The AFL should just make suspensions only applicable during the H/A season

Jan 14, 2016
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If the AFL doesn't want to suspend players during Finals then they should just change the rules and make suspensions only applicable during the Home and Away season.

I know there are many negatives to this idea - BUT it is better than the sport we all love looking more and more ridiculous with the inconsistencies applied at the mro and the tribunal.
 

fallout11

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May 10, 2012
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Love it and hate it.

Imagine the hits if players knew they could play in semis, preliminaries and gf's if the consequences are post-poned until nxt year.

The AFL would never allow it...too much bad pr
 
Jan 14, 2016
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Love it and hate it.

Imagine the hits if players knew they could play in semis, preliminaries and gf's if the consequences are post-poned until nxt year.

The AFL would never allow it...too much bad pr

Tbh I hate the idea too - I just hate the joke that the AFL has become in this area more.

And what Dangerfield had to say makes sense, we want to see the best players playing in finals.
 
Apr 12, 2010
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I actually kind of agree, with certain stipulations:

The minor things where they give you a week to try and stamp it out, yeah one shouldn't miss a final for that. Things like little jumper punches.

But anything that causes or could cause an opponent to miss a final through injury, then one should definitely miss finals for that.
 

Neale4brownlow

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Just allow suspended sentences but raise the penalty.
Ie take a week now, or its 2 weeks H&A.

Anything particularly bad wouldnt have this deal available and they miss finals regardless.

Im sure Hawkins would take missing rnd 1 and 2 next year over next week.
 

Ron The Bear

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The AFL needs to make up its mind. They copied a ruling from horse racing where if a jockey ruins a showpiece event through causing interference and putting other horses out of the race, he receives harsher penalties than normal (refer Lynch 10-week suspension 2004 GF). They've since abandoned that approach and appear to have moved in the other direction.

I wouldn't be totally shocked if Hawkins is allowed to play, but would expect at the very least for the gambling watchdog to step in and suspend the AFL's operations in this area.
 
The way umpiring and match review changed between H&A and finals is ridiculous.

To be blunt, I don’t give a * about seeing star players in the finals if they’ve done something they’d normally be suspended for. Do the crime, do the time.

Just treat H&A and finals exactly the same.
 

RupertPupkin

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Jul 8, 2011
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I assume this is rhetoric. The current system is stupid. However, allowing any offences to go without the pretence of punishment would be insane:

melee: umpire calls for players to stop. No way, Razor Ray. Twenty minute punch on.
champion with the ball: head high forearm to the head.
champion at the bottom of the pack: scratch his face and don't even pause to look about before starting again like TG.

The system just needs to work. Rub them out like home and away. I 100% disagree with Dangerfield's (and any of the paid commentators who spout the same nonsense) idea that we want to see the best players out there. If Martin and Grundy committed an offence and got rubbed out, that's the way it goes. There's enough good AFL players for a team to lose Greene, Hawkins or anyone else.

I want a champion team, not a team of tainted champions.
 
Jan 14, 2016
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What a ridiculous suggestion.

Agreed.

But if you'd read the full OP I am only suggesting the premise so long as the AFL refuses to get rid of its ridiculously contrived show trial system.
In other words I find a fake tribunal and review system to arrive at certain scenarios in specific player cases particularly during finals MORE RIDICULOUS than my suggestion, which is why I made it.
Funny thing being that I bet the AFL could stomach my ridiculous suggestion moreso than they would remove themselves from influencing outcomes.

Ideally the my suggestion shouldn't even have to exist since our tribunal and MRO should function properly.
Hope that makes more sense now.
 
Jan 14, 2016
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I assume this is rhetoric. The current system is stupid. However, allowing any offences to go without the pretence of punishment would be insane:

Yeah it kinda is. However it's the 'pretence' that i find more stupid than the rhetoric of my suggestion.
And so if I did have to choose between the two I actually would pick my suggestion. Imho it is the lesser of two evils especially in terms of credibility and legitimacy of the fairness of the competition.

Bit of a pick your poison really - but since the pretence is not particularly skilful on the AFL's part, and never has been, I find the rhetoric of my suggestion more palpatable.
Especially if we are talking about smaller 1 week type discretions. This is a waaaaaaay better suggestion than Gil & Co manufacturing outcomes.

I'm with you though, I would rather fair and equal punishment from player to player, regardless of status or whether your team has a high-profile supporter in the boys club.
I really don't think it's likely though.
 
Sep 22, 2011
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Allow players to defer a certain amount of their suspension from round 23 onwards.

Might be 50%, or 66%... whatever.

They serve the deferred weeks in the following season.

If you choose to deck somebody in a prelim and get 3 weeks... you still have to serve one week immediately so you miss the GF anyway.

If you get a pissy 1 week or maybe even 2 week suspension, you can defer it.

There’s nothing wrong with it. Just make a statement that missing a final or GF is an enormous penalty that outweighs the crime.
 

Tap Tap Tapperoo

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Just make finals worth double. So if you get a week, you don’t miss a final, but miss round 1 next year. Get 2 weeks or 2 x 1 week suspensions, miss a final.

Pretty simple imo, and then we don’t have to go through the rubbish of micro managing and manipulating the rules to ensure players don’t miss big finals for “small” indiscretions.
 
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