Preview Round 8. Freo Vs North Melbourne.

[Augustine]

As for this game I've already written it down as an L for us. We're missing Wells, Dal Santo and Swallow who are arguably our three best mids. Ziebell, Cunnington, Higgins, Bastinac aren't bad players but pale next to Fyfe, Barlow, and Mundy.

I'm praying Hansen is in, so crucial for us.

 

[Augustine]

Do you think it's a good thing he does it or not?

Hand on my heart no. I love Lindsay, one of my favourite players, but I honestly don't think its good for the game. I find it very frustrating when it happens to us.

But I hate it when its called cheating. It's not cheating. It's legal to bend your knees or drop one shoulder when someone is trying to tackle you. He's just not a liked player in the competition. No-one talks about his skills and high marks and baulking and goals from the 50 out on the sideline. All he ever gets talked about is the yips he had in 2011 (every single effing set shot he takes) and the "ducking".

 

[Fred Ziffel]

Well as the rules stand the way he gets them are all free kicks (whether what he does is "in the spirit of the game" is another argument). He doesn't actually "duck", he makes himself difficult to tackle legally by bending low to the ground and sort of leading with his neck, and as the rules stand there's nothing illegal about that, nor are umpires supposed to say "play on you bent your knees". The rules haven't changed mid-week so the umpires have to pay them if they're there. Surely they don't let the media affect their decisions?

Pigs arse.

 

[Clems Knee]

Easy to fix. Ducking to be defined as "initiating contact above the shoulders". Play on. It's what the umpires should be doing right now. The only reason they don't is to protect Joel Selwood - a favourite son of a favourite team.
Then Hams, Shuey, Selwoods, Thomas, Bartel, Christensen would stop doing it. In our side it tends to be Suban who does it. Walters just lowers his head and tries to duck under the tackle, often but not always successfully.

Edit:
Yes playing for frees is a form of cheating. The aim of men in this game is to win the ball fairly, and if you are infringed you get a free. Any attempt to draw a free is a form of cheating. It makes the game less of a true contest.

 

[Taylor]

I think Spurr will start to tackle Thomas, abort the tackle and Lindsay will go to ground from no contact - embarrassing himself in the media but probably immediately getting a free for in the back.

 

[Augustine]

Easy to fix. Ducking to be defined as "initiating contact above the shoulders". Play on.

Ok but I'm not sure that resolves all of it. Yes that would fix leading with your neck, but half the angst is about "dropping at the knees" which is what Lindsay and others (Selwood) do a lot. Can we really make a rule saying high contact frees will not be paid if a player bends his knees?

Yes playing for frees is a form of cheating. The aim of men in this game is to win the ball fairly, and if you are infringed you get a free. Any attempt to draw a free is a form of cheating. It makes the game less of a true contest.

That's not the definition of cheating. Cheating is where you break the rules to try to get an advantage. Again, there is no rule against making yourself difficult to tackle legally. What your referring to is playing in the right "spirit", and as I've said I agree its not really in the spirit of the game to be looking for frees.

 

[beetz]

Well as the rules stand the way he gets them are all free kicks (whether what he does is "in the spirit of the game" is another argument). He doesn't actually "duck", he makes himself difficult to tackle legally by bending low to the ground and sort of leading with his neck, and as the rules stand there's nothing illegal about that, nor are umpires supposed to say "play on you bent your knees". The rules haven't changed mid-week so the umpires have to pay them if they're there. Surely they don't let the media affect their decisions?

They don't even let the rules affect their decisions so who knows.

 

[Clems Knee]

Ok but I'm not sure that resolves all of it. Yes that would fix leading with your neck, but half the angst is about "dropping at the knees" which is what Lindsay and others (Selwood) do a lot. Can we really make a rule saying high contact frees will not be paid if a player bends his knees?



That's not the definition of cheating. Cheating is where you break the rules to try to get an advantage. Again, there is no rule against making yourself difficult to tackle legally. What your referring to is playing in the right "spirit", and as I've said I agree its not really in the spirit of the game to be looking for frees.

Bending your knees in the process of changing direction is fine. It is not initiating contact. Thomas moves his head and neck towards the tackler as he goes lower in an obviously dangerous tactic. That interpretation would stop it. Selwood raises his arm so as to initiate contact to the head or neck as the tackle is forced up. That interpretation would also stop that. Bartel and Christensen dive at the tackler, head first. No umpire should ever be sucked in by their antics, but they have been.

I said it's a form of cheating. It's outside the spirit of the game, and a manipulation of weak minded umpires. Putting yourself in harms way to gain an advantage is the reason that Essendon is in trouble.

 

[clogged]

Meh, the cheat action gets you frees in regular season but dries up come finals. Thomas can duck as much as he likes but will be a liability for North if they go deep because his small bag of tricks won't be useful.

 

[Augustine]

Meh, the cheat action gets you frees in regular season but dries up come finals. Thomas can duck as much as he likes but will be a liability for North if they go deep because his small bag of tricks won't be useful.

