Staging Crackdown At Last?

[HairyO]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-03-12/match-review-full-statement-jlt-week-three

Josh Green, Essendon, has been charged with staging during the fourth quarter of the JLT Community Series match between Essendon and the Geelong Cats, played at Colac on Sunday March 11, 2018.

Wow. Just wow. Could the new system actually finally be doing something about staging?

 

[Bored_Pie]

About time.

 

[cryptor]

Should expect to hear Lindsay Thomas announce his retirement any day now.

 

[master bate]

Unpopular opinion - I don't really like this. Think Green is unlucky to cop a fine for playing up that he caught a bit of an elbow somewhere to his jaw/neck/shoulder area.

Off the ball little stuff happens in a game of footy all the time and players will play it up or play it down and sometimes it's a free and sometimes it isn't and a lot of the time it's because they caught a bit of a push or elbow or were tackled late or whatever. I'm not sure it's a big issue in the game.

I also think Green is stiff because it happened with some high profile players last year and will happen again this year and I don't really want to see fines and news about this stuff.

The true staging to be worried about is staging for free kicks during play. That doesn't happen in footy. I've never seen a guy go down untouched like some of the most memorable soccer highlights. That deserves a hefty fine and even a suspension if it happened.

The thing that does worry me is the amount of players who draw free kicks that includes some of the best players in the game. Shuey won a final drawing a high contact free. Daniher jumps 3m forward with any contact from behind in a marking contest. I could go on and on with players from pretty much every team and name near an All Australian side of the way guys like to get frees. The AFL cowardly decided to back their umpires over their rules last year and said the Shuey decision was right (although later the rumours were they apologised to Port). That's the thing I'd like to see fixed up. Drawing of free kicks impacts games a lot more often than silly off the ball staging that rarely results in anything.

 

[Marc_Remillard]

Josh Flopsy Green

 

[HairyO]

Unpopular opinion - I don't really like this. Think Green is unlucky to cop a fine for playing up that he caught a bit of an elbow somewhere to his jaw/neck/shoulder area.

Off the ball little stuff happens in a game of footy all the time and players will play it up or play it down and sometimes it's a free and sometimes it isn't and a lot of the time it's because they caught a bit of a push or elbow or were tackled late or whatever. I'm not sure it's a big issue in the game.

I also think Green is stiff because it happened with some high profile players last year and will happen again this year and I don't really want to see fines and news about this stuff.

The true staging to be worried about is staging for free kicks during play. That doesn't happen in footy. I've never seen a guy go down untouched like some of the most memorable soccer highlights. That deserves a hefty fine and even a suspension if it happened.

The thing that does worry me is the amount of players who draw free kicks that includes some of the best players in the game. Shuey won a final drawing a high contact free. Daniher jumps 3m forward with any contact from behind in a marking contest. I could go on and on with players from pretty much every team and name near an All Australian side of the way guys like to get frees. The AFL cowardly decided to back their umpires over their rules last year and said the Shuey decision was right (although later the rumours were they apologised to Port). That's the thing I'd like to see fixed up. Drawing of free kicks impacts games a lot more often than silly off the ball staging that rarely results in anything.

Or its a sign that noone is allowed to stage. He was simply the first caught.

 

[master bate]

Or its a sign that noone is allowed to stage. He was simply the first caught.

Maybe, but I'm thinking stuff like this might have maybe every few weeks during the season. Are we going to end up with half a dozen or so players fined?

And this case was reasonably clear that Green played it up but it's not entirely obvious what contact he felt. A lot of players go down after copping a tummy tap, get pushed over from behind and drop to the ground or fly the head back somewhat instinctively when pushed or jabbed in the upper chest. That might mean a highly subjective decision on what is and isn't staging and it isn't really impacting the game all that much.

I can't remember going to or watching a game of footy and being concerned about outright staging. Where as nearly every game I watch has a player or two who I know is out to draw free kicks.

 

[matthew_s]

Not quite staging, but I wish they’d fine players who purposefully con the umpires, Brent Harvey against the Eagles in Tassie a few years back where he knocked the ball out of Priddis’ hands and claimed it hadn’t been returned correctly conning the umpire into giving a 50 and Nick Riewoldt calling for the ball when a free had been paid against Freo last year when it wasn’t his free kick resulting in a 50 come to mind.

You could argue the Riewoldt one was smarts maybe, but Harvey was straight up cheating.

 

[Hungdaddy]

Did the Bartel swan dive ever get looked at? That was an absolute pearler!

 

[GreyCrow]

Maybe, but I'm thinking stuff like this might have maybe every few weeks during the season. Are we going to end up with half a dozen or so players fined?

If they stage then yes.

And this case was reasonably clear that Green played it up but it's not entirely obvious what contact he felt. A lot of players go down after copping a tummy tap, get pushed over from behind and drop to the ground or fly the head back somewhat instinctively when pushed or jabbed in the upper chest. That might mean a highly subjective decision on what is and isn't staging and it isn't really impacting the game all that much.

