AFL and the send-off rule: A matter of 'when', not 'if'?

Will the AFL introduce a 'send-off rule'? And should they?


  • Total voters
    53
  • Poll closed .
Sep 27, 2008
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Don’t be ridiculous.

Incidents like the gaff one happen once every 1000 games.

It’s a brutal game but not that brutal to imagine we have to bring in a send off rule for some rare moment.

Punishment is severe at the tribunal.

Players like gaff pay the price.

Gaff missed out on a whole finals series and a premiership so I don't think many players would be willing to follow his lead and break someone's jaw.

You very rarely see players throw punches these days, even Gaff's hit was more of a forceful push that went wrong when Brayshaw ducked into it.
 
The gaff analogy is erroneous - there is enough disincentive to ensure compliance with the rules...

with the exception of grand final day

a 6 week suspension - but a massive chance of a flag. You'd take it in a heart beat. And it doesn't need to be a haymaker - running through a bloke byron pickett style will do it

Mumford 5 years ago when he could actually catch someone would have been dangerous - the issue now is he is all huff and puff, but no stuff.

Truly the biggest disincentive is reputation. Lynch is more remembered for going postal than anything else.
 

Kappa

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 7, 2014
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Don’t be ridiculous.

Incidents like the gaff one happen once every 1000 games.

It’s a brutal game but not that brutal to imagine we have to bring in a send off rule for some rare moment.

Punishment is severe at the tribunal.

Players like gaff pay the price.

Fremantle may beg to differ.

They got no justice, all they got was a massive disadvantage for their game.

And why is being rare a good justification for not having a rule?
 
Sep 27, 2008
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It wasn't a deliberate king hit, it was only the fact that Brayshaw's jaw was broken that he got so many weeks, would have been 2 or 3 weeks otherwise.

Fremantle may beg to differ.

They got no justice, all they got was a massive disadvantage for their game.

And why is being rare a good justification for not having a rule?

Freo got thrashed in that game, made no difference to the result and Gaff spent a lot of time on the bench after that so may as well have been sent off.
 

Kappa

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 7, 2014
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It wasn't a deliberate king hit, it was only the fact that Brayshaw's jaw was broken that he got so many weeks, would have been 2 or 3 weeks otherwise.



Freo got thrashed in that game, made no difference to the result and Gaff spent a lot of time on the bench after that so may as well have been sent off.

What utterly stupid logic.
 
Mar 11, 2018
10,047
16,998
AFL Club
Essendon
Fremantle may beg to differ.

They got no justice, all they got was a massive disadvantage for their game.

And why is being rare a good justification for not having a rule?

Because it’s completely unnecessary that’s why. Because the umpires are mostly idiots and struggle to handle the most basic decisions on the field.

Why would we want to pile more pressure on them?

Its just plain common sense.
 
Aug 15, 2015
35,066
82,935
The cockeyed lowlife of the (Southern) Highlands
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Should only come in if teams are sending out players to specifically take out others. At the moment that’s not happening so it wouldn’t actually prevent any incidents.

As an aside, all the media that seems to be hoping Mumford does some dog act on Saturday is disgusting.
That’s not fair on anyone involved.

Should target cotchin, after his snipe in the 2017 prelim.
 

Americanpies

Club Legend
May 16, 2016
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What was farcical was the West Coast having a huge advantage for most of the game against Fremantle because Gaff king hit Brayshaw off the ball.

Imagine king hitting someone off the ball and being rewarded for it by gaining a man advantage for the game! What other sport in the world would allow that?

This is why I think subs need to be reintroduced. But not just for king hits. For any injured player.

The 'man down' scenario is devastating. Nobody ever talks about it being a problem for the game, but from what I've notice, usually teams can only overcome it if it is a Good team with the players missing Vs some garbage team.

I support Subs, and maybe have a system where at every quarter a team can sub one player in and one out for the remainder of the game.. regardless of injury or not. This will ensure both teams have the same amount of players on the field/interchange combined at all times and there is no undermanned disadvantage.

The red card system... I don't support that. We'll end up with situations like that Charlie Cameron business, with a small guy with an injury getting pushed around by the big guy.. big guy gets red carded as he is perceived as a dirty player. We have the tribunal system for people taking guys out. If Mumford goes ballistic this weekend, he will get huge fines and be seen as dirty for the rest of his life. I don't think anyone wants this.... Lynch/Wakelin, I don't think Lynch was in bed the night before thinking he is going to go out and punch Wakelin in the face. I reckon it was just a build up of emotion/niggling, etc and it just happened. It just looked bad that it was Lynch's last game.
 
These incidents being a "rare occurrence" or the potential inability of the AFL to enforce the rules consistently doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to make the game cleaner and protect the stars from the thugs.

Case in point: Gaff should have been red-carded no questions asked, in other sports he would have.
 
May 5, 2016
43,464
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Geelong
As long as the team with the guy sent off weren’t actually playing with 17 on on the field I wouldn’t have an issue with it.

With NRL it’s possible to still win with a man down. Playing one marker instead of two, and expanding your defensive line, coupled with the fact that you only have to defend 60m or so of territory sideline to sideline means it is doable.

18 on 17 in afl wouldn’t work
 
May 30, 2006
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Canberra
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North Melbourne
Send off rule yes, but only in Grand Finals for starters. Maybe for all matches after it has been trialed. It would be quite simple, if an umpire senses something deserved a send off, he signals to an official upstairs who reviews it.
Its been trialled for 20 years at every other level.
Bring it in, but only for the most obvious acts. Most years it wouldn't be used, and that's a good thing - but when it is needed it should be there.
 

Topkent

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Aug 29, 2010
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What was farcical was the West Coast having a huge advantage for most of the game against Fremantle because Gaff king hit Brayshaw off the ball.

Imagine king hitting someone off the ball and being rewarded for it by gaining a man advantage for the game! What other sport in the world would allow that?
Yeah real reward for Gaff missing the GF. Be the sits at home at night laughing at how good that accidental high hit on Brayshaw was
 

Dr Awkward

Norm Smith Medallist
Mar 23, 2009
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It's a real risk though if Mumford comes out swinging. A few sloppy free kicks or 50m penalties could be costly for them. Not to mention it might really fire us up. How likely is he to actually injure someone to the point of them not playing? Not very.

Everyone talks about how tough Mumford is etc, tbh he has been really poor in recent games.
 

Topkent

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Way to completely and utterly miss the point.
Nah your post was just crap. Picked what is an isolated incident out of modern footy which was an accident as the base for a new rule. Gaff missed possibly his only chance at a premiership but you think he must have been happy at what he did because they had a one man advantage. If it's such an advantage to go out and belt someone at the start of a game how comes it hasn't happened in 20 years
 
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