He can do other stuff you know haha

 

[UFO Tatsu]

He can do other stuff you know haha

Yes, bump high

 

[Augustine]

- He does a bump where there's a head clash and it forces a rule change
- He slides and breaks Rohan's leg and it forces a rule change
- He lowers his knees in tackles or leads with his neck (probably will force a rule change)

This has to be a record.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

- He does a bump where there's a head clash and it forces a rule change
- He slides and breaks Rohan's leg and it forces a rule change
- He lowers his knees in tackles or leads with his neck (probably will force a rule change)

This has to be a record.

His outrageous staging also forced a new rule; It has never been applied.

 

[PapaJ]

- He does a bump where there's a head clash and it forces a rule change
- He slides and breaks Rohan's leg and it forces a rule change
- He lowers his knees in tackles or leads with his neck (probably will force a rule change)

This has to be a record.

If it makes you feel any better, the AFL's team of choice when trying to make an example of the rule changes has tended to be Freo.

 

[Schauermann]

Well as the rules stand the way he gets them are all free kicks (whether what he does is "in the spirit of the game" is another argument). He doesn't actually "duck", he makes himself difficult to tackle legally by bending low to the ground and sort of leading with his neck, and as the rules stand there's nothing illegal about that, nor are umpires supposed to say "play on you bent your knees". The rules haven't changed mid-week so the umpires have to pay them if they're there. Surely they don't let the media affect their decisions?

Well, Thomas has that reputation and the media on it could easily result on a few 50:50 going different. Not even necessarily as deliberate decision. The whistle pretty much is a split second decision as well...

 

[the big lebowski]

Meh, the cheat action gets you frees in regular season but dries up come finals. Thomas can duck as much as he likes but will be a liability for North if they go deep because his small bag of tricks won't be useful.

But Thomas doesn't duck.

 

[Taylor]

Dropping to the knees isn't necessary every time he touches the ball.

 

[pavsbootlace]

Dropping to the knees isn't necessary every time he touches the ball.

I think this is an interesting point. I was at the WCE VS Giants game a few weeks ago and it was really interesting watching Luke Shuey playing for free kicks every second time he got the footy. He seemed to miss a lot of opportunities to actually handball to a teammate because he was so focussed on drawing a free. Sure, he gets a few free kicks, but I wonder how many opportunities are lost to teammates of Thomas, Shuey and such players.

 

[Freoforever86]

But Thomas doesn't duck.

Ashton Hams was the worst ducker.

Anyways for this game, north will push us still I think. McPharlin coming in hopefully this week & he's needed.. Norths talls forward very dangerous.
Should win the midfield battle. Little worried of our short break this week though.
Think Freo by 4 goals..
Will prob be closer but.

 

[beetz]

- He does a bump where there's a head clash and it forces a rule change
- He slides and breaks Rohan's leg and it forces a rule change
- He lowers his knees in tackles or leads with his neck (probably will force a rule change)

This has to be a record.

haha what about ... Priddis wins a Brownlow and forces a change to the MRP.

 

[Harry Reems]

haha what about ... Priddis Bradbury's a Brownlow and forces a change to the MRP.

EFA

 

[Smoocher]

Dropping to the knees isn't necessary every time he touches the ball.

So does every Freo supporter hate it when Ballantyne or Walters does it and draws a free kick. Thomas is singled out because 2-3 years ago he was actually ducking the head and got a reputation for it. Now he drops his knees or lifts the arm just like many other players in the AFL.

Bending your knees in the process of changing direction is fine. It is not initiating contact. Thomas moves his head and neck towards the tackler as he goes lower in an obviously dangerous tactic. That interpretation would stop it. Selwood raises his arm so as to initiate contact to the head or neck as the tackle is forced up. That interpretation would also stop that. Bartel and Christensen dive at the tackler, head first. No umpire should ever be sucked in by their antics, but they have been.

I said it's a form of cheating. It's outside the spirit of the game, and a manipulation of weak minded umpires. Putting yourself in harms way to gain an advantage is the reason that Essendon is in trouble.

So does every Freo supporter hate it when Ballantyne or Walters does it and draws a free kick. Thomas is singled out because 2-3 years ago he was actually ducking the head and got a reputation for it. Now he drops his knees or lifts the arm just like many other players in the AFL.

 

[StingBitten]

Thought there was a Norf banter thread and a Freo preview thread. I see two Norf banter threads.

 

[jmadrox]

So does every Freo supporter hate it when Ballantyne or Walters does it and draws a free kick. T

Actually yes. Was discussed in this weeks Western BD's post game analysis thread. First game this year Walters hasn't been ducking, and we were all praising him for it.

 

[jusjoshin]

So does every Freo supporter hate it when Ballantyne or Walters does it and draws a free kick. Thomas is singled out because 2-3 years ago he was actually ducking the head and got a reputation for it. Now he drops his knees or lifts the arm just like many other players in the AFL.

Ballantyne doesn't really duck, but we do have an entire thread devoted to tearing strips off Walters for ducking. Ballas reputation is for something else entirely. There is a lot of niggle in him.