Autopsy Rd 20, 2014 - Brisbane Lions vs. Adelaide Crows

[patfullfankezz]

The whole situation makes me furious.

Ducking is a problem, so the AFL brought in a token rule to make it look like they were doing something. Now someone has been seriously hurt by ducking, when it could have easily been prevented if the stupid rule had been enforced in the first place!!!!!!!

Making me angrier still, is the fact that for the rest of the year ducking is going to be VERY heavily policed, but come next year no one will give a fast flying.

THESE ARE YOUNG MENS LIVES YOU ARE PLAYING WITH AFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hollow Knight]

All of them except Der-wayno who kept saying he had to duck his head to protect his welfare

Yeah, spot on as usual Dwayno. Worked a treat.

 

[lukiuslion]

I am always one to welcome criticism, often arguing against the fact people shoot down the idea of any rash statements in the face of a 100+ point defeat, its happens, we are passionate, its a forum and a raft of ideas should be allowed to be exchanged, unless abusive.

However, unlike earlier in the season, I didn't get that insane frustration today. We have shown we are on the improve, we have proven we have something to work with. We are young and we have only really had the legs to go 4 Quarters the 2-3 games coming off a bye this year, we had 6 teenage players compared to their none yesterday.

The game got away from us, we were out bodied, we were out gunned, we couldn't think ahead of the play, our structure broke down. But the team and the footy club is in a much better place than it was 12 months ago, the bandaid has been ripped off and we have a base to work from. We are more disciplined and players seem to be happier.

If I was Leppa I wouldn't even come crashing down on them after this game, I would have walked in and said "we saw what the future holds for us in the first 1/4, there's no point dwelling on the result, we know we have a lot of work to do".

The one strong criticism I do have in light of yesterday, it the voluntary chip kicking 20 meters to 1 on 1 contests often in front of goal, or sideways near goal. And the same for hand passing to someone standing still with an opposition player near by. The field kicking was generally ok, but some of the decision making coming out of the backline was simply baffling. After Ryan Harwood getting smashed on the game day thread for 3 pages, and smashed by those watching in our living room, he gets the ball for a kick in and kicks it 20 meters to a one on one in front of goal, luckily it was spoiled out of bounds by a crows player.. but that was the moment I thought "you must be joking Ryan Harwood" .. from memory there was under minute left and a long kick along the boundary was in order.

on that note - Ryan Harwood has potential and he is a player we need going forward, but he must be dropped after that game, his kicking over the last month (for someone who has shown he can kick) has been very frustrating.

Also, Freeman looks a great build and he got to some good spots yesterday, but I feel he wasn't ready..

What will be disappointing from here is if we replicate these sorts of performances over the last 3 rounds. I don't expect us to win, be I would like an average losing margin for the last 3 games to be kept to under 36 points.

 

[Toffee Lion]

I was arguing about the ducking on the main board, probably went about it the wrong way and at the wrong time (very upset after the game).

I still stand by the fact that if the umpires didn't award ducking, lynch would have chosen another avenue and disposed of the ball, thus avoiding injury.

But if you're going to abuse the ducking and happen to get injured in the process, you won't get sympathy from me - I don't wish for him to be injured and hope he is okay but that's what can happen mate, next time you might think twice about ducking your head.

 

[karix]

I was arguing about the ducking on the main board, probably went about it the wrong way and at the wrong time (very upset after the game).

I still stand by the fact that if the umpires didn't award ducking, lynch would have chosen another avenue and disposed of the ball, thus avoiding injury.

But if you're going to abuse the ducking and happen to get injured in the process, you won't get sympathy from me - I don't wish for him to be injured and hope he is okay but that's what can happen mate, next time you might think twice about ducking your head.

He had another option. It's an option I see suburban footy players do all the time, which is protect the head by turning the body to take the hit. Even under 12s and under 16s do it. The simple fact is that self preservation is a higher priority for non-professional players because it will impact their work/school/life massively if they get injured, where as there is a temptation for professional footballs to risks their safety to draw a free kick, which is a massive failing of the rules/umpiring. There should be no incentive at all to put your head in harms way, I would go so far to say it should actually be punished. As head/neck injuries damage the reputation of the game.

