
Very well written and explained , But they already know this as they watch every game and every minute of Selwood playingI've always found you to be a reasonable poster so I'll take your opinion as genuinely held rather than the trolling and pearl clutching that regularly goes on BF. Do you honestly think Selwood is not one of the worst offenders at drawing free kicks that he could have avoided? Additionally, do you honestly think he is not one of the worst offenders at 'trying' to draw free kicks that are not warranted (i.e ducks and it isn't paid)? The example I gave of Hodges head massages and dirty 'almost' suspension worthy hits, do you agree with that? Hodge being a dirty player is about as universal a truism as Selwood being a ducker (plenty of BF posters would agree) and I bet you won't find footage of that either. If the commentators don't call it out live, it never gets any attention from the media and there is no footage. Noone is going to cut up a 'Hodge head massages and cheap shots' package.
Back to Selwood, Strange Cat is right, I am sure he has watched more games of Selwood than I have. Having said that, I still probably watch him play 5-6 times a year between Port, Crows, and 'high profile' games. The last couple of years, he toned it down, but for a good 10-year block it was the same script with any game I saw him play. He would do absolutely everything he could to be hit high. He would duck to pick the ball up and deliberately run into the opposition's shins (when they had stopped dead) and throw the head back. When trying to sidestep, he would lower his body to make sure the tackle went high and throw the head back. If it didn't go high, he'd push the arm up to try and push it up above the shoulder. If that didn't work and he was on the ground with a player standing/ crouching over him, he would literally try to wriggle up their arm and headbutt the opposition players arm with the side/back of his head repeatedly. If he didn't get a free kick, he would go and have a whinge to the umpire. He would do these sorts of acts 5-10 times a game quite often and whilst many times they wouldn't be paid, inevitably 1-2 times a game he would get a high free from contact that he initiated.
Any one of those things I mentioned other players do/have done. I have just never seen a player do all of them as regularly as Selwood and the stats bare out the fact that he gets ALOT more free kicks than anyone else. With finals he might have played a few extra games than most, but when you're looking at a set period like 2010-19 and similar players that played the whole decade like Pendlebury, Boak, Ablett, Cotchin are nowhere near him, you have to admit that is just a bit sus? Do they not put their head over the ball at every contest? Do they not get just as much contested ball? His behavior is especially galling in light of the way other players were treated. Robbie Gray got mugged in the forward line for the backhalf of his career, you'd see a slow-motion replay of a clear free and the commentators would justify it on the basis that 'he was playing it up by waving his arms and complaining to the umpire' while 3 players are gangbanging him. Ginnivan, Weightman, they have been pulled up mighty quick. Meanwhile, Selwood as a 'stalward' of the game and part of the 'good bloke' club that commentator's crap on about can teapot and complain incessantly and not only not get fewer frees than he should get, but quite a few more.
Feel free to agree or disagree with any or all of that.
But they will never admit that their "Champ" is a cheat