Collapsing, charging with your head - the AFL are to blame for this crisis

[Effes]

Please do not move this to the umpiring board.

The AFL have created an environment where players are now putting themselves in enormous danger.

Players are winning a ground ball, seeing an opposition player in front of them and charging with their heads down.

They open themselves up to terrible injury.

The thing that keeps players doing this is that the AFL have instructed the umpires to reward players who decide to put their heads down and charge at the opposition.

There is a very simple way to stop this terrible facet of our game from continuing - do not give them a free kick - instead, if they are tackled and don't handball or kick, ping them for holding the ball.

Once more - the AFL's actions have created this environment - as much as I hate Joel Selwood doing it, I hate seeing Murphy try to benefit from it - the AFL have encouraged players to do this.

The next issue is players collapsing at the knees.

How are the opposition meant to apply any pressure if all the player with the ball has to do is collapse and win a free kick?

Once again, the AFL have endorsed this tactic by giving free kicks to players who are deliberately collapsing.

The AFL have created this terrible situation - it is so s**t to watch and see players win the ball and then fall over like they've been shot.

Does any supporter like seeing this?

It is making the game difficult to watch

 

[Shatterpoint]

Agree with this, it's a joke at the moment whats going on, seems like you aren't allowed to even touch a player let alone going in for the ball, AFL is fast becoming a joke.

 

[CF]

I think if the AFL are serious about reducing head high contact then ducking should be an immediate free kick against the player doing it. That's the only way to stop the rot. I agree that they have created this problem but it is simple to solve.

 

[theboxmike]

How about if they duck the head into the player then don't pay the free kick? FFS we don't need any more rules regulating this particularly bad area of the sport.

 

[Chewy]

Please do not move this to the umpiring board.

The AFL have created an environment where players are now putting themselves in enormous danger.

Players are winning a ground ball, seeing an opposition player in front of them and charging with their heads down.

They open themselves up to terrible injury.

The thing that keeps players doing this is that the AFL have instructed the umpires to reward players who decide to put their heads down and charge at the opposition.

There is a very simple way to stop this terrible facet of our game from continuing - do not give them a free kick - instead, if they are tackled and don't handball or kick, ping them for holding the ball.

Once more - the AFL's actions have created this environment - as much as I hate Joel Selwood doing it, I hate seeing Murphy try to benefit from it - the AFL have encouraged players to do this.

The next issue is players collapsing at the knees.

How are the opposition meant to apply any pressure if all the player with the ball has to do is collapse and win a free kick?

Once again, the AFL have endorsed this tactic by giving free kicks to players who are deliberately collapsing.

The AFL have created this terrible situation - it is so s**t to watch and see players win the ball and then fall over like they've been shot.

Does any supporter like seeing this?

It is making the game difficult to watch

Top post.

My like button has been disabled, so this is the best I can do

 

[Chewy]

How about if they duck the head into the player then don't pay the free kick? FFS we don't need any more rules regulating this particularly bad area of the sport.

Exactly.

Play on.

Stop trying to look for free kicks every time there is s contest.
Stop reacting (without thinking) every time someone receives high contact.

Stop rewarding players who go looking for free kicks. Penalise the players who infringe
When in doubt, call play on.

I laugh at how LOW some of these "high" tackles are. Some players are so careful not to infringe when they tackle. They approach cautiously. They have both arms pointing down and both hands below their hips when they tackle. But the player in possession drops his head, bends his knees, lifts his arm up in the tackle and gets rewarded.


A minute later, I'll watch as a player leaps into the air and smashes a guy high in the chest/face and because the player who got hit wasn't playing for a free and he didn't go to ground, the umpire will wave play on.

It's madness.

 

[Effes]

Murphy did it once and wasn't paid it

Pendlebury has been watching Shuey very closely.

AFL are a disgrace for letting this creep into the game.

 

[mehow2g]

I think the biggest problem is that the umpires chose to pay them if they like, because anything technical can be pay as a free kick if you tickle a player a in the back the umpire has the right to pay push in the back which opens up the door for match fixing.

The way this has been progressing in the last 10 years with nothing getting better you'd think its all the intentions of the AFL for this go on.

 

[Mister B]

Please do not move this to the umpiring board.

The AFL have created an environment where players are now putting themselves in enormous danger.

Players are winning a ground ball, seeing an opposition player in front of them and charging with their heads down.

They open themselves up to terrible injury.

The thing that keeps players doing this is that the AFL have instructed the umpires to reward players who decide to put their heads down and charge at the opposition.

There is a very simple way to stop this terrible facet of our game from continuing - do not give them a free kick - instead, if they are tackled and don't handball or kick, ping them for holding the ball.

Once more - the AFL's actions have created this environment - as much as I hate Joel Selwood doing it, I hate seeing Murphy try to benefit from it - the AFL have encouraged players to do this.

The next issue is players collapsing at the knees.

How are the opposition meant to apply any pressure if all the player with the ball has to do is collapse and win a free kick?

Once again, the AFL have endorsed this tactic by giving free kicks to players who are deliberately collapsing.

The AFL have created this terrible situation - it is so s**t to watch and see players win the ball and then fall over like they've been shot.

Does any supporter like seeing this?

It is making the game difficult to watch

But it makes it so much easier for the umpires to adjudicate. They can pay taking out the legs and they are correct. They can pay high contact and they are correct. They can call play on and justify it by saying the player ducked and the oncoming player couldn't avoid the contact and they are correct.

