Discussion 2024 General AFL Discussion

[BrutThough]

Reasons:
We consider this to be a clear case of rough conduct. Higgins used a poor and dangerous technique tackling Aliir to ground.
He grabbed hold of Aliir’s left arm and forcefully rotated him to ground. Higgins applied excessive force through a combination of dragging Aliir down by his left arm, while also using his bodyweight and right arm to help bring a bigger player to ground.

Importantly, at no stage did Higgins release Aliir’s left arm as he was coming to ground so that Aliir had control of his arm and could try to use it to protect himself.
Higgins had hold Aliir’s arm in such a way that Aliir had no or little ability to use it to try to protect himself.
A player exercising reasonable care would have released control of Aliir’s left arm to give him some opportunity to try to protect himself.
We agree that Aliir’s movement in attempting to kick the ball contributed to his momentum in coming to ground. We also have regard to the evidence of Dr. Bayne.
However, Higgins’ tackle was unreasonable for all the reasons we've stated, irrespective of Aliir’s movement in attempting to kick the ball.
Higgins dragged him down by his left arm with excessive force and even when Aliir was hurtling to the ground after trying to kick the ball, Higgins did not release his left arm.
This tackle was unreasonable in the circumstances and therefore constituted rough conduct.
Higgins did not challenge the grading of the impact as severe or the contact as high, and therefore is unnecessary to address those matters. That was sensible in circumstances where Aliir’s head hit the ground hard, he left the ground, did not return, suffered a concussion and will miss at least one further match.
We do not consider there to be any merit in the alternative submission that there are exceptional and compelling circumstances which make it inappropriate or unreasonable to apply a sanction of three matches.
We consider a three-match sanction to be proportionate in all the circumstances.The tackle was unreasonable and dangerous irrespective of Aliir’s actions.

read all that and try and match it up with the vision, it just doesn't compute

A clear case that took an hour to deliberate? And after an hour, their only solution for what else Higgins could have done is to let go when the player he is tackling decides to throw his legs in the air.

 

[BrutThough]

Eddie McGuire is a tool but listen to him on this weeks episode of Eddie and Jimmy he would’ve got Higgins off. Our lawyers are seriously cooked.

If Adrian Anderson, the guy who wrote the rulebook the tribunal are using, cant get him off then no one could.

 

[BigPowerForward]

Another special message for the AFL. The words are what the crowd sings at an Angels concert after the lyrics, "Am I ever going to see your face again"
No way, get.........................off

 

[ScrappyDo]

Would be great if Bassat took the league to court over this. I know it won't happen and there'd be repercussions if it did but I'd respect the hell out if it.

 

[Diehard Saint]

I will add our club sure are stupid when it comes to the tribunal, for smart ppl they sure do dumb s**t over and over.

Honestly, not sure what else they could have used as defence.
If there’s no common sense, and the AFL are just sh*t scared over lawsuits, nothings going to work.

The blind bias towards some, however, is just sheer hypocrisy.
Higgins (never been reported I think I saw somewhere) - yet his “good guy” exemption is overlooked by the St.Kilda tax.

 

[austinnn]

Sure has been a downer night. AFL has lost the plotView attachment 1975601

Not just this year.

I remember some of their names.

Barry Hall (vs Matt Macguire)
Ben Long
Paddy Ryder
Jimmy Webster
Max King

now Jack Higgins

All fishy decisions with no clear precedent. All one appeals lost.

 

[austinnn]

We are there to set the rules for the rest of the competition to follow. Sacrificial lamb for Laura Kane and her new netball code. We are basically the Washington Generals of the AFL. Never get a hand up and always used as a test case for any s**t they want to take on us.

They'd never treat Collingwood or Essendon like they do us. We have a season where we have a fixture made for us based on dumping every leftover on us. We didn't play at home for months, played multiple short turn around games interstate.