 

[Bluelegs]

Why the * would you stage in a practice match?

 

[blitzer]

I don't mind the penalty but if they are going to do it then they better keep punishing players because we all know he ain't the first and he certainly isn't the last to stage.

The last time Leroy Jetta got punished and then they never did anything again to any other players. While we got to watch Lindsay Thomas and others flopping around for years. So if the AFL are going to be pissweak on this issue again then I'd rather they didn't bother getting everyone's hopes up.

The AFL will probably be too scared to do anything about any of the stars of the game that do it judging from history.

 

[DJMac]

If they stage then yes.

Oliver should have got a week for the staging and an extra week for poor acting.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

A huge issue in the game that millions have been losing sleep over for many many years. Thank God they have finally acted. lol

 

[Rance2Mewtwo]

Unpopular opinion - I don't really like this. Think Green is unlucky to cop a fine for playing up that he caught a bit of an elbow somewhere to his jaw/neck/shoulder area.

Off the ball little stuff happens in a game of footy all the time and players will play it up or play it down and sometimes it's a free and sometimes it isn't and a lot of the time it's because they caught a bit of a push or elbow or were tackled late or whatever. I'm not sure it's a big issue in the game.

I also think Green is stiff because it happened with some high profile players last year and will happen again this year and I don't really want to see fines and news about this stuff.

The true staging to be worried about is staging for free kicks during play. That doesn't happen in footy. I've never seen a guy go down untouched like some of the most memorable soccer highlights. That deserves a hefty fine and even a suspension if it happened.

The thing that does worry me is the amount of players who draw free kicks that includes some of the best players in the game. Shuey won a final drawing a high contact free. Daniher jumps 3m forward with any contact from behind in a marking contest. I could go on and on with players from pretty much every team and name near an All Australian side of the way guys like to get frees. The AFL cowardly decided to back their umpires over their rules last year and said the Shuey decision was right (although later the rumours were they apologised to Port). That's the thing I'd like to see fixed up. Drawing of free kicks impacts games a lot more often than silly off the ball staging that rarely results in anything.

I hear you - there's a difference between a reflex action and an intent to deceive.

However, Green was fined because he also appealed to the umpires afterwards. That's not reflex, that part is intentional. If he didn't appeal for a free kick, he wouldn't have been fined, although one could argue that he genuinely believed that any light contact to the face is worthy of a free kick.

But that is not usually the case, so he was being too cheeky with the umpires following his instinctive reflect action to throw his head back.

The head action is an acceptable reflex IMO, but the appealing for a free kick afterwards is not.

 

[simba_]

Why the **** would you stage in a practice match?

these kids train to stage, born in 1998, their heroes are divers. to them it's like the bump was to everyone else, just something normal they have to do in the game

 

[Beerfish]

Or its a sign that noone is allowed to stage. He was simply the first caught.

If that's the case then I'll be the first to stand up and applaud it but you'll have to forgive me for being a little sceptical in the meantime.

Not quite staging, but I wish they’d fine players who purposefully con the umpires, Brent Harvey against the Eagles in Tassie a few years back where he knocked the ball out of Priddis’ hands and claimed it hadn’t been returned correctly conning the umpire into giving a 50 and Nick Riewoldt calling for the ball when a free had been paid against Freo last year when it wasn’t his free kick resulting in a 50 come to mind.

You could argue the Riewoldt one was smarts maybe, but Harvey was straight up cheating.

They were both s**t acts that weren't 'in the spirit of the game'. It amazes me when any football media types describe either action as 'footy smarts' or 'clever' but we're in an age where Leigh Matthews describes drawing head high contact as 'good play' so I guess I shouldn't be surprised by anything.

 

[Aramis]

Bartels flop is gold.... glad it won you all those season games.... haha 08/13 flog

 

[GreyCrow]

Does Merrett get looked at this week for his attempt outside the square in the last?

 

[HawkMongrel]

Did the Bartel swan dive ever get looked at? That was an absolute pearler!

That’s that cheating culture down at Geelong.

They love it like they love the smell of refinery fumes in the morning.

 

[DapperDon]

Does Merrett get looked at this week for his attempt outside the square in the last?

Really?

Got grabbed around the neck, stop listening to Jason Dunstall and you'll be a better person.

 

[GreyCrow]

Really?

Got grabbed around the neck, stop listening to Jason Dunstall and you'll be a better person.

I dont listen to JD. He flopped harder than the fish I tried to catch.

 

[DapperDon]

I dont listen to JD. He flopped harder than the fish I tried to catch.

ok

 

[kickazz]

It's good to crack down on staging, but they need to look at why staging occurs.

In soccer it often occurs becuase referees do not pay free kicks based on seeing an infringement, but they wait to see the impact of the infringement.

The same happens sometimes in footy.

Just watch the game and pay the fees you see, don't concern yourself with the context would be my advice to the umpires. If players knew that's how they operated they'd realise there is no point in staging.