If the player with the ball is responsible for the contact by ducking in or not protecting themselves then I think it fair they be put on report like anyone else who makes high contact. It's reckless to leave your head exposed when you could protect it with pretty simple technique/body positioning, just as it is reckless to swing your arm high to try and tackle.

 

[Chief Crow]

I am with you Bob, Lynch clearly got the ball, stood tall, seen Clarke coming and ducked for the free, you would think he will never do that again, it all happened very quickly but he should have taken the tackle head on.

lynch had no time to fully stand up. Remember early in the season he was in a same position and did try to stand up. Result for him was a broken jaw courtesy of Viney. Can't judge him for trying to protect his face

 

[karix]

lynch had no time to fully stand up. Remember early in the season he was in a same position and did try to stand up. Result for him was a broken jaw courtesy of Viney. Can't judge him for trying to protect his face

Didn't need to stand right up, just needed to hold his line or turn his shoulder slightly. He literally thrust his head straight into his opponents stomach/hip and put his neck in an extremely vulnerable position. Nearly any other reaction would've been safer.

 

[Hollow Knight]

lynch had no time to fully stand up.

Not sure I agree. Would you concede he had time to turn his body?

 

[Chief Crow]

Not sure I agree. Would you concede he had time to turn his body?

His knees are still bent from collecting the ball of the deck. Try to turn and risk doing a knee or try to stand up fully and likely get hit in the face. After a broken jaw already I'm sure any person would try to protect against that

 

[Toffee Lion]

His knees are still bent from collecting the ball of the deck. Try to turn and risk doing a knee or try to stand up fully and likely get hit in the face. After a broken jaw already I'm sure any person would try to protect against that

How ramming your head into a blokes hip is protecting yourself is beyond me.

Watch the replay, he had time.

 

[Hollow Knight]

His knees are still bent from collecting the ball of the deck. Try to turn and risk doing a knee or try to stand up fully and likely get hit in the face. After a broken jaw already I'm sure any person would try to protect against that

I remain thoroughly unconvinced.

 

[karix]

His knees are still bent from collecting the ball of the deck. Try to turn and risk doing a knee or try to stand up fully and likely get hit in the face. After a broken jaw already I'm sure any person would try to protect against that

Do you play sport? I've found you can turn your shoulder quite easily in the body position he was in without risking a knee injury. Only takes a little bit of angle to deflect a huge amount of force away from the head and neck, and you can often move your opponent with your shoulder as you charge through. Win - win IMO.

 

[Mavlions1961]

His knees are still bent from collecting the ball of the deck. Try to turn and risk doing a knee or try to stand up fully and likely get hit in the face. After a broken jaw already I'm sure any person would try to protect against that

Do you play sport? I've found you can turn your shoulder quite easily in the body position he was in without risking a knee injury. Only takes a little bit of angle to deflect a huge amount of force away from the head and neck, and you can often move your opponent with your shoulder as you charge through. Win - win IMO.

Exactly, he had time to look up, realise the situation he was in then duck, still convinced if he took the tackle in the upright position he would have finished the game.

 

[lions27]

When does using your head as a battering ram become reportable?
Not much different to a knee or elbow I reckon
If lynch stands and takes the hit then there is a good chance neither of them gets injured

 

[Chief Crow]

Do you play sport? I've found you can turn your shoulder quite easily in the body position he was in without risking a knee injury. Only takes a little bit of angle to deflect a huge amount of force away from the head and neck, and you can often move your opponent with your shoulder as you charge through. Win - win IMO.

Have you ever played afl footy against 100kg athletes after breaking your jaw the same way earlier in the season? Didn't think so.
take a second to put yourself in that exact situation and I guarantee you would drop your head to avoid collision to the face. No matter how you put it, hardly any players would have time to think to turn in a split second decision

 

[chopperduck]

Considering his earlier injury, im not surprised he did try something different from last time. But that is kinda beside the point. What he did or didnt want to do is his call, but this is a clear case where a player had time to look up, make a decision and went the duck. Was that decision influenced by past experience, maybe, but it doesnt change the outcome. By staying down he put himself into a very dangerous situation and he is lucky there injury isnt worse. To have a free kick paid against clarke was insane, and this is a text book case of why the AFL needs to crack down in ducking to encourage players not to do it.

