Time to Reassess King Hits

random260

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After returning to local footy. I must say thuggish behaviour should be stamped out in both local league and AFL

In retrospective gaff only got 8 weeks for breaking someone's jaw is a disgrace. If you were to walk up to someone in local league and king hit someone son/team mate I expect a min of 2 years out. 4 years if you break somones jaw/knock out teeth. Same with bumps like tom stewards which obviously was a king hit but with a shoulder. Spare me the outrage but it's just a ******* game thus I don't feel no empathy.

So why are we so hesitant to give long bans to thuggish behaviour in AFL when local leagues/suburban leagues would willy Nilly give life time bans and yearly bans.
 

PetterdHoisted

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Apr 27, 2014
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After returning to local footy. I must say thuggish behaviour should be stamped out in both local league and AFL

In retrospective gaff only got 8 weeks for breaking someone's jaw is a disgrace. If you were to walk up to someone in local league and king hit someone son/team mate I expect a min of 2 years out. 4 years if you break somones jaw/knock out teeth. Same with bumps like tom stewards which obviously was a king hit but with a shoulder. Spare me the outrage but it's just a ******* game thus I don't feel no empathy.

So why are we so hesitant to give long bans to thuggish behaviour in AFL when local leagues/suburban leagues would willy Nilly give life time bans and yearly bans.
Thank you, great post.
The AFL is at fault here, but so are media pushing agendas

On the day of the incident, the Broome advertiser described it as a 'brutal hit' on Prestia. A very natural description.

I then read it described by the ever-reliably milque toast TheAge footy team as a 'shoulder bump' and even a 'collision'. I would like to know if TheAge has yet referred to it as a 'hit'.

This is the problem. TheAge has been soft-signalling leniency on behalf of Tom Stewart.

Now why? and who is asking/pushing them to run this agenda?
 

p4p1

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Apr 24, 2020
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After returning to local footy. I must say thuggish behaviour should be stamped out in both local league and AFL

In retrospective gaff only got 8 weeks for breaking someone's jaw is a disgrace. If you were to walk up to someone in local league and king hit someone son/team mate I expect a min of 2 years out. 4 years if you break somones jaw/knock out teeth. Same with bumps like tom stewards which obviously was a king hit but with a shoulder. Spare me the outrage but it's just a ******* game thus I don't feel no empathy.

So why are we so hesitant to give long bans to thuggish behaviour in AFL when local leagues/suburban leagues would willy Nilly give life time bans and yearly bans.
I’ve always thought that suspensions for hits like Gaffs on Bradshaw or Hall on Staker should start after the player is fit to play again from the injury they sustained. Ie Gaff is given 8 weeks, it takes Brayshaw 6-8 weeks to recover from the broken jaw. Gaff sits out until Brayshaw is cleared to play again and then his 8 weeks start. So the suspension is on top of the injury recovery caused by a non-footballing action. How can it be just if both the victim and the perpetrator sit out for the same amount of time. Yes I am aware Gaffs was at the end of the season but it is the most recent example I can think of.
 
Jul 25, 2019
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Thank you, great post.
The AFL is at fault here, but so are media pushing agendas

On the day of the incident, the Broome advertiser described it as a 'brutal hit' on Prestia. A very natural description.

I then read it described by the ever-reliably milque toast TheAge footy team as a 'shoulder bump' and even a 'collision'. I would like to know if TheAge has yet referred to it as a 'hit'.

This is the problem. TheAge has been soft-signalling leniency on behalf of Tom Stewart.

Now why? and who is asking/pushing them to run this agenda?

By no means was Tom Stewart's whack on Prestia a king hit.

Has nothing on Barry Hall on Brent Staker and Andrew Gaff on Andy Brayshaw.

In fact I am starting to come around to the idea that this incident, as unfortunate and unseemly as it was for Prestia, has been blown out of way proportion

Would be comfortable with a 3 week suspension for Stewart.
Was just a total brain fade from one of the fairest (usually) players in the game.

Some of the hysteria coming from some Richmond fans here is a bit over the top imo.
 

