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Choppy

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Article from Matt Agius on the Port website about how Choppy's mum saved his career.

Kids need great parents
Playing reserves footy for Port Adelaide in the mid-nineties, Pickett admits he was ready to throw in the towel.
It was his mother who convinced him to see out the rest of the season before being drafted to the Roos in the 1996 National Draft.
Kids need great parents

There are a few players who may not be thanking Choppy's mum :D



 

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What are you talking about for heavens sake guys !!!
Magnificent bumps both of them and FAIR bumps at that. No raised forearm or fist, just
a beautiful exhibition of the art of the bump delivered with exquisite timing.
Of course I will be accused of bias but to me both incidents remind me of some of the
great fast bowlers Holding, Lillee,Thomson, Mitchell and others bowling legitimate short pitched balls.
Footy is a contact sport and my Byron was umpired to a premature end.
 
What are you talking about for heavens sake guys !!!
Magnificent bumps both of them and FAIR bumps at that. No raised forearm or fist, just
a beautiful exhibition of the art of the bump delivered with exquisite timing.
Of course I will be accused of bias but to me both incidents remind me of some of the
great fast bowlers Holding, Lillee,Thomson, Mitchell and others bowling legitimate short pitched balls.
Footy is a contact sport and my Byron was umpired to a premature end.
The Biglands one was completely legit, and a wonderful thing to behold. I loved it at the time, and still love it.

The Krummel one he ran past the ball, and hit him in the head as Krummel went down for the ball. I would hate to see that happen to any of our players, and the potential for injury from hits like that is huge.
 
The Krummel one ummm. Maybe I've got my rose coloured,one eyed glasses on
so here's my take and of course neither of our views matter, its history now after all.
Byron could have picked up the ball and maybe just maybe been open for a hit.
He chooses to not pick up the ball but bump an opponent out of the contest.
Is it any different to players running past the ball / contest to bump an opponent.
What makes the difference with Byron is the timing and his solid build. If either Biglands
or Krummel had seen the possibilities and braced or evaded the full impact all of this
would be a non issue. They didn't. Byron's fault....not in my book. Incidentally
Biglands was to say years later to Byron "I was lining you up"
The Frummel one unexpected to him but fair and within the rules.
Tough game footy.
 
You knew we could take Brisroy on once he came back home. I reckon every one heard footsteps when Byron was playing.
 
Your probably right, but what is often overlooked with Byron, is that
he was a superb footballer, the real deal, total package. Gliding across the ground
with deceptive speed, beautiful kick and great goal sense. A game breaker and match winner.
I don't even pretend to be objective re my Byron, happy to let his footy do the talking.
Thanks for posting the videos of him.
Thanks Byron, your a legend and I luvz ya.
 
All footy players of all ages should thank their Mum. It's us who embarrass them with our cheering. It is also us who have to be talked out of going to talk to that "thug of a player who needs to pull his head in". It is Mum's who cheer, cringe, yell, cry, cheer, apply first aid and care too much at footy … that it can't be good for blood pressure or hearts etc. but who love their boy and love their club so what are you gonna do??
 

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The Biglands one was completely legit, and a wonderful thing to behold. I loved it at the time, and still love it.

The Krummel one he ran past the ball, and hit him in the head as Krummel went down for the ball. I would hate to see that happen to any of our players, and the potential for injury from hits like that is huge.

The Krummel one was also A-OK at the time, but that one along with a few Buddha Hocking pick-offs at stoppages and Ricciuto classics (like the one on Kemp) began the move towards greater scrutiny of bumps in future.
 
The Krummel one was also A-OK at the time, but that one along with a few Buddha Hocking pick-offs at stoppages and Ricciuto classics (like the one on Kemp) began the move towards greater scrutiny of bumps in future.
I feel that the Krummel one was definitely the start of the evolution towards what is now the front on contact bump rule we have today. They tried to throw charging in as a reportable offence around that time, but it was such a mess because it was terribly defined. "Force, that in the circumstances, would be considered unreasonable" has always been too loosey-goosey a definition for mine.
 
The Krummel one, Byron starts to bend down to pick up the ball luring Krummel into a false sense of security then uncoils the big bump from a crouching position, which made the hit even more brutal. He caught Krummel unsuspecting and high with his granite hard shoulder. He would get a bigger suspension than the Golden Gate Bridge for that these days.
 
