- Mar 1, 2010
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I refer back to the frame at the point of contact:
Mackay didn’t even have the time to brace himself prior to the collision. His brace was an instinct after the hit, and not before the hit. He was, in footy speak, “100% committed to the ball”. His eyes, line-run and approach to the ball suggested his mind was simply to “run at ball, get ball”. This has never been an issue of wrongdoing at any stage of the VFL/AFL. You’re allowed to (and often encouraged by coaches and fans) to go hard at the contest.
I will be honest, if I was Mackay, from that distance, my spacial awareness would tell me that that contact would happen, or was likely, and I would not have propelled into the contest in that way. I would go towards the ball, drawn towards the ball, but not at that pace and look to probably tackle first or even bump after Clark picks it up if he picks it up in a fluid scenario which can change depending on your approach, what Clark is doing and where the ball is.
Part of not propelling yourself into the contest like that from that run up is to protect yourself. If he went slower initially he might even accelerate into the contest to brace himself for the contest as he gets closer but the overall velocity and impact is less with a contest still effected and Clark negated. One has to consider Clark may get the ball but he still has to dispose of it effectively and in time so Mackay could have provided a contest without the pure velocity from the get go to necessitate a winning the ball contest. Is Mackay a quick decison maker? Maybe not, maybe thats not part of his wiring. Can he be coached to think on his feet better, not commit so early?? Possibly but that is what high end footballers do.
The trouble might be Mackay did not distinguish between a contest and winning the ball contest. Mackay chose the later when he should have been competing to stop Clark disposing the ball effectively, because otherwise the possibility of injury increases. Even if Clark was clean, because remember Clark looked oblivious to Mackay, so its not like Clark was aware of Mackay and accelerating into the contest himself or using one hand to beat any contest from a different angle from Mackay, using spins etc.. its hard for Clark to win the ball before Mackay and dispose of it effectively in time. Clark would have to use advanced techniques to dispose of the ball beating Mackay if he was to do so and we know he was oblivious to Mackay. Clark did not indicate he was aware of Mackay let alone trying to evade him as part of winning the ball in the contest. If Clark was aware he could have braced himself or accelerated himself so the ball contest occurs prior to Mackay arriving. Clark, if aware of Mackay, has less ability to accelerate because he has pressure from and Adelaide player on his tail and he still has to win the ball. If Clark was more aware of Mackay he would probably reached for the ball and use spins to avoid the contact from Mackay. Clark if aware could also have reached for the ball and use a don't argue into the chest of Mackay as an option to if capable of doing it but since Mackay lead with the shoulder that would not be possible to use a don't argue in that circumstance in the heat of the moment.
The problem for Mackay, in terms if the AFL want to set precedents and distinguish this situation from others, is the speed at the contest, not the acceleration but the speed at the impact, and the distance covered by Mackay before impact at speed creating the necessary inertia to cause the force to create the injury apart from what Mackay or another player ought to have seen to prevent this scenario result that is the injury. See the trouble for Mackay is Clark was not bounding towards the ball at pace and there where other crows about including a crow next to Clark or close to Clark on his tail so why choose to contest in that way with that impact from afar? Its not like they where two ships in the night passing each other, like on a wing in relative space, and Mackay stopping Clark in that way was the be all and end all of contest options where it was simply between Mackay and Clark at that precise moment to win the ball to compete
I think it would be beneficial if the AFL came out and said the game is not about winning the ball necessarily as an absolute. The game is about competing fairly and winning on the scoreboard and partially using your brain to do so
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