PetterdHoisted

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By no means was Tom Stewart's whack on Prestia a king hit.

Has nothing on Barry Hall on Brent Staker and Andrew Gaff on Andy Brayshaw.

In fact I am starting to come around to the idea that this incident, as unfortunate and unseemly as it was for Prestia, has been blown out of way proportion

Would be comfortable with a 3 week suspension for Stewart.
Was just a total brain fade from one of the fairest (usually) players in the game.

Some of the hysteria coming from some Richmond fans here is a bit over the top imo.
another example of attempts to minimize the seriousness of king hits.

OP's thesis holding up very well.
 

BF Tiger

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By no means was Tom Stewart's whack on Prestia a king hit.

Has nothing on Barry Hall on Brent Staker and Andrew Gaff on Andy Brayshaw.

In fact I am starting to come around to the idea that this incident, as unfortunate and unseemly as it was for Prestia, has been blown out of way proportion

Would be comfortable with a 3 week suspension for Stewart.
Was just a total brain fade from one of the fairest (usually) players in the game.

Some of the hysteria coming from some Richmond fans here is a bit over the top imo.
Tom Stewart one of the fairest players in the league… I can name hundreds of current AFL players who have never lined up an opponent and knocked him into next week fortnight.

When it comes to fair Tom is now near the bottom of the list.
 
Jul 13, 2015
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I’ve always thought that suspensions for hits like Gaffs on Bradshaw or Hall on Staker should start after the player is fit to play again from the injury they sustained. Ie Gaff is given 8 weeks, it takes Brayshaw 6-8 weeks to recover from the broken jaw. Gaff sits out until Brayshaw is cleared to play again and then his 8 weeks start. So the suspension is on top of the injury recovery caused by a non-footballing action. How can it be just if both the victim and the perpetrator sit out for the same amount of time. Yes I am aware Gaffs was at the end of the season but it is the most recent example I can think of.

Pretty sure in the NFL if you get charged with a deliberate action which injures the other player there are financial penalties as well as suspensions which begin after the other player recovers.

And it almost never happens. Imagine paying the salary of someone on $45m a year.
 

lumpinee

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By no means was Tom Stewart's whack on Prestia a king hit.

Has nothing on Barry Hall on Brent Staker and Andrew Gaff on Andy Brayshaw.

In fact I am starting to come around to the idea that this incident, as unfortunate and unseemly as it was for Prestia, has been blown out of way proportion

Would be comfortable with a 3 week suspension for Stewart.
Was just a total brain fade from one of the fairest (usually) players in the game.

Some of the hysteria coming from some Richmond fans here is a bit over the top imo.
Gaff was/is/seems like a decent civilian as well,fact is he went out of his way to clobber a player w/o the ball,sure hes intention wasnt to break his jaw
but he made a decision to punch a player none the less
same with Stewart,made a decision to hit a player high,thats fact because he and nobody else lifted himself to a height to make contact with an opponents head who was no where near the ball
Stewart like Gaff has no defence imo,they have remorse of course,thats irrelevant tho,didnt help gaff and aint gonna help Stewart,both committed themselves to carry out the acts,should count himself lucky if he gets anything less than 6,Gaff should of got 12-15
 
Big difference between this and something like what Gaff did. I reckon Stewart meant to whack him across the chest as you see plenty of times in a game, but did it just as Prestia was landing and got him head-high. Reckless, but not malicious.
 

Rusty Brookes

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Big difference between this and something like what Gaff did. I reckon Stewart meant to whack him across the chest as you see plenty of times in a game, but did it just as Prestia was landing and got him head-high. Reckless, but not malicious.

Shouldn't that still be intentional? His intention was to hit Prestia - maybe not in the head but nonetheless, it wasn't an attack on the ball - it was an attack on the man.
 
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another example of attempts to minimize the seriousness of king hits.

OP's thesis holding up very well.
how about Richmond trying to downplay Bachar Houli knocking Jed Lamb into next year by getting the PM and Waleed to be character references!!!

maybe it starts at home....
 
