Staging Rule

[charles202]

One of the things I least like seeing in a game of AFL is the staging for a free kick, I know this has been a often talked about topic for years but it seems like this year that there are more and more players taking a dive.

So I thought I would so some research into what the rules actually said about this heinous act was and I was shocked to see that penalty was ‘Blatant acts of staging will receive a reprimand for a first offence, a $1600 fine for a second and a $2400 fine for all subsequent breaches.’ (this was from an article back in February 2010).
I can’t remember the last time a player was reported for this let alone fined for it. Surely, if the league is serious about stamping out this blight it should be an immediate free kick (if not a 50m penalty) for staging for a free kick.
A roasting from a head coach after to what amounts to a lazy and cheating act from a player, that leads to a goal for the opposition will stamp out a lot of these acts.

I’m tired of seeing players fall over like they have been shot from incidental contact or throw their heads back like they have been hit by a truck. Even then an umpire will tell the offending player to stop it – even based on the current rules it should be an immediate report for staging if the umpire feels like the player is acting or a free kick if it actually was one.
The rules committee tinkers with the rules every year however this area seems to get ignored and imo is a significant detriment to the game.

 

[Harris Specter]

Thomas, Jetta and a new addition to the team of stagers Stanton.

Love how the umpires just said "Get up Brent."

 

[Rally]

Lindsay Thomas is without a doubt the worst in the competition. From what I've seen first hand, Marc Murphy tends to get sniped pretty regularly. Bellchambers and Stanton both caught my attention on the weekend as well.

No one in our team is really outrageous at it, luckily. I've only ever noticed Adcock and Rocky add an element of theatrics sometimes.

 

[charles202]

Thomas, Jetta and a new addition to the team of stagers Stanton.

Love how the umpires just said "Get up Brent."

This seems to be a more common theme from the umps, my question is why not report the player if the rule is there and the umpire is obviosuly of belief the player is staging?

How good would it be to hear in that instance "Get up Brent......btw you're on report'. I wouldnt even care if it wasn't uphled at the tribunal the fact that an umpire made the call would make a player pause before doing it, and AFL is to fast to pause so would really help stamp it out.

 

[POBT]

IIRC, the match review panel quickly made a mockery of the rule by refusing the charge players with staging if there was any sort of contact made. ie - embellishing minimal contact was fine, pretending you had been touched when you hadn't was not.

The rule quickly lost its bite and, unless there is a change in interpretation, will probably never be heard of again!

 

[Mayestro]

In full agreement. Staging is why I struggle to become enthusiast about soccer. Surely a player's sense of morality or ethics should make such behaviour unimaginable?

A reasonable article about this in today's Age:

​

As Jeff Gieschen intimated on Monday, once any form of contact is witnessed, it is out of the umpires' hands. ''We can clearly see some high contact from shoulder and upper bicep that makes contact with Selwood's face and neck area … if an umpire sees that high contact he's obliged to pay that [free kick for] high contact, which he did,'' Gieschen said.​

There is an easy way of closing the loophole: don't pay them. Any of them. Just don't pay head-high free kicks for tackles that start on another part of the body.​

Pay a high free if a player's head is pulled or neck is wrenched. Pay it if the tackle starts at the head or neck or if there is force in the contact. So pay it for anything dangerous or reckless. But don't pay it if it is incidental. Or if the player is part responsible for the contact.​

If a tackle begins legally and ends up with incidental contact to the head let the play go.​

Players using a technique to draw a tackle into error is the same thing as ducking your head. And if a player is prepared to use their head as bait then just don't bite.​

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/take-the-high-road-and-put-an-end-to-twist-and-slide-20130520-2jwzq.html#ixzz2TtW9alGg​

Interesting that the umpire's are either unaware (unlikely) or aren't permitted to apply the rule you've mentioned in the OP.
Isn't loophole a euphemism for cheating (ie gaining unfair advantage)?

 

[Toffee Lion]

 

[Sherrinator]

Can't believe how big a cat Murphy is. Golby is great young player and I would be happy if he laid a few handballs to the sternum every game.

 

[paulige]

Don't know which one was worse, this or the Hartlett one.

Weak captain. Hate to think that is his idea of leading by example... I'd be embarrassed if Brown went down like this.

 

[Viceregal]

Don't know which one was worse, this or the Hartlett one.

Weak captain. Hate to think that is his idea of leading by example... I'd be embarrassed if Brown went down like this.

I like the way that none of his team mates seem in the slightest concerned by Golby's 'act of thuggery' ... anyone would think they either didn't care for their beloved Captain or that they somehow felt that they had seen it all before ... mind you we *have* seen Browny fall to the ground as well ... although in his case he normally is holding the same side of his all-but-ripped-off face that the impact had been applied to ... actually looking again the great Murph *is* holding his hand over the AFL logo so perhaps he is thinking to himself "I regret that I have but one life to dive lay down for my company"

 

[steveys]

Yeh Murphy is the biggest squib. Was a soft bastard