The AFL need to do something about ruck contests.

[HugeJohnson]

There is something seriously wrong or misunderstood with the ruck contests in the game at them moment. If you look at the top frees for and against this year you will find the majority are ruckmen.
I feel like umpires are scrutinising the ruck contests far too much and not letting the two biggest blokes on the ground just go for it one on one in a battle of strength. The risk of injury seems to be minimal apart from the centre bounce when they jump in to each other, but around the ground for a ball up or boundary throw in it really feels like they are nit-picking, and half the time the players don't even know who's free kick it is.

The AFL will be a better product if they just let these two guys wrestle each other for best position without the need for some ridiculous technical free kick because a hand slipped up a few centimetres too high or a shoulder got brushed.

5 of the top 6 players for frees against this year are ruckmen.

6 of the top 7 frees for this year are for ruckmen.

For one position on the ground, don't tell me this is not absurdly skewed.

It's ruining the game, there is no flow to the contest anymore. It might break up congestion but it only causes confusion and frustration for everyone.

LET THE BIG BLOKES USE THEIR STRENGTH

GARD DAMMIT

 

[HugeJohnson]

Just to further this argument,

The chances of 11 of the top 13 free kicks for-and -against being from the same position on the ground purely by chance is about 1 in 90,000.

 

[HugeJohnson]

No, I'm sorry. Actually if there are only 2 ruckmen in a game of 36 players, the odds of 11 of the top 13 free kick players across the competition being ruckman, if it was purely by chance, is 1 in 900 BILLION

 

[HugeJohnson]

I don't even know any more.

One thing is for sure, it is insanely out of whack.

 

[demondavey]

Tend to agree. How they can focus on ruckman and blatantly miss the Pickett one yesterday highlights the disparity of the administration of the game.

Until the AFL come out and start properly reviewing umpiring errors with proper sanctions the game continues to have question marks. Best to make umpires full time employees with incentives and bonuses built in to their contracts.

 

[Underarm]

Go through history and this has always been the case.

 

[Outtatym]

It's a fair point.
Whistle blows and both ruckman stare at each other wondering who's free it is this time

 

[jdisc]

It's a fair point.
Whistle blows and both ruckman stare at each other wondering who's free it is this time

unsure if that's due to how confusing the rules are or how dumb ruckmen tend to be

 

[The 747]

It's a fair point.
Whistle blows and both ruckman stare at each other wondering who's free it is this time

Agree but that is not new, ruck free kicks have always been like that.

 

[Billy ray]

How about remove the requirement for rucks and 17 on field instead?

No more centre bounce to start each game - you win the toss and start in your full back goal square. Teams alternate at start of each qtr thereafter.

After each goal is scored , like a behind the other team gets the ball in the goal square.

No more throw ins, last touch free kick against removes ruck contest.

Ball ups around the ground. Um. Dunno rock scissors papers

 

[Dirty Bird]

you're viewing it from a purely numbers perspective.

You do realise that there's 5 rules which if broken, the recipient is the ruckman (18.2.2a-e) as well as 7 rules which are only valid in ruck contests (18.4.3a-f and 18.11.2d)?

Wouldn't this mean there's a higher chance that ruckman would receive more frees than others as well as concede?

Though, I do notice the umpires ignore quite a bit. Particularly 18.4.3c and e.
Adelaide got away with quite a bit of 18.4.3c breaches vs Carlton. Having said that, not as much as Geelong got away with it vs Adelaide.
And just about every ruckman breaches 18.4.3e.

 

[ferrisb]

It's not because there are too many ruck rules.

It's not because ruck contests are poorly umpired.

It's because the rucks are attending 70-80 contests a game. And they're isolated, one-on-one contests.

The fact they are giving away 2-3 frees a game is actually impressively small.

If you kicked the ball to a FB and FF in a one-on-one 80 times a game, I'm pretty sure they'd each give away more than 2 or 3 frees...

 

[BigPond101]

Agree also stop paying holding frees in marking contests unless they are totally obvious and blatent. So many times last weekend a random holding free then both players look at the umpire wondering who it's for. Then replay shows nothing in it. When it happens in front of goal it has too much influence on the game

Maybe if there was more wrestling / holding allowed we could get some different body types back in the game eg big power forwards who can take a mark with the defender hanging off them rather than 22 midfielders and slightly taller midfielders

 

[kickazz]

If you look at the top frees for and against this year you will find the majority are ruckmen.

Welcome to the nineties....