AFL becoming soft?

[The Cryptkeeper]

Joel Selwood's been cheating ever since he walked into the AFL. One day hopefully he will get his nose plastered somewhere around his left ear and stop doing it.

Until then he will continue to con the umpires.

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

OP mad Ballantyne wasn't in the running?

There's going hard at the footy and copping incidental high contact which probably shouldn't be a free kick (ie Selwood), then there's cheating (Balla collapsing to the ground feigning injury).

 

[Pat_Footy]

Like you say, half, not all. Again, go out, take one of the legal hits and then come back and comment. Maybe take one like this:


No report, not even a free kick to Lewis. Play on. We'll get someone to run full pelt at you, leap into the air and hit you with their hip bone at full tilt and knock you out cold. Just like what happened there. Then call the game 'soft'. I doubt you'll be volunteering for that. It's much more comfortable to sit in your lounge room and proclaim the sport 'soft' on an internet forum...

Your argument is still invalid. This type of hit is becoming outlawed. Eyes only for the football and making the football your sole focus is no longer acceptable. Players are now expected to provide a duty of care and consider potential options other than contesting the ball.

I played football and rugby for a long time... Because i'm posting, i'm afraid of physical contact? Stop your childish retorts about keyboard warriors - don't post if you are going to descend the debate into meaningless snipes.

 

[caterina]

(Balla collapsing to the ground feigning injury).

Did that a lot on the weekend, didn't he?

 

[Essendon_Fan]

It is the interstate sides that made the AFL soft, look at VFL footy in the 80s, guys used to get their heads busted open so badly they had their frontal lobes dangling in front of their eyes. Back then the water boy would just wrap a bit of electrical tape around the brain and the player will be right for the second half... then the interstate sides came along... whinge whinge whinge nag nag nag... and you get the modern game

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

Did that a lot on the weekend, didn't he?

Can't remember.

 

[ziad]

So you think Beau Waters is soft? Doesn't go back with the flight of the ball in to traffic at any occasion?

only voted by the players, no freo cafe dwellers asked?

 

[caterina]

Can't remember.

Neither can I, he might have snuck it in there somewhere between kicking 3 goals, chasing and tackling like a maniac and hitting every contest hard.

 

[TRAWP]

Joel Selwood deserved that award, as for being soft. Do you think he is weak for ducking a knee down to get hit with an open forearm across the face five times a game? I know I wouldn't enjoy it. As for NRL, we haven't got anything to worry about them taking us over in the "tough" terms anytime soon.

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

Neither can I, he might have snuck it in there somewhere between kicking 3 goals, chasing and tackling like a maniac and hitting every contest hard.

Had a good game did he?

Selwood would never do any of that.

 

[caterina]

Had a good game did he?

Selwood would never do any of that.

Agreed, and I never called Selwood soft,
But you called Ballantyne soft as a form of deflection.
I see the Selwood and Ballas situation as the same thing, they are both hard courageous players that push the boundaries by trying to milk frees in their own way. Neither of them are soft

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

No worries, but you're in a troll thread, and worse one that's been rehashed countless times.

 

[Jade]

I don't think the game is going soft (quite the opposite, todays players would steamroll players from decades ago); but I certainly think the most courageous award is a little misplaced in the hands of the games biggest ducker.

 

[DangerSloane]

Selwood ducks. Fact.

Selwood is one of the most courageous players in the league. Fact.

These two are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Purple Suit]

The players are actually weaker than they've ever been. They are fitter in contrast. It is getting softer.

The whole "ducking" debate will fix itself. Tacklers will adapt and learn to stick the tackles lower. A rule change would just create some new mess.

The lower the tackles get, the lower the players with the ball will. I think the umpires need to make a judgement like they do with ducking the head. If the player stands up with the ball and then drops their knees deliberately in the umpires opinion, play on. Some players have a reputation or big mouth and get no free kicks, same could occur with this once a player is identified as a knee dropper.

PS Comp isn't soft, Waters and Selwood are tough but so is Ballas. Ballas bending or flopping the rules gets massive focus and shame, Selwood gets media/commentary silence since he is an AFL poster boy.

 

[Topper Harley]

I still can't believe after all this time how many people think Selwood ducks.

He raises his arms when the tackle comes.

 

[Slax]

The AFL has dictated that the game needs to become softer. Just have a look at the tribunal decisions in recent weeks that wouldn't of even been looked at a decade ago.

Johnson, Roughead, Tarrant, cases that wouldn't of attracted a single line in any newspaper.

 

[Essendon_Fan]

I still can't believe after all this time how many people think Selwood ducks.

He raises his arms when the tackle comes.

If a person has a head made from adamantium and are about to go into a contest, they go in head first. The Selwoods used to train by challenging bulls to a head butting competition, and apparently regularly use concrete slabs as part of their training regime. When other players duck, they get injured for real, the AFL cannot change the rule due to some minority skull-enhanced players.

 

[THRILLHO]

Ask Scott McMahon if he thinks the game is getting soft. Or Josh Hill after being split down the middle by Ziebell. Or Heath Shaw after getting ironed out by Birchall. All from this week alone.

One hit that has flown under the radar was Burgoyne's shirtfront on Sam Wright at the Launceston Massacre. Absolutely opened him up right down the middle.

 

[Freeeoo]

The players are actually weaker than they've ever been. They are fitter in contrast. It is getting softer.

The whole "ducking" debate will fix itself. Tacklers will adapt and learn to stick the tackles lower. A rule change would just create some new mess.

You're kidding right?

 

[100action]

Or Josh Hill after being split down the middle by Ziebell.

Hill would think getting flogged by wet lettuce is tough

 

[Purple Suit]

I still can't believe after all this time how many people think Selwood ducks.

He raises his arms when the tackle comes.

What's the definition of ducking? He definitely buckles his knees occasionally so his head is now the same height as the tacklers arm pit. Did it twice on Saturday for his 2nd and 3rd free kick of the quarter. I think his first free was legit.

 

[Richard Jones]

Hmm, this is a tough one.

 

[Shupe]

God, do I hate this. Beau Waters the macho tough man. One of the biggest West Coast fallacies.

Please, continue...

 

[SSSSSS]

I still can't believe after all this time how many people think Selwood ducks.

He raises his arms when the tackle comes.

And he Buckles the knees to slide his head to the tackles arm thereby making it look like head high contact. It's low, it's a blight on the game, it's clever but it's also a pretty ugly tactic. Even though he is a ducker he is still tough as nails. Well deserved for the award