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Squiggle tips Demons at 77% chance -- What's your tip? -- Team line-ups »
It’s the stupid ones, where he doesn’t need to hold an arm, or push an opponent in the back. I understand when you get pinged and both players are wrestling, but not the needless ones.
One change I have noted in last two weeks is having a small forward being on the mark for kick ins from behinds. We used to have Joe there but the opposition waltzed it down field too easy and set up offensive drives. With the fast small forwards putting more pressure on we are defending the kick outs way better. A small change but important i think as it sets the “pressure tone”.
It appears to me we get penalised for holding the arm more than our opposition do. A fine example is Linc late in 3rd Qtr remonstrating with the ump holding his own wrist.There isn't a defender in the AFL who hasn't given away a "stupid" free, whether it be an arm pull, a push out or grappling with his opposite number.
In the Freo game Lester got away with one blatant arm pull when the ball was inbound to our back line. Seconds later, he did it AGAIN when the ball wasn't really even in his area. This time the ump saw it and pinged him.....and it cost a goal.
Now that was pretty stupid.
The defender who never gives away a "needless" free kick doesn't exist so I'm not sure what your point is?
As we know, it's a game of millimetres . Misjudgments and mistakes will happen.
I think Gardiner is a bloody good defender.
I'm prepared to wear his "needless" frees because I don't see any quantitative evidence that he is any worse in this area than any other good defender