 

[Sanchez365]

Have you ever played afl footy against 100kg athletes after breaking your jaw the same way earlier in the season? Didn't think so.
take a second to put yourself in that exact situation and I guarantee you would drop your head to avoid collision to the face. No matter how you put it, hardly any players would have time to think to turn in a split second decision

From memory the reason he got demolished by viney was because he had another player behind him tackling him which brought him down low enough so vineys shoulder hit his face. I don't really see how that is relevant in this situation.

He took possession of the ball cleanly, went to straighten up, saw oncoming traffic and put his head down into the contact. I feel like he put his face in MORE danger with his actions then if he had just turned his body to the side and put his shoulder into Clarke.

 

[karix]

Have you ever played afl footy against 100kg athletes after breaking your jaw the same way earlier in the season? Didn't think so.
take a second to put yourself in that exact situation and I guarantee you would drop your head to avoid collision to the face. No matter how you put it, hardly any players would have time to think to turn in a split second decision

I've played suburban footy against 100kg+ athletes after breaking my collar bone earlier in the season, and I still lay tackles/bumps using that shoulder. I've also done roughly 15 years of full contact martial arts. I would never drop my head to avoid a collision to the face because it's very dangerous. That's how you risk severe spinal damage, lose sight of your opponent, and put yourself in a very vulnerable position on the ground when you hit the deck.

I would turn my shoulder because that is common sense. Knowing the reflexes and instincts of professional (and some amateur) athletes, the time he had to make his decision and duck his head that aggressively might seem like only a second on camera but would've felt much longer to him. Ample time to turn his shoulder.

He made a poor decision. He chose to put his head/neck in harms way and he now has to suffer the consequences. Hopefully they won't be too severe and he'll be wiser for the experience.

 

[BL_dobsmob]

I'd say you would see the taking possession whilst turning 10-20 times a game. I saw Zorko do it at least twice in yesterday's game.

Its not as if Lynch was suddenly in the position of about to run in to a brick wall. Moving towards the ball its possible to see the impact and position accordingly, get the ball while turning. The impact is then going to be with shoulder and side rather than head

Commentators praise the act of slightly bending the knee to draw a free kick, players are greased up around the shoulders to make tackles slip up to over the shoulder (this was the last thing done by a trainer to Joel Selwood before the start of the game on Sat night).

I also don't wish ill/injury on any player but the blame has to sit squarely with the AFL/umpiring for not policing the rule.

 

[BuntonRules]

At least that effort will have James Aish racing in to sign a new contract.

 

[Mavlions1961]

Have you ever played afl footy against 100kg athletes after breaking your jaw the same way earlier in the season? Didn't think so.
take a second to put yourself in that exact situation and I guarantee you would drop your head to avoid collision to the face. No matter how you put it, hardly any players would have time to think to turn in a split second decision

MRP sums it up nicely, albeit should never have been raised. Access all areas also mentions it, stating that Lynch clearly brought it on himself.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-08-11/mrp-full-statement-round-20

Contact between the Brisbane Lions’ Justin Clarke and the Adelaide Crows’ Tom Lynch from the second quarter of Sunday’s match was assessed. The ball was loose in the Adelaide forward line with Lynch and Clarke coming to the ball from opposite directions. Lynch picks up the ball and has possession when Clarke attempts to tackle. The Adelaide player initially raises his body after taking possession and then alters his position, just before the tackle is laid. It was the view of the player that Clarke had no realistic alternative way to approach the contest and the high contact was caused by circumstances outside the player’s control. No further action was required.

 

[Hollow Knight]

I'm mildly irritated that Clarke's involvement was even looked at.

 

[jackess]

'Alters his position' must be MRP language for ducking.

 

[Mavlions1961]

'Alters his position' must be MRP language for ducking.

Its all about the wording eh!! Access all areas believe Umps should now start awarding frees against the duckers.

 

[winged1]

Lynch should of been charged with attacking the hip of Clarke. WHERE'S THE JUSTICE!!