Joel's slant

[jonbe54]

Interesting article in The Age - the art of making umpires look twats I would call it - Joel candidly talks about his technique in exploiting a loophole.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/selwoods-loophole-20120408-1wjoi.html

Most fair judges would admit that what Joel does is totally within the rules, its just further proof that the AFL - and particularly the rules committee - couldn't frame a rule properly if it was to save their lives

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/selwoods-loophole-20120408-1wjoi.html

Good luck to him but I'd dearly love 5 minutes alone with Hungry and his pack of performing monkeys

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

James clement did the same thing and so hands in the back was introduced.

The umpires are the issue. You can't blame players for trying to get any advantage they can.

The umps should just ignore any player who shrugs or ducks, or causes a legitimate tackle to become an illegal one.

 

[Bay Pie]

James clement did the same thing and so hands in the back was introduced.

The umpires are the issue. You can't blame players for trying to get any advantage they can.

The umps should just ignore any player who shrugs or ducks, or causes a legitimate tackle to become an illegal one.

Got it in one Ed. If the tackle starts as legitimate and slips high due to an act by the tackled player, then no free kick should be rewarded.

It's really odd that the AFL haven't acted on this. Hawthorns rushed behinds in 2008, Pies rotations in 2010, Geelongs head ducking frees??

It's a blight on the game.

 

[jonbe54]

Huge debate on the main board. Its part of a bigger problem with the entire head high area being mishandled IMHO.

 

[Ed D]

Interesting that he's actually admitted to it. I wonder if the AFL will now act on it?

I do find it annoying when players play for free kicks. It's like when guys go running into packs with their head down trying to get contact, or the ball is on the ground and they run as hard as they can and dive head first into the contest so if someone stops them they touch their head and it's a free. I agree with what some commentators say, that with the current rules and players getting head high free kicks, it's going to end badly.

 

[jonbe54]

That is without a doubt Ed, unless the AFL wise up there is going to be another Niel Sashe (spelling?) type injury as players are encouraged to throw their heads at the shins of stationary opponents and being rewarded with frees.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Well, they added the hands in the back intepretation because of Clement, so I don't know why they can't implement the Selwood inteprestation where players who cause legal tackles to become illegal tackles are ignored.

Semi on topic, watch the 1st quarter of the 2010 Prelim again. It's living proof that umpires have a MASSIVE influence over the result of the game.

Out of our 7 goals, at least 4 came as a result of free kicks that were let go that would normally have been paid during the season. Including a Selwood special. I've been going on about it for years, and that game is living proof. The umps have a giant gian giant say in how games pan out.

It was ingored in the prelim because of the shellacking we gave them, but honestly, watch the first quarter again. At least 4.

1) Pendlebury run in goal - Cloke holds Corey back just enough to allow Macaffer to sneak in, and deliver to Dids who handballs to Pendles for an open goal

2) Leigh Brown banana bender - Didak was holding Enright JUST long enough to disable him from influencing the contest. Leigh Brown runs onto it

3) Pendlebury second goal - Reid pushes Mooney at the other end outside the 5m allowance, so instead of Mooney potentially kicking a goal, Pendles is kicking one at the other end

I'd need to watch it all again to remember the other one, but I know there was at least one more.

 

[Thommo 42]

The AFL has to act. They want to protect the head, but they have a star player openly admitting that he deliberately seeks head high contact to earn a free kick.

They have nowhere to go on this now.

 

[danielnajdek]

If he wants to duck and cause hits to his head then it's his own fault if it causes him to get brain damage. There was one yesterday in the last quarter where the ball went out of bounds and the Hawks player put his arm around Selwoods arm and he lifted his arm up to get a free

Hate watching players do this to get frees.

 

[ipswichpies]

If he wants to duck and cause hits to his head then it's his own fault if it causes him to get brain damage. There was one yesterday in the last quarter where the ball went out of bounds and the Hawks player put his arm around Selwoods arm and he lifted his arm up to get a free

Hate watching players do this to get frees.

Dan
It,s funny you should mention that 1 in the 4 qtr as I thought the exact same thing when I saw it,he is a brave player no doubt about it but as he admitted in his story on the weekend he is doing it on purpose so he cannot complain about it when someone does hit him high.

You just have to hope he does not get to many headknocks he should take a look at a few ex boxers to see what can happen when you take a few too many to the head.

 

[danielnajdek]

Dan
It,s funny you should mention that 1 in the 4 qtr as I thought the exact same thing when I saw it,he is a brave player no doubt about it but as he admitted in his story on the weekend he is doing it on purpose so he cannot complain about it when someone does hit him high.

You just have to hope he does not get to many headknocks he should take a look at a few ex boxers to see what can happen when you take a few too many to the head.

As frustrating as it is watching him get these frees when someone lays a proper tackle I'm more concerned about what effect it will have on him if he continues to get knocks to the head that he can prevent. I wonder how his parents feel about this. I hope the AFL can do something about it because after all their the ones who are concerned about concussions. Will be interesting to see if they do anything about it.

 

[jonbe54]

It certainly sends mixed messages if they fail to act.

Their stated aim is to make the head sacrosanct and here is a high profile player publicly admitting he places himself in danger deliberately.

But the other side of the coin is protection of the man going for the ball, they MUST be protected otherwise it becomes far too soft and we lose the heart of the game we love.

The AFL should act but how to discourage reckless self endangerment whilst rewarding and protecting our heroes who put their bodies on the line???

I confess to being sorely troubled by the whole head high affair and deeply perplexed in attempting to find a balanced response to the situation.

 

[ipswichpies]

The S--- is hitting the fan on the mainboard now as we speak over whitehead,s 1 match ban for Sellwood cannoning into him and copping a big headknock which I must say I felt was accidental and which the umpire ATM also assess as accidental.

With Sellwood saying on the weekend that he does try and draw high contact sometimes in the tackle maybe they should be looking at him a bit closer.

 

[Thommo 42]

Merely an unfortunate cooincidence that the Whitecross incident involved Selwood.

It was clearly an accident. Whitecross was simply getting to his feet and Selwood, on this occasion, did not deliberately draw high contact. Free kick for the accidental high contact, but no further action required.

There is no way Whitecross could have avoided that contact.

 

[ipswichpies]

Merely an unfortunate cooincidence that the Whitecross incident involved Selwood.

It was clearly an accident. Whitecross was simply getting to his feet and Selwood, on this occasion, did not deliberately draw high contact. Free kick for the accidental high contact, but no further action required.

There is no way Whitecross could have avoided that contact.

As you say it it was merely a coincidence that it involved Sellwood but he is the one who will bring scrutiny upon himself after admitting he uses a technique to draw high tackles,he could of kept his mouth shut and nobody would be the wiser he was the one who has made it public nobody else.

I also thought it looked accidental and very stiff to get suspended for that.

Ps apologies to Whitecross for not remembering his name correctly.

 

[Alexander323bc]

This discussion is a direct result of the head is sacrosanct rule introduced by the AFL! Previously high contact was incidental and most players expected it at any time so were always looking out for themselves and were mindful about head high contact. Now they use it to get a free kick. Someone said Selwood was brave. Putting your life on the line is not brave it's stupid! Brave is standing up in the tackle and trying to beat your opponent fair and square not through a cheap free kick. It takes more balls to try and beat your opponent on merit and fail then to get your head taken off for a free kick.