, the game was robbed from them..."

on what someone has written in the paper?


Bad calls are unfortunately a part of the game - and as 'me' has said they quite often will favour the home side - so get used to it!

Further to that, admittedly from what I've heard, I think the Dome is somewhat known as a place where crunch time calls routinely favour the home side.

That said, I'm still waiting for them all to balance out those infamous free throws by the Hawks...

MS what was said in the paper actually identified the people making those comments. All I am saying is that if there is no truth in those comments printed in the paper, it opens up the risk of libel. For that reason I tend to think there must be some substance in those comments. I also have personally spoken to someone in the 36ers Office who studied the game tape and listened to their comments. Having to get used to the fact that they will favour the home side doesn't mean to say that its the correct thing to do. By this statement you are saying that the calls were not even mistaken calls but deliberate false calls. Is this what you are advocating for the refs to do because you seem to be quite happily getting used to it? If you weren't used to it, you wouldn't be suggesting others to do it.

"deliberate false calls" - that's ridiculous. Just because something is stated to happen with some regularity, doesn't mean it's intentional.

And because someone on here says "it happens, get used to it", doesn't mean the refs are out there deliberately cheating the visiting team! Seriously!

The concurrence of views just suggests that it was very likely a bad call (or bad calls) rather than "possibly" a mistake on a subjective play. It happens. Even with video reviews to the millionth degree, there'd still be tough calls.

Look at cricket. All those cameras, technology and the third umpire, and occasionally the decision has to give the batsman the benefit of the doubt because the evidence is inconclusive.

In the end game, it could well be that refs won't make soft calls so as to avoid a particularly bad error. Who knows. (I'm not a ref.)

"they quite often will favour the home side". I didn't say this but question how you favour a particular side without being conscious of doing it. Isaac the wording was not "happen with some regularity" it was "they quite often will favour the home side". You may not see a difference here but I do. In fairness to the refs, I also stated in another thread that I wonder what the outcome of such a close game would have been if no mistakes had been made. I think that's quite a fair statement to make because it suggests that both teams were equally treated and the better team won. Believe it or not, although I support the 36ers, I would not be satisfied if they won a game they didn't deserve to win because they were favoured by the refs. Talk about players committing unsportsmanlike fouls, favouring a particular side by the refs is also unsportsmanlike.

I didn't say this but question how you favour a particular side without being conscious of doing it.

EC - No I am not saying its a deliberate act by the refs. That would imply that the Sixers were systematically cheated and lost the game as a result. all I am saying is that bad calls are a part of the game in ANY sport - see Cricket, tennis and basketball games from the last week alone!
And just because I said - 'get used to it' doesnt mean I dont care - I think the reffing standard has slipped and believe it needs improving - but Im not going to look for conspiracy theorys evrytime my team is on the end of some bad calls.

and as for you talking to some people at the club about the game and basing your comments on that - why then have tou discounted 'me' and his version of events as being a bit modest? He was at the game and IMO has given a very balanced and unboased account of the game and issues as he saw it?

"That said, I'm still waiting for them all to balance out those infamous free throws by the Hawks"

The atrocity will never be balance out... &*$@ing little flopper.......

On that note, I'm heading to the Gong on the 18th to see the lads play. If my last experience is anything to go by I have updated my will, taken out an insurance policy which includes assault and death by pummeling and fingers crossed I'll survive until the end.

TR, Brendan Joyce moved to Queensland...

Isaac, Gold! ha ha ha

Agreed TR, so sick of seeing that game replayed on Fox as a time filler lately..Damn Smurf!

YOU are the ref...

There are 30 seconds left on the clock..
The game is tied...
The away side is driving hard to the basket
It has been a more physical than usual game
There are 4000 fans screaming for the home side
The home side is defending strongly as virtually all players find themselves under the basket...the bodies clash, your view (as the ref) is slightly blocked by the number of players fighting for the ball, the clock ticks, bodies clash, the ball bounces free momentarily, offence and defense fight for the ball, it is snapped up by the defence..an offensive player hits the floor, again your view is slightly blocked..26 seconds left...you must decide was there a foul??? the defending home team throws the ball long (the crowd goes insane)to a lone player on the half...TOO LATE...you leave the whistle silent.. the dunk goes down...

Game Over = hometown decision,

IMO, not deliberate, not cheating...sport :)

(and im sure ive seen similar at the Dome on more than one occasion)

EC doesn't like the refs, nothing anything you people like to offer her as valid explanations will change her point of view.

and they call me an ostich!

home side is defending strongly

I'm looking forward to lots of home side favours this Saturday against the Kings. Dream on................

Any home town decisions tonight EC? or was the 30 - 15 foul count not worth mentioning seeing as the Sixers won?

The 30-15 foul count was actually very generous for the Kings. They were all over the Sixers off the ball, on the ball, offence, defence, didn't matter. There were a lot more fouls which could have been called IMO, for bot sides. But the Kings as all Goorg's sides, depend heavily on getting away with a high contact game - tonight they didn't get away with all of it and see what happens!!

I thought Adelaide got more favourable calls, but not by a heap.

The call that may have influenced the game was Hodge's tip-in as the shot clock expired. Was hard to tell if it were valid, but seemed a bit late to me. Had it been a violation, the Kings were within 9 (I think) and had momentum. Still, the way they were playing, I don't think they could've won.