Zach Merrett offered 1 week for striking

Diamond Jim

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The AFL have it exactly where they want it. Do damage, hurts the brand, you get canned.

But remove what a lot of people think is still ‘OK’ on the field, like the gut punch... or any punch not to the head....and they won’t keep the suburban footy rock apes happy.

So simple solution....make claims like ‘we’re getting it out of the game’ but only serious penalties when damage occurs.

Whately, ‘Dobbo’ etc don’t understand they’ve been ‘had’.
 
Feb 9, 2009
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I’m happy to see this if it genuinely means the much-vaunted zero tolerance on striking. There’s a lot of body punching still that goes on. They should cut it out, and they can quite easily... throw one and get a week.
Agreed. Punching an opponent anywhere, let alone in a sensitive or vulnerable area, is neither tough nor courageous. It's also not part of the actual game of football.

Contact sport means contact in competing for the ball, not being a thug.
 
Sep 22, 2011
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Agreed. Punching an opponent anywhere, let alone in a sensitive or vulnerable area, is neither tough nor courageous. It's also not part of the actual game of football.

Contact sport means contact in competing for the ball, not being a thug.

It was meant to happen in the wake of the Brayshaw / Gaff incident, which was an attempt at a body punch that went very wrong. It's still not that uncommon. Cunnington has done it numerous times and not been suspended.
 
Feb 9, 2009
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It was meant to happen in the wake of the Brayshaw / Gaff incident, which was an attempt at a body punch that went very wrong. It's still not that uncommon. Cunnington has done it numerous times and not been suspended.
Wasn't it meant to happen when Barry hall was deemed to have gut punched McGuire in play, with the ball 100m away?
 
I'm a Carlton supporter, did you get me confused with a Geellong supporter or something?
Cute. 2 in a row and the zingers come out. Head wobble.

FWIW. You played your best and we play 10 mins of AFL standard footy and nearly won.
 
Sep 25, 2011
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Good. Throwing a cheap shot kidney punch just because you weren't quick or smart enough to catch a player is a dog act, especially since silvagni had to go off and maybe misses games.
But it's perfectly ok for Cotchin to head butt players whislt attempting terribly executed bumps or attacks on the footy... Ask Dylan Sheil.
 

astrowizzle

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Did he send someone to hospital meaning a High Impact rating ?
The suspension should be for the intention not the outcome. He punched of the ball in the ribs. Suspension.
If that tap Merrett did broke Ribs I would think about making contact with another player if I was silvagni for the fear of hurting myself. I am very sceptical that it was Merrett who actually broke the ribs no one is that soft
 
Jul 13, 2015
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The suspension should be for the intention not the outcome. He punched of the ball in the ribs. Suspension.
If that tap Merrett did broke Ribs I would think about making contact with another player if I was silvagni for the fear of hurting myself. I am very sceptical that it was Merrett who actually broke the ribs no one is that soft

The AFL will never remove impact from being a major factor in the punishments.
 

astrowizzle

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The AFL will never remove impact from being a major factor in the punishments.
Did youu actually look at the impact. He was unlucky that silvagni was carrying something. If you told me that that punch broke someones rib i would have laughed at you.
If i hit a fly on the wall that hard it would get up and fly away.
There are 20 plus worse actions that arent even looked at every weekend.
The AFL bang on about aesthetics, so they either lock down on punching full stop or they let it go.
 
Jul 13, 2015
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Did youu actually look at the impact. He was unlucky that silvagni was carrying something. If you told me that that punch broke someones rib i would have laughed at you.
If i hit a fly on the wall that hard it would get up and fly away.
There are 20 plus worse actions that arent even looked at every weekend.
The AFL bang on about aesthetics, so they either lock down on punching full stop or they let it go.

If you hit a fly at a level hard enough to bust ribs and puncture lungs I very much doubt it will buzz away.
 

Duckimus Prime

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 26, 2008
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It was meant to happen in the wake of the Brayshaw / Gaff incident, which was an attempt at a body punch that went very wrong. It's still not that uncommon. Cunnington has done it numerous times and not been suspended.
The most annoying thing is the grading of intentional/careless. Which we saw a lot of problems with in 2017 and its still not fixed.

The clearest example being Trent Cotchin punching Lachie Neale in the jaw, is graded as careless because Trent Cotchin was trying to hit Neale in the chest and carelessly got him high with the action because he wasn't looking at Neale.

Its also how Cunnington and Ablett were getting away with no suspensions.
 
Sep 22, 2011
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Agreed. Punching an opponent anywhere, let alone in a sensitive or vulnerable area, is neither tough nor courageous. It's also not part of the actual game of football.

Contact sport means contact in competing for the ball, not being a thug.

So here’s yet another test tonight for the AFL and their attitude to punching.

My prediction - they’ll squib it and Lynch will get a fine.
 
Feb 9, 2009
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So here’s yet another test tonight for the AFL and their attitude to punching.

My prediction - they’ll squib it and Lynch will get a fine.
What did Merrett get?

I don't like what Lynch did fwiw. But it would also be unfair if he were to get more than Merrett. Can't remember exactly what Merrett did but if it's about the same then no-one can complain if they get the same punishment.

As a whole the fines this year have been a joke. Clearly the AFL trying to claw back any money they can. AFL house must surely realise that these pissant fines aren't deterring anything.
 
Sep 22, 2011
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What did Merrett get?

I don't like what Lynch did fwiw. But it would also be unfair if he were to get more than Merrett. Can't remember exactly what Merrett did but if it's about the same then no-one can complain if they get the same punishment.

As a whole the fines this year have been a joke. Clearly the AFL trying to claw back any money they can. AFL house must surely realise that these pissant fines aren't deterring anything.

Merrett got a week. I think Lynch should get a week, as all punchers should. But I doubt he will, the AFL will squib it.
 
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