 

[mehow2g]

But it makes it so much easier for the umpires to adjudicate. They can pay taking out the legs and they are correct. They can pay high contact and they are correct. They can call play on and justify it by saying the player ducked and the oncoming player couldn't avoid the contact and they are correct.

Which = Control.

 

[GuzzLG]

Joel Selwood created this monster. His is the biggest cancer on the game possibly ever.

 

[Grogg]

Which = Control.

Or rubbish

 

[mehow2g]

Joel Selwood created this monster. His is the biggest cancer on the game possibly ever.

If the AFL wanted to get rid of it they would have already.

 

[Mister B]

Which = Control.

It's like the stricter in the back interpretation where a player tackles in a forward motion. Holding the ball, correct. In the back, correct. Play on 50-50, correct.

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

Joel Selwood created this monster. His is the biggest cancer on the game possibly ever.

Joel Selwood doesn't charge headfirst at players, so you and the OP are way off it.

 

[GuzzLG]

Joel Selwood doesn't charge headfirst at players, so you and the OP are way off it.

Even charged headfirst at Bartel today in his desperate attempt to get a cheap free. It worked.

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

Even charged headfirst at Bartel today in his desperate attempt to get a cheap free. It worked.

What time in the match was this? What quarter will do, even.

 

[Debris]

How about if they duck the head into the player then don't pay the free kick? FFS we don't need any more rules regulating this particularly bad area of the sport.

That doesn't fix the problem so unless someone has some bright idea to fix umpiring to an impossibly high standard, they need to introduce a negative to stop it. Soon as the rule is introduced, players will stop doing it and you will never see it used again after about 4 weeks.

 

[Costanza_]

Good OP. By rewarding incidental head high/above the shoulder contact with free kicks the AFL are encouraging players to put their heads in danger. This means players dropping their knees to attract said contact, players charging unnecessarily low into contests, and players flopping around like stranded catfish when anyone touches them above the navel.

 

[Furn2]

Stage or age!

It's disgusting that this Selwood led cheating has spread to all sides including mine.

No team is good enough to give a 4-5 goal start to the the duckers and divers and still win.

The AFL has basically encouraged it and now we have a situation where the best divers win.

Just look at Selwood and Bartel today! Disgusting !

Whatever it takes to win shouldnt be an excuse anymore!

 

[Spook]

Joel Selwood doesn't charge headfirst at players, so you and the OP are way off it.

Hhhaaaaaaaaaa.....roflmao...... You can't be serious can you...... He drops his shoulder and charges into the tackler..... Not every time but when he knows he is going to be tackled he does.

 

[GoTheSwannies]

Yup, I hate seeing this s**t. And now with the sliding rule added as well, it just looks ridiculous. You see players running in to tackle an opponent, and just before they go in there's a slight pause as they try to navigate a bunch of rules, it just looks atupid. Im sick of seeing players lower their head when they see an.opponent coming towards them, it infuriates me.

Ops right, the umps need to use more discretion and also call some frees the other way as well just so its not guaranteed, its the only way to stamp it.out. so that the contest is about purely winning the ball, not the free kick.

The tackler has a duty of care not to get the player high or push them in the back, thats fair enough. but I think they need to introduce another rule (i know, probably not a popular opinion) where thw ball carrier also has a duty of care not to put themselves.in danger, and if the ump sera it happen they pay the free the other way.

Also, with the in the back rule, i think it requires more leniency. I've seen players attempt to roll their opponents over in a tackle and theyve been penalized for slightly getting in their back. Imo, if they've made.an attwmpt to avoid it and slightly impinged then it shouldn't be called. Also if the tackler is still on their knees it shouldnt be called either. Right now it just seems like a blanket rule. Use some discretion

 

[Plugger35]

It's got to the stage where almost every contest there is a whistle blown and an unnecessary soft free kick paid, so frustrating to watch.

I don't know why they can't just let the play go and only pay obvious free kicks like they do in finals, so much better to watch when it's umpired that way.

 

[Furn2]

What time in the match was this? What quarter will do, even.

A ghost ripping his head off on the wing with 1 min to go comes to mind. There was at least 2 shots at goal I saw as well and I was barely watching.

Can't imagine what I missed.

 

[caitsith01]

I see the fear of Selwood burns bright in Hawks fans after last week's football lesson... won't respond to the pathetic trolling on that front, but:

OP's point is 100% corrent. According to the current mass of interpretations, players can now tackle only from the side using a crablike motion while pulling the tackled player on top of the tackler... or something. Everything else is front on/in the back/sling tackling/high/low. Meanwhile players have huge incentives to put themselves into dangerous positions in order to draw a free.

I would say it's now far more likely that we'll see a leg injury from 'sliding in', because the new rule creates an incentive for players to plant their legs right near a sliding/diving player in order to draw the contact.

Another example of a rule which is robbing us of proper footy is players going back with the flight. This is now a waste of time, as 99 times out of 100 the maggots will bleat about "front on contact" and pay a free, unless the player going back takes a mark.

The biggest change I would like to see is no free kick paid, EVER, unless the perceived infringement actually affected the play. I.e., no high contact free kicks unless the contact actually hurt/affected the player hit. No more "hands in the back" unless it actually influenced the contest. Etc etc.

No-one wants to see technical frees that don't make sense in the context of what is happening in the game. Frees should be paid if they are (a) there and (b) actually need to be penalised. Not otherwise.