Shouldn't that still be intentional? His intention was to hit Prestia - maybe not in the head but nonetheless, it wasn't an attack on the ball - it was an attack on the man.
You've answered your own question. It was a careless hit to Prestia
 
Mar 16, 2022
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By no means was Tom Stewart's whack on Prestia a king hit.

Has nothing on Barry Hall on Brent Staker and Andrew Gaff on Andy Brayshaw.

In fact I am starting to come around to the idea that this incident, as unfortunate and unseemly as it was for Prestia, has been blown out of way proportion

Would be comfortable with a 3 week suspension for Stewart.
Was just a total brain fade from one of the fairest (usually) players in the game.

Some of the hysteria coming from some Richmond fans here is a bit over the top imo.
I don’t think “it’s just a brain fade” should cut it if the AFL is serious about stamping out concussion.
 

random260

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What Stewart did was brutal, and it deserves five weeks IMO, but it wasn’t a king hit. I think king hit, I think a straight out punch in the head which is delivered irrespective of any football context.
I'll await with popcorn on the next incident involving and mma style elbow to the head. Because there are many hits that more deadly then a punch. Knee and Jon Jones style elbow etc. Hopefully we can over hall that flimsily definition.
 
Nov 12, 2002
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how about Richmond trying to downplay Bachar Houli knocking Jed Lamb into next year by getting the PM and Waleed to be character references!!!

maybe it starts at home....

Every club is a colossal hypocrite when it comes to this. Thankfully Houli got 4 weeks anyway.

I don't think Houli was necessarily a dirty player, and neither is Gaff, and neither is Stewart. But as far as monumental brainfades go they're all pretty hard to top. They don't deserve pity either.

Yep it's a mistake, but you are 100% guilty. Would really love it if players stopped playing the "showing remorse" card immediately afterwards. Everyone knows they're only doing it to lessen the suspension.
 
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I'll await with popcorn on the next incident involving and mma style elbow to the head. Because there are many hits that more deadly then a punch. Knee and Jon Jones style elbow etc. Hopefully we can over hall that flimsily definition.
I think it depends on whether it is in the context of the contest, or just a disassociated hit irrespective of the play.
 
After returning to local footy. I must say thuggish behaviour should be stamped out in both local league and AFL

In retrospective gaff only got 8 weeks for breaking someone's jaw is a disgrace. If you were to walk up to someone in local league and king hit someone son/team mate I expect a min of 2 years out. 4 years if you break somones jaw/knock out teeth. Same with bumps like tom stewards which obviously was a king hit but with a shoulder. Spare me the outrage but it's just a ******* game thus I don't feel no empathy.

So why are we so hesitant to give long bans to thuggish behaviour in AFL when local leagues/suburban leagues would willy Nilly give life time bans and yearly bans.

we need to see more of the criminal justice system stepping in for the serious stuff

and year out or even perma bans needs to be on offer more often
 
Imagine being a local league player just wanting a bit of social time with mates, a beer after the game, fitness and a smile.

Instead you come home unable to eat (broken jaw), unable to work (recovery), unable to look after you wife and kids! Worse, you don't come home at all (death) or serious mental and physical incapacitation.

All because a footy decided to keep pathetic individuals on the park.
 

PzBlinky

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Sep 12, 2020
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Every club is a colossal hypocrite when it comes to this. Thankfully Houli got 4 weeks anyway.

I don't think Houli was necessarily a dirty player, and neither is Gaff, and neither is Stewart. But as far as monumental brainfades go they're all pretty hard to top. They don't deserve pity either.

Yep it's a mistake, but you are 100% guilty. Would really love it if players stopped playing the "showing remorse" card immediately afterwards. Everyone knows they're only doing it to lessen the suspension.

A somewhat cynical take - I suspect all three did feel pretty horrible about what they did. And of course the media's going to focus in on every tiny detail - it's what they do. That said, it shouldn't have any bearing on the suspension itself.
 

nineteen eighty

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Big difference between this and something like what Gaff did. I reckon Stewart meant to whack him across the chest as you see plenty of times in a game, but did it just as Prestia was landing and got him head-high. Reckless, but not malicious.

And yet still intentional.
 
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