I feel that the Krummel one was definitely the start of the evolution towards what is now the front on contact bump rule we have today. They tried to throw charging in as a reportable offence around that time, but it was such a mess because it was terribly defined. "Force, that in the circumstances, would be considered unreasonable" has always been too loosey-goosey a definition for mine.

Yeah Choppy's hit on Krummel started the scrutiny. But i think Michael Long's hit on young Troy Simmonds in the GF really brought the spotlight onto the whole front on head high bump incidents.
 
I miss uncle chop chop....

Not sure how he would go these days with the rule changes since they were after him back then....but he/we will always have this...

652674-norm-smith.jpg
 
When Abbott said he was going to shirt front Putin the ABC and I think Ch 7 used the Krummell bump as an example of a shirt front on their news stories.

Tony meant a rugger bugger shirtfront - grab the guy by his shirt and eyeball him.

Long's bump on Simmonds in the 2000 GF was bloody dangerous and could havs broken his neck/spine. Long hit him at full speed from front on.
 
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Your probably right, but what is often overlooked with Byron, is that
he was a superb footballer, the real deal, total package. Gliding across the ground
with deceptive speed, beautiful kick and great goal sense. A game breaker and match winner.
I don't even pretend to be objective re my Byron, happy to let his footy do the talking.
Thanks for posting the videos of him.
Thanks Byron, your a legend and I luvz ya.
Dont get us wrong, we love him too ... loved his tough no nonsense contests, and his skill & run ... At the Time I loved his bumps, but i just cringe now when I see blood draining from ears & noses of those hit, like Krummel ...
 
Love Choppy - but the Krummell and the Begley hits were atrocious. I'm glad that those incidents are now virtually out of the game and when they do occur create a shitstorm. The context of the time was that the game tolerated those kind of incidents to an extent, so not calling it a dog act - but that kind of stuff has no place in our game.

But enough about the controversy, what a wonderfully talented footballer he was. Not too many combine the frightful brutality without the ball with the sheer grace and power he had when it was in his hands.
 
Love Choppy - but the Krummell and the Begley hits were atrocious. I'm glad that those incidents are now virtually out of the game and when they do occur create a shitstorm. The context of the time was that the game tolerated those kind of incidents to an extent, so not calling it a dog act - but that kind of stuff has no place in our game.

But enough about the controversy, what a wonderfully talented footballer he was. Not too many combine the frightful brutality without the ball with the sheer grace and power he had when it was in his hands.

I didnt think the Begley hit was much to be honest. Certainly nowhere near the 6 weeks he got. But that might be coz i suffer the same affliction as Byrons Firen
 
I didnt think the Begley hit was much to be honest. Certainly nowhere near the 6 weeks he got. But that might be coz i suffer the same affliction as Byrons Firen

Couldn't find the clip on youtube and haven't seen the incident for a while, but this freeze frame pretty much confirms my recollection. Begley head down going to pick up the ball, Choppy focused on cleaning him up and making serious front on contact to the head coming in at a pretty fast pace. Was a bit of a landmark case with the AFL out to make a statement so at the time the six weeks came as a bit of a shock, but I think they got the punishment right with that one.

486222-byron-pickett.jpg
 
Couldn't find the clip on youtube and haven't seen the incident for a while, but this freeze frame pretty much confirms my recollection. Begley head down going to pick up the ball, Choppy focused on cleaning him up and making serious front on contact to the head coming in at a pretty fast pace. Was a bit of a landmark case with the AFL out to make a statement so at the time the six weeks came as a bit of a shock, but I think they got the punishment right with that one.

486222-byron-pickett.jpg
IF they'd applied the same gradings to future incidents it would have been fine, but we saw pretty quickly that what Byron got versus what others got he was belatedly hung out to dry. Surprise surprise the tribunal headed then by the ex-Hawks coach of Krummel who'd been aching for payback ever since the incident. Of course the AFL never can admit bias or mistakes.
 
IF they'd applied the same gradings to future incidents it would have been fine, but we saw pretty quickly that what Byron got versus what others got he was belatedly hung out to dry. Surprise surprise the tribunal headed then by the ex-Hawks coach of Krummel who'd been aching for payback ever since the incident. Of course the AFL never can admit bias or mistakes.

Long bow to draw saying that the coach of the club Krummel was at had anything to do with Pickett being treated unfairly. The AFL as a whole didn't like what Byron was doing and weren't going to give him any leeway whatsoever whenever he transgressed.
 

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