Peter Wright contact with Harry Cunningham: Pleads Guilty and Receives 4 Week Suspension

[Foxx]

Cunningham was going for the mark, Wright wasn't.

Wright was going for the mark until the last split second, when he then braced himself for impact.

I understand that is no longer allowed, unless you turn to brace while maintaining your eyes or arms at the ball. That's how players get away with turning to protect themselves. Happens in that manner 100 times a game.

 

[BF Tiger]

It was a super late smother attempt. Should be fine.

 

[sherb]

Wright was going for the mark until the last split second, when he then braced himself for impact.

I understand that is no longer allowed, unless you turn to brace while maintaining your eyes or arms at the ball. That's how players get away with turning to protect themselves. Happens in that manner 100 times a game.

Player who was going for the ball, gets concussed by player who wasn't going for the ball.

Wright's gone. Or he should be.

 

[tigersnag]

3 weeks, add 1 extra for being a moron = 4

 

[maskmcgee]

Maynard rule

Dosen't align with real law, a simple supreme court case will have that law thrown out and banned.

 

[Foxx]

Player who was going for the ball, gets concussed by player who wasn't going for the ball.

Wright's gone. Or he should be.

He went in and up going for a mark. The grey area is it wasn't a bump. It was a brace for impact. He was already in the air attempting to mark.

 

[Vindicater]

3 weeks down to 2 with an early guilty plea.

Will Heeney be done for his backhand to Hinds face?

 

[JP2]

It doesn't matter whether he was contesting for the ball, or bracing for impact, or whatever. I don't think it was his intent to lay Cunnigham out, but he did everything else wrong. He left the ground, he led with his shoulder and elbow, he missed the ball, he made heavy contact to the head and he knocked someone out. The AFL have rightly decided that the "but it's a contact sport, he only had a split second to act, etc." defences are irrelevant here: all those things that Wright did have been clearly defined as big no-nos and that the offending player is culpable irrespective of their intent.

His one saving grace, which makes it a lesser offence than the Webster incident, is that the ball was in the vicinity, but there's no way he gets away with fewer than 4 weeks. The AFL have been pretty blunt that the onus is on the players to avoid engaging in acts that are likely to result in heavy contact with opponents' heads, and they're going to keep handing out heavy suspensions until the players get the message.

 

[hawkman]

He'll get two weeks, not much in it but he was late and knocked him out

Gradings mean it will be 3 minimum

 

[thefrog]

He went in and up going for a mark. The grey area is it wasn't a bump. It was a brace for impact. He was already in the air attempting to mark.

Watching the footage back it looks like Wright has the shoulder turned to bump before leaving the ground

 

[Aphrodite]

Watching the footage back it looks like Wright has the shoulder turned to bump before leaving the ground

No attempt to mark the ball.

Gone!

 

[Maddo11]

Wright, despite being the biggest player on the ground, pissed his pants at the thought of contact in a marking contest and curled up into a ball to protect himself. Cowardly act, deserves a month minimum

 

[Maddo11]

3 weeks down to 2 with an early guilty plea.

Will Heeney be done for his backhand to Hinds face?

I've seen a few people mention this but I missed it, seen any footage?

 

[Vindicater]

I've seen a few people mention this but I missed it, seen any footage?

They showed it during the game and commentators laughed it off as Heeney is one of the boys club.

Heeney ran the ball over the line while being tackled by Hind. Hind held on abit too long and Heeney threw a backhand that collected Hind on the face.

 

[Roachy8]

No attempt to mark the ball.

Gone!

Got him in the head and the groin - ouch.

 

[BigFrizz36]

I've seen a few people mention this but I missed it, seen any footage?

Would struggle to have hurt a fly (Heeney's that is). Maybe a bit of deflection involved?

 

[aussierulesrules]

The AFL have rightly decided that the "but it's a contact sport, he only had a split second to act, etc." defences are irrelevant here: all those things that Wright did have been clearly defined as big no-nos and that the offending player is culpable irrespective of their intent.

What makes that “rightly so” though? It’s all well and good for those who are making these rules from the comfort of their desk chairs to say “you should do x, y and x in a split second, when you’re about to collide with a human projectile”, but is it actually reasonable to expect them to go against their natural human instinct- which is to protect your health and well-being, when it’s in immediate danger?

And even if they are able to overrule that instinct in a split second, and leave themselves wide open, how is that the answer!?

They are now leaving themselves wide open to getting badly hurt themselves.

You’re essentially saying to them;

“If you realise you’re about to be in a collision with someone in a split second, you can’t protect yourself from harm. You must leave yourself wide open, because we’re trying to prevent serious injury”.

Think about the absolute insanity and contradictiveness of that.

“We don’t want anyone to get harmed, so you must leave yourself wide open to it when it’s imminent.”

