"Standing tackles only" - AFL scholar Phil Cleary

[Lethality]

Finally my idea from a few years ago has taken root in the mainstream media, and we may yet see a ban on any tackles that take a player to ground. Despite obvious and numerous brain injuries to players of recent generations, it took the official detection of CTE to finally force the AFL's hand, but we should now see some exciting rule changes at long last to protect players' brains.

I floated this idea about penalising tackles that take a player to ground about a year or two ago, when Dog Act Dangerfield hurt Matthew Kreuzer in the brain with a reckless tackle, so it was good to hear it on the radio earlier today.

The brain is located somewhere between your temple and your ribs, and is probably your most important organ, thus it's believed all measures should be taken to protect it. After all they can't cut a piece of your hamstring out to reconstruct your cerebellum, even if they could find it.

Gil MacLachlan, please ban this confirmed dangerous practice.

Thank you. Free kick James Gwilt. Cam Mooney 8 weeks.

 

[A Cut Above]

Seeing you use the term AFLM suddenly makes me wish you were still gone

 

[MAXIMUM GRUNDAGE]

Just what Joel Selwood needs.....more free kicks.

 

[Tiger2709]

Tackles arent the real issue imo as the ones that slam a players head are already banned, a heavy bump is more likely to rattle the brain and the AFL have confirmed the bump is here to stay.

In sports like Gridiron and Rugby much of the damage is done while training, more than in game and the helmets in gridiron just exasperate the problem.

 

[Tiger2709]

Just what Joel Selwood needs.....more free kicks.

What will his brain scans be like when he leaves this mortal coil more scars on the brain than on his head, thankfully the AFL had the sense to stop paying frees for ducking the head.

 

[Sgt Bargearse]

The dog Dangerfield was vocal about being able to slide in and take out a player's knees.

He's a dirty campaigner of the highest order and his ability to slam heads in to the turf needs to be stopped.

 

[Beer n Skittles]

So you just hope to get tackled and cuddle the tackler to the ground for an instant free kick?
Rance will make that comeback if this rule comes in

 

[Lethality]

In sports like Gridiron and Rugby much of the damage is done while training, more than in game and the helmets in gridiron just exasperate the problem.

That's a totally different game. AFL has more potential for accidental collisions, which probably occur all the time, in marking contests, tackles, as well as bumps, or sometimes players just run into each other accidentally.

We probably need to make helmets mandatory as well.

 

[Lethality]

So you just hope to get tackled and cuddle the tackler to the ground for an instant free kick?
Rance will make that comeback if this rule comes in

That will open up the game more as well, leading to higher scoring.

 

[Tiger2709]

That's a totally different game. AFL has more potential for accidental collisions, which probably occur all the time, in marking contests, tackles, as well as bumps, or sometimes players just run into each other accidentally.

We probably need to make helmets mandatory as well.

Its not really the helmets as much as the confidence they give the gridiron players to charge in head first, unfortunately they don't come with inner skull airbags.

"The biggest misconception about football helmets is that they prevent concussions. They don’t. Helmets protect the skull from fractures. Concussions are caused when the brain moves inside the skull;"

Helmets don't eliminate concussions. It's time for the NFL to ditch them

The league’s brain trauma epidemic needs radical solutions. If recent changes aren’t protecting players then we need to rethink the game’s fundamentals

www.theguardian.com

The helmets we use are probably better in a way, not massively protective but designed to absorb some of the shock and apart from Duck Selwood most players try not to lead with their heads in AFL.

 

[Tiger2709]

The dog Dangerfield was vocal about being able to slide in and take out a player's knees.

He's a dirty campaigner of the highest order and his ability to slam heads in to the turf needs to be stopped.

Cowardly player always flopping for frees and when the crunch is on he is nowhere to be seen.

 

[AuntyBlindEye]

I want what you're on lately.

 

[Eagle Wrath]

That's a totally different game. AFL has more potential for accidental collisions, which probably occur all the time, in marking contests, tackles, as well as bumps, or sometimes players just run into each other accidentally.

We probably need to make helmets mandatory as well.

Helmets dont prevent concussion at all, only skull fractures. And we see so few of those to be concerned about.

 

[Sgt Bargearse]

Helmets dont prevent concussion at all, only skull fractures. And we see so few of those to be concerned about.

Why do we have to wait for a player to die before taking action?

 

[Lethality]

Exciting time to be alive. Hopefully the rules can change so that players are not concussed anymore.

AFL players to join Victorian class action seeking compensation for concussion

Melbourne law firm will launch multi-million dollar case against AFL after ‘numerous’ male and female players suffered head injuries

www.theguardian.com

 

[Lethality]

Helmets dont prevent concussion at all, only skull fractures. And we see so few of those to be concerned about.

It would have to be helmets and rule changes together.

If the head high contact is illegal and rare then a helmet could provide good protection maybe.

 

[Tyler Durden007]

3 year bump. Seems memory is not so badly effected by aphasia. Get back to work Bruce Willis, ya sook.

 

[Jazny]

I don't like the idea of having helmets because it will make all the players look kind of goofy and horrible. What if we just make it so if you touch an opposition player with the ball, then he/she has to dispose of it immediately or its holding the ball?

 

[Purple Suit]

I don't like the idea of having helmets because it will make all the players look kind of goofy and horrible. What if we just make it so if you touch an opposition player with the ball, then he/she has to dispose of it immediately or its holding the ball?

Helmets also just turn the players into battering rams, eg. NFL. The brain still bounces in the skull if the force is bad enough.

The solution is holographic players. All AFL players will need to go to a centre where they have VR / full motion suits in some sort of bunker. Just like the ARC but it will include footballers so we can call it the FARC. The players are then beamed on the field and any collusions are just in the cloud so it is very soft.

This idea will all go to shit when Carlton and Essendon race to be the first team to cheat using upgraded software.

 

[MAXIMUM GRUNDAGE]

I don't like the idea of having helmets because it will make all the players look kind of goofy and horrible. What if we just make it so if you touch an opposition player with the ball, then he/she has to dispose of it immediately or its holding the ball?

Angus Brayshaw looks kind of goofy without the helmet

 

[Ronnie Baby]

I don't like the idea of having helmets because it will make all the players look kind of goofy and horrible. What if we just make it so if you touch an opposition player with the ball, then he/she has to dispose of it immediately or its holding the ball?

How will we know who are the hottest players if we can't judge them on their haircuts?

 

[Jazny]

How will we know who are the hottest players if we can't judge them on their haircuts?

Truest post on bigfootaball

 

[Footy Is The Win]

Obviously the rule wouldn't apply if you're playing against Geelong Cats though.