Unnecessary push and shove after a mark/ free kick in the forward 50.

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Sep 19, 2013
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Brisbane Lions
Anyone else getting a bit over the almost standard push and shove around scores/ scoring opportunities. Player A takes a mark/ wins a free and his teammates run in to attack his opponent. Push, shove, carry on. There is rarely any issue between the players, no retribution or retaliation to a previous incident. Just gamesmanship?

All clubs do it and it really annoys me for some reason. I generally love the physical stuff including retaliations to high shots, quarter time fracas etc. I think it's the lack of genuine passion/ aggression that makes it feel so fake and annoying to watch.
 

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Moggy

Premiership Player
Sep 7, 2012
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Totally agree. It's a very low form of "toughness" and looks more like schoolyard bullying than playing the game tough and hard.

In the Freo/Saints game last week, a defender whose opponent marked in front of goal had his face forcefully pushed into the turf. Umpires ignored it. Commentators barely mentioned it. How is that ok? If it were the marking players faced shoved into the turf, it would be 50m penalty for sure.

Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but it's like sanctioned bullying.
 
Jul 13, 2015
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Totally agree. It's a very low form of "toughness" and looks more like schoolyard bullying than playing the game tough and hard.

In the Freo/Saints game last week, a defender whose opponent marked in front of goal had his face forcefully pushed into the turf. Umpires ignored it. Commentators barely mentioned it. How is that ok? If it were the marking players faced shoved into the turf, it would be 50m penalty for sure.

Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but it's like sanctioned bullying.

Wingard took a mark yesterday and the Demons player dragged him to the ground and grabbed his feet to trip him.

But in the process managed to hurt himself and have to go off for a bit.

Not only not a tough act, but justice.
 

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Aug 13, 2006
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Wingard took a mark yesterday and the Demons player dragged him to the ground and grabbed his feet to trip him.

But in the process managed to hurt himself and have to go off for a bit.

Not only not a tough act, but justice.
Lol, that was Nev Jetta and defenders are allowed to attempt a lunging spoil in case the forward drops it under pressure. Definitely recommended when it's Wingard too. They got tangled up hence the trip. Absolutely nothing in it.

Scroll back to the first quarter and see the facial massage Sicily gives a 2nd gamer and then when Hannan drags him off he does the big flop and gets a free kick.
 
Aug 13, 2006
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I heard that too and it sounds good to me!
Does it?

The only way to stop a bit of push and shove is bringing in some kind of taunting rule similar to the ones they have in American sport. Because you can't just ban a bit of push and shove and let players go on being full of lip with absolutely no consequences.

Then of a sudden guys are getting penalised for showing a bit of personality and we need the game to have the good and bad guys.

I'd rather just leave it as is and have a bit of push and shove and also allow the mentally tougher and more skilled player prevail in the long run.

That said, if umpires occasionally get sucked in and pay free kicks to guys who take dives then they should be able to pay a free kick against when they see a flop. It's time wasting. Probably the best thing tho is for the umps to just ignore it, it's not their job to act like parents of children.
 

My Tilly

Premium Gold
Jun 30, 2018
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Does it?

The only way to stop a bit of push and shove is bringing in some kind of taunting rule similar to the ones they have in American sport. Because you can't just ban a bit of push and shove and let players go on being full of lip with absolutely no consequences.

Then of a sudden guys are getting penalised for showing a bit of personality and we need the game to have the good and bad guys.

I'd rather just leave it as is and have a bit of push and shove and also allow the mentally tougher and more skilled player prevail in the long run.

That said, if umpires occasionally get sucked in and pay free kicks to guys who take dives then they should be able to pay a free kick against when they see a flop. It's time wasting. Probably the best thing tho is for the umps to just ignore it, it's not their job to act like parents of children.

Bit of a shame the enforcers no longer exist on the field.
You have a lot of primly fit young blokes who have spent a great deal of their childhood sheltered playing video games and texting one another. I think back to blokes like Carr, Chick, Mooney, Cook, Hall, Hamill, Scott's, Archer, Barnard, Johnson's, Ricciuto, Pickett, you can go on and on as most teams had at least two of them.

While the game may be better off as a consequence, it does lead us to the possibility of going down the road you have suggested. Players now getting penalized for taunting or even gesturing as the AFL continue to stamp out all forms of aggression and intimidation.

Half of the coaches today wouldn't last 15 games of the season the manor in which they played the game.
 

Moggy

Premiership Player
Sep 7, 2012
3,523
5,886
Oslo
AFL Club
Geelong
Does it?

The only way to stop a bit of push and shove is bringing in some kind of taunting rule similar to the ones they have in American sport. Because you can't just ban a bit of push and shove and let players go on being full of lip with absolutely no consequences.

Then of a sudden guys are getting penalised for showing a bit of personality and we need the game to have the good and bad guys.

I'd rather just leave it as is and have a bit of push and shove and also allow the mentally tougher and more skilled player prevail in the long run.

That said, if umpires occasionally get sucked in and pay free kicks to guys who take dives then they should be able to pay a free kick against when they see a flop. It's time wasting. Probably the best thing tho is for the umps to just ignore it, it's not their job to act like parents of children.
Not sure we’re talking about the same thing, but in any case, I’d be happy to see an end to the taunting as well.

Im pretty sure “taunting” came in far below “high marking” and “lots of goals” in the survey the AFL did a few years back to see what people want to see more of
 
No need to ban taunting, and I don't think that's what OP is suggesting. Aggression is fine, but only when it's genuine. I'm a bit over two former private school boys pretending like they're going to have a scrap then and there after every goal.
 
Aug 13, 2006
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Melbourne
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Melbourne
Not sure we’re talking about the same thing, but in any case, I’d be happy to see an end to the taunting as well.

Im pretty sure “taunting” came in far below “high marking” and “lots of goals” in the survey the AFL did a few years back to see what people want to see more of
I just see it as: Why do we have push and shove? Because you can't get a square up with proper punches or violent acts anymore.

What happens when you ban push and shove? You get a whole bunch of little yappy players getting in each others faces attempting to create push and shove.

So to stop that - eventually in comes a taunting rule.

With every new rule the AFL has bought in there comes players and coaches trying to exploit it and push the limits of what's next. And I'd hate to see players get told off like school children for giving a bit of lip or giving a bit of push and shove and that's the end conclusion we'd get to IMO.

The footy gods have a way of humbling most players who carry on with too much stupidity.
 

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