You couldn’t make that s**t up.

The AFL have been pretty blunt that the onus is on the players to avoid engaging in acts that are likely to result in heavy contact with opponents' heads, and they're going to keep handing out heavy suspensions until the players get the message.

“Get the message”. Yeah, “don’t protect yourself from harm, leave yourself wide open to it when it’s imminent, because we don’t want people getting harmed”.

Even if they could overrule their natural instinct to protect themselves in that split second, you’d then have guys getting badly hurt from leaving themselves wide open, if they realise they’re going to be in an unavoidable collision.

It’s not the answer. It’s stupidity.

 

[FireKrakouer]

Looks like an unpopular opinion but I think it should be zero. I'm watching the clip on my phone so maybe I can't see his eyes as well but it looks to me like Wright only sees Cunningham at the last fraction of a second and braces out of reflex. It's horrible for Cunningham but Wright seems to have eyes for the ball until the final nanosecond and his team would've rightfully been filthy with him if he hadn't gone hard for the mark.

After the Maynard incident and recent concussion headlines he may well cop weeks but it appears he launches for the ball and had no reasonable time to react once he saw Cunningham, only time for reflexes. If it's true as some posters have stated that he takes his eyes off the ball prior to leaving the ground then that is a different story.

 

[Seadog]

What makes that “rightly so” though? It’s all well and good for those who are making these rules from the comfort of their desk chairs to say “you should do x, y and x in a split second, when you’re about to collide with a human projectile”, but is it actually reasonable to expect them to go against their natural human instinct- which is to protect your health and well-being, when it’s in immediate danger?

And even if they are able to overrule that instinct in a split second, and leave themselves wide open, how is that the answer!?

They are now leaving themselves wide open to getting badly hurt themselves.

You’re essentially saying to them;

“If you realise you’re about to be in a collision with someone in a split second, you can’t protect yourself from harm. You must leave yourself wide open, because we’re trying to prevent serious injury”.

Think about the absolute insanity and contradictiveness of that.

“We don’t want anyone to get harmed, so you must leave yourself wide open to it when it’s imminent.”

You couldn’t make that s**t up.



“Get the message”. Yeah, “don’t protect yourself from harm, leave yourself wide open to it when it’s imminent, because we don’t want people getting harmed”.

Even if they could overrule their natural instinct to protect themselves in that split second, you’d then have guys getting badly hurt from leaving themselves wide open, if they realise they’re going to be in an unavoidable collision.

It’s not the answer. It’s stupidity.

Regardless of how many long winded comments you make here he's gonna get 3 or 4 weeks.

 

[Foxx]

Watching the footage back it looks like Wright has the shoulder turned to bump before leaving the ground

Turning the shoulder would mean turning it into the player. Wright turned his shoulder away and hit him with his chest.

 

[flagdons2056]

Both players going for a mark. Both had eyes in the ball. One protects himself as everyone one is taught, the other just blindly puts themselves in harm way with no awareness that contact might be coming on a AFL football field. Player who protects himself will get suspended cause you know can’t have people getting hurt. Cause it’s a bad look.

 

[RUNVS]

Cunningham also did a chest mark. Had he gone with an overhead mark Wright would have been even later.

 

[PenfoldsFan]

Both players going for a mark. Both had eyes in the ball. One protects himself as everyone one is taught, the other just blindly puts themselves in harm way with no awareness that contact might be coming on a AFL football field. Player who protects himself will get suspended cause you know can’t have people getting hurt. Cause it’s a bad look.

Lol, if both are going for the mark and both have eyes on the ball as you suggest, then both have put themselves in harms way and neither considered the likelihood of contact in a marking contest.
The difference is, one continued to play the ball, the other jumped, tucked and turned their shoulder.

5 down to 4

 

[MF]

Nothing malicious in it but his last second decision to go into self preservation mode is what will bring him undone. If he had kept his hands outstretched and eyes on the ball he'd be okay.

 

[The Feeder Club]

Both players going for a mark. Both had eyes in the ball. One protects himself as everyone one is taught, the other just blindly puts themselves in harm way with no awareness that contact might be coming on a AFL football field. Player who protects himself will get suspended cause you know can’t have people getting hurt. Cause it’s a bad look.

Yeah I feel for Wright, he's goneski and will get four weeks because in the era we operate in he owes a duty of care to Cunningham. The AFL want Wright to pull out of that contest and protect Cunningham from his own stupidity, even if Wright's coach doesn't.
Because there was no malice in it, and in a more sensible era Cunningham is primarily the one that owed himself a duty of care, which he surrendered by courageously but also recklessly running backwards with no concern for his own safety.
Not much you can do about it, Wright knows the rules but he's still on the rough end of a stupid system rewarding crazy brave play which in any other era would be waved on.