* the AFL. They are doing permanent damage to the code under Kane. I predict it won't be around in 15 years. It will start to retract and disappear like wiffle ball and croquet. ******* idiots. Harder to * it than let it run itself but they find a way.

The good thing is we'll finish 3rd last but they'll give North the and the northern academies the first 8 picks again.

Not one for conspiracy theories



BUT


Laura Kane is a North Melbourne person masquerading as an AFL bigwig.

North Melbourne are nominally first against the wall should pressure return to trim down the number of Melbourne clubs to make room for Tasmania rather than go to 19 clubs (see "One will go" article about Eddie McGuire this week)

Unless...

Unless another club can be weakened enough to replace her beloved Kanga Ruse in the gun for the Fitzroy treatment - a weakening by various means and who can think of a better candidate than thst perennial loser club who everyone now hates because of our boring tactics. Yep, Laura Kane is gunning for us. There's really only one thing for it:

Andrew Bassat has to train up Jason Blake - or simply send back Matt Finnis or Simon Lethlean if they bear no grudges - to infiltrate the AFL, rise up the hierarchy until they wield enough power to ship North Melbourne off to the Apple Isle permanently.

 

[gringo2011]

A clear case that took an hour to deliberate? And after an hour, their only solution for what else Higgins could have done is to let go when the player he is tackling decides to throw his legs in the air.

It's going to mean that players can't take a player to ground like in the juniors.

 

[BrutThough]

It's going to mean that players can't take a player to ground like in the juniors.

I dont think this will change anything. 3 weeks ago, this tackle from Toby Greene - with him clearly driving someone's head into the ground - wasn't even cited by the MRO. The best players will be able to do whatever they want and the others will hope the MRO is in a good mood when they do the exact same action.

 

[gringo2011]

Not one for conspiracy theories



BUT


Laura Kane is a North Melbourne person masquerading as an AFL bigwig.

North Melbourne are nominally first against the wall should pressure return to trim down the number of Melbourne clubs to make room for Tasmania rather than go to 19 clubs (see "One will go" article about Eddie McGuire this week)

Unless...

Unless another club can be weakened enough to replace her beloved Kanga Ruse in the gun for the Fitzroy treatment - a weakening by various means and who can think of a better candidate than thst perennial loser club who everyone now hates because of our boring tactics. Yep, Laura Kane is gunning for us. There's really only one thing for it:

Andrew Bassat has to train up Jason Blake - or simply send back Matt Finnis or Simon Lethlean if they bear no grudges - to infiltrate the AFL, rise up the hierarchy until they wield enough power to ship North Melbourne off to the Apple Isle permanently.

We are victims of being loyal even when we are poor on field. We aren't a basket case enough for any real help. Saints fans are seen as not giving a s**t about success or flags so are treated as a low priority novelty by the AFL. Sure they have to sling some cash for balancing up the gate takings but we aren't really problematic enough to be of any interest.

We aren't dormant enough to fill the coffers if we come good like Richmond but we aren't folding either. They can use us to fill out fixtures with ones no-one wants and be given the scraps from others refuse.

We also haven't bottomed out hard like North and Melbourne to get given special needs rules. We finish outside the 8 but off the premium picks so stuck in no-man's land.

 

[gringo2011]

I dont think this will change anything. 3 weeks ago, this tackle from Toby Greene - with him clearly driving someone's head into the ground - wasn't even cited by the MRO. The best players will be able to do whatever they want and the others will hope the MRO is in a good mood when they do the exact same action.

They don't want to mess with GWS winning a flag. People inside the AFL see the expansions as their babies. They have different rules for different clubs and different players.

 

[StFly]

Having slept on it, Higgins should feel chuffed;

A panel of his peers in AFL parlance indicated that he was so beastly, he drove Allir to ground just holding his hand. So even in stating that he was not even 80kg and Allir is 95kg so canne do it cap'n, Higgins needs to be more confident in his physicality based on this result.

