3 strikes for a suspension rule?

Feb 9, 2009
17,159
23,041
Footscray
AFL Club
Richmond
Move over ablett, there's a new sniper in town. Ben Cunnington has now been fined for 4 separate striking incidents this year alone. Next time he does it, he may get a suspension...

Wait a minute. When the afl changed the rules to allow fyfe to avoid suspension and win the brownlow, wasn't it changed so that you would receive fines for the first 2 offences, and an automatic suspension the third time? Dusty himself narrowly escaped this in 2017. When was this silently changed, or is this just Christian being clueless again (a bit like that Italian that got 3 yellow cards but wasn't sent off).

On a side note, clearly this fine system isn't working as a deterrent if it hasn't put Cunnington off from sniping 4 times in 15 games. Throw in fyfe, ablett multiple times this year, Dusty earlier this year, Mitchell on Goldstein last year and countless others, and it's hard to not think that there has been a distinct increase in these acts since the fyfe rule was created.

What's it going to take to make the best players play football instead of punching random blokes?
 

BF Tiger

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 5, 2007
9,783
22,305
9th
AFL Club
Richmond
I was a bit gobsmacked when I read this too. There has to be a tipping point, and regardless of force or place of contact it should be sooner than a fifth offence in any one season. If it keeps up I’ll be for bringing back a points system.
 

Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,046
84,953
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
Move over ablett, there's a new sniper in town. Ben Cunnington has now been fined for 4 separate striking incidents this year alone. Next time he does it, he may get a suspension...

Wait a minute. When the afl changed the rules to allow fyfe to avoid suspension and win the brownlow, wasn't it changed so that you would receive fines for the first 2 offences, and an automatic suspension the third time? Dusty himself narrowly escaped this in 2017. When was this silently changed, or is this just Christian being clueless again (a bit like that Italian that got 3 yellow cards but wasn't sent off).

On a side note, clearly this fine system isn't working as a deterrent if it hasn't put Cunnington off from sniping 4 times in 15 games. Throw in fyfe, ablett multiple times this year, Dusty earlier this year, Mitchell on Goldstein last year and countless others, and it's hard to not think that there has been a distinct increase in these acts since the fyfe rule was created.

What's it going to take to make the best players play football instead of punching random blokes?
Boo ******* hoo mate. Whinge and whine all you want it was soft as butter and shouldn't have even been a fine
 
Sep 29, 2016
9,668
16,213
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Bayern Munich
Aside from from the melts, how does a guy get fined 4 times and not be suspended?

Like, legitimately is there some loophole in the rules I have missed?
 
Aside from from the melts, how does a guy get fined 4 times and not be suspended?

Like, legitimately is there some loophole in the rules I have missed?
The AFL wanted a system that would appear to be doing something about the striking, but not actually do anything because they aren't in the business of having their best players missing from the show.

They thought three strikes would mean nobody would get there, three times - who is going to do this more than once? Then more than maybe one more time after that?

Then it happened.

They started rushing around, AFL360 started treating the third strike like it was solely responsible for the suspension and not the culmination of the acts. You know how it goes, the old "is that really worth missing a grand final over?" and the rule was pushed aside.
 
Feb 9, 2009
17,159
23,041
Footscray
AFL Club
Richmond
Boo ******* hoo mate. Whinge and whine all you want it was soft as butter and shouldn't have even been a fine
It's soft to whack a bloke off the ball because you aren't good enough to beat him fairly. Only a weak coward punches a bloke unexpectedly in the guts.

Ask viney how soft Sydney stack is
 
Feb 9, 2009
17,159
23,041
Footscray
AFL Club
Richmond
The AFL wanted a system that would appear to be doing something about the striking, but not actually do anything because they aren't in the business of having their best players missing from the show.

They thought three strikes would mean nobody would get there, three times - who is going to do this more than once? Then more than maybe one more time after that?

Then it happened.