 

[saintbill]

Awful fixture & some pitiful umpiring (hello PA), heap of suspensions (no argument with JWeb - he got the ball rolling) and a heap of pre and in season injuries - just put a line through 2024 it’s not happening.

Hopefully RTB gets some more games into the kids, keeps drilling the game plan and standards. Fingers crossed we address our deficiencies in the midfield, a decent KPD and a tall forward who can pinch hit in the ruck plus we continue to draft well.

Just one of those seasons - it happens - roll on 2025!

Yep, 24 is done.

For some reason I remain optimistic for next year. I think the list is better than most. We might find we have a very high draft pick this year to add to the mix.

Must must must fix the midfield. Steele and Crouch have been warriors, but best days are behind them.

Henry, Ownes, Pou, Windy and Wilson. Need to turn this group into a gun midfield rotation.

 

[phantom13]

Honestly, not sure what else they could have used as defence.
If there’s no common sense, and the AFL are just sh*t scared over lawsuits, nothings going to work.

The blind bias towards some, however, is just sheer hypocrisy.
Higgins (never been reported I think I saw somewhere) - yet his “good guy” exemption is overlooked by the St.Kilda tax.

Yeh as pissed off as i am about the outcome we were ****ed before we got there.

We couldnt challenge any aspect of the grading so had to go whole hog and the AFL wont take into account that Aliir KOd himself.

I would truly love to see someone say to the AFL "can you direct us to where it dictates that tackling a single arm, of a player attempting to fend is considered dangerous so that we could have instructed and trained our players not to do this".

 

[Diehard Saint]

Yeh as pissed off as i am about the outcome we were ****ed before we got there.

We couldnt challenge any aspect of the grading so had to go whole hog and the AFL wont take into account that Aliir KOd himself.

I would truly love to see someone say to the AFL "can you direct us to where it dictates that tackling a single arm, of a player attempting to fend is considered dangerous so that we could have instructed and trained our players not to do this".

Basically he should have just let him get the kick away.
Bad boy, Jack, 3 weeks for the sheer chutzpah of trying to do your job.

 

[CursingFijian]

 

[Saintos The ITK]

It was so clear from the recruitment of
Dow
Henry
Hastie
Garcia
Wilson

that we went for run and speed.
Also thought gus did a great job on Friday.

Arie the exception but he has the kicking ability.

Run Run Run.

Gus looked a bit slow to me.
Am I wrong????

 

[StFly]

Need more of this, from more associated with that side, for anyone in the big house to give a s**t about their existences.

 

[Pardon me]

This chook lotto won’t end until a player gets done and he retires/quits off the back of it citing ‘this isn’t the game I grew up playing and love’
Would be the biggest story in Australian sport.

 

[StFly]

This chook lotto won’t end until a player gets done and he retires/quits off the back of it citing ‘this isn’t the game I grew up playing and love’
Would be the biggest story in Australian sport.

They'll sweep it under the rug as "just another disgruntled" ex player and wash it, what we need is a unified voice and fracture similar to the AFLPA existing where the players, en mass, say enough is enough, and force the league into action to fix the problems.

What Hamish said in that open letter is a great first step, there just need to be more with him, and often, to cause lasting change.

 

[Ads734]

Gus looked a bit slow to me.
Am I wrong????

He’s just adjusting to the speed , even if his is ‘slow’ in his acceleration which I don’t think he is doesn’t mean he’s not a good ‘running’ pkayer

 

[Geary Is GOAT]

Jesus JHF can play. Norf bottled that so badly

 

[StFly]

We broke Port so now Adelaide get the spoils, figures..

 

[saintbill]

I reckon our current ladder position of 14 looks about right. Who are we going to overtake?

Crows, Pies, Lions all just above us. They are all far better. The only 2 sides I can see us overtaking are Freo and Gold Coast, possibly Bombers. I reckon our ceiling is 11. Top 5 pick definitely a chance.

 

[Tyrian Lonestar]

We broke Port so now Adelaide get the spoils, figures..

No Allir no Port