They started rushing around, AFL360 started treating the third strike like it was solely responsible for the suspension and not the culmination of the acts. You know how it goes, the old "is that really worth missing a grand final over?" and the rule was pushed aside.
It's a sign of a weak admin that they aren't willing to stand by the fair rules which have stood for decades simply to avoid a minor talking point. In the effort to avoid 5 seconds of embarrassment they've turned the whole mrp into an embarrassment
 

MemoryLane

Team Captain
Jul 8, 2019
422
468
AFL Club
Adelaide
The system they have at the moment allows them to protect certain players. It's ambiguous enough to punish the no-namers but find loopholes to allow Cotchin to play a GF, Ablett to get a billion chances before the thug finally went.
 
It's a sign of a weak admin that they aren't willing to stand by the fair rules which have stood for decades simply to avoid a minor talking point. In the effort to avoid 5 seconds of embarrassment they've turned the whole mrp into an embarrassment
They did the exact same thing with their illicit drug code.

I believe the first objective when they were writing that thing was:

Don't change anything, but make it look like we are doing a lot.
 

BF Tiger

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 5, 2007
9,783
22,305
9th
AFL Club
Richmond
All it took from the MRO was a statement to the effect that as this was Cunnington’s fourth offence this year it was deemed that a one week suspension was required.
 

Topkent

Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Aug 29, 2010
61,046
84,953
Canada
AFL Club
Melbourne
Other Teams
Winnipeg Jets
It's soft to whack a bloke off the ball because you aren't good enough to beat him fairly. Only a weak coward punches a bloke unexpectedly in the guts.

Ask viney how soft Sydney stack is
The * has it got to do with Viney and Stack you weasel?

Cunnington is a star and he left a slap mark on a blokes chest.
 

fake tyrone

Team Captain
Jun 15, 2012
381
1,199
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Warrington Wolves, ACF Fiorentina
I'd rather see players getting suspended for gut punches which are clear, deliberate acts of violence and not suspend players who go hard (Nic Nat's tackle on Karl Amon being the most obvious one off the top of my head). On the one hand the AFL is supporting a bit of biffo while on the other hand, with the below-the-knees rule and duty of care when tackling, players are being discouraged from attacking the contest with maximum ferocity. I think Cunnington's saving grace is that he's not striking anyone in the head.
 
Feb 9, 2009
17,159
23,041
Footscray
AFL Club
Richmond
I'd rather see players getting suspended for gut punches which are clear, deliberate acts of violence and not suspend players who go hard (Nic Nat's tackle on Karl Amon being the most obvious one off the top of my head). On the one hand the AFL is supporting a bit of biffo while on the other hand, with the below-the-knees rule and duty of care when tackling, players are being discouraged from attacking the contest with maximum ferocity. I think Cunnington's saving grace is that he's not striking anyone in the head.
i dont think thats anything to do with it though, numerous head strikes this and last year have been let off.
 
They removed the three strike rule

I reckon it should be brought back

You smack a bloke 3 times in a year - take a week off.

We don't want to see tummy taps suspended - but when it becomes repeated indiscretion - then you deserve the week off.
 
Feb 9, 2009
17,159
23,041
Footscray
AFL Club
Richmond
They removed the three strike rule

I reckon it should be brought back

You smack a bloke 3 times in a year - take a week off.

We don't want to see tummy taps suspended - but when it becomes repeated indiscretion - then you deserve the week off.
i reckon hall should have been suspended for the 04 grand final personally. What weaker act is there than a gut punch to someone who isn't looking?
 
The system is broken in many ways and one of the main faults is it focuses more about what impact it had on the other player rather than the action itself.

Sling tackle someone to the ground and they hit their head and get knocked out, it's a week off. Sling tackle someone to ground but they are ok and it's just a fine.

Neither should be acceptable.
 

Duckimus Prime

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 26, 2008
7,091
10,654
Adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
i reckon hall should have been suspended for the 04 grand final personally. What weaker act is there than a gut punch to someone who isn't looking?
I don't think there was any need to suspend Barry Hall from the 04 Grand Final. The fact that Sydney lost a semi final was enough to ensure that he wasn't playing.
 
Back