News Injuries & Suspensions

Rowsus

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Isn't the Caminiti one a classic case of prosecuting the outcome, and not the act?!
If he had shoved a toughnut like that 1) he likely doesn't fall over 2) there'd be nothing to see here.
Maybe those with a history of often, frequent and "easy" concussions should wear an orange cap or something, so players know not to even brush by them!!!
 
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The looming spectre of Ceglar aside (only played 4 games since 2021), Blicavs makes for interesting analysis.
29 games including finals since the start 2022 at 97.0.
Break up by Hitouts.
< 13 - 13 games @ 86.5
13-18 - 9 games @ 96.1
> 18 - 7 games @ 117.4
Break up by combined number of Hitouts + Disposals.
< 31 - 17 games @ 82.1
> 30 - 12 games @ 118.1
As Shannon said 🙋‍♂️ Ceglar.
But those numbers are mighty interesting. If they don't get you contemplating, then I don't know what will!!!
We spend a good deal of time during footy season "contemplating". Or maybe "agonising" is a better word.....
 
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Do we think players are intelligent enough to stop slinging while they tackle?
It's not an intellectual thing and that's what people don't understand about changing a rule overnight. These are habits that are built up over a period of time that become subconscious actions and now the AFL expects players to change overnight. It's pretty difficult in human nature to go from a subconscious action to a deliberate action because one day someone wakes up and says don't do it that way anymore.

It's like someone saying tomorrow we are all going to drive on the right hand side of the road and expect no accidents to cover.
 
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My 2 cents worth.

Unfortunately the AFL is painting itself into a corner in trying to react to circumstances thrust upon them while still trying to maintain the basic physical nature of the game. They are doing an excellent job of painting themselves in via applying very selective interpretations of the rules and/or policies.

Once upon a time when a shirtfront was legal and biffo was commonplace (although not always justified) tribunals decisions were much easier. The game was physical so unless you clearly were caught doing something wrong (intentional elbow to the head or punch to the head from behind) virtually nothing went to the tribunal. And most of those that did were open shut cases.

Now however the AFL is scared about concussion and other injuries that could lead to it being sued. In today’s legal world they have some fair cause to be cautious. Add to that the negative health issues for young future players getting into the game, which is one reason I believe the AFL introduced the AFLW so quickly. But because the game revolves around physical contact their current approach is to try and apply a filter about what is acceptable and what is not. However the AFL want the players to apply that filter on game day in the heat of the moment, which is almost impossible. You can bump but only like this and even if you do it the wrong way by accident you get time. You can tackle but you can only tackle like this and not like that otherwise you get time.

They then multiple the confusion by using the result of said tackle or bump to filter if a penalty is applied, either in game ie free kick or post game ie report and suspension. This complicated system creates confusion for supporters, clubs and players alike. On Sunday I saw Stengle get a free kick when his opponent applied a dangerous tackle. It was because his head hit the ground (same tackle that he broke his arm but that was not the reason he got the free). Thirty seconds before that Ginbey was involved in a similar tackle but no ones head hit the ground so the umpire called my ball and tossed it up. It is like someone going into the local servo with a gun one night and asking the attendant for all the cash. Attendant says got no cash and the robber says okay and leaves. No crime committed because he got no money? Nothing to see here, move on.

No one is happy but the AFL is taking the moral high ground by saying they are trying to do the right thing. Unfortunately, given the position AFL finds itself in, I think this whole process will only get worse not better. Excluding intentional malicious acts, much of the game is based on hard physical contact in an ever increasingly quicker game environment (speed which the AFL actively encouraged). That leaves less time for players to make prudent decisions. However I think the AFL will only increase the rules being introduced and imposed upon the players regarding their in game health to ensure the AFL is legally safe (as much as possible).

One thing (if they don’t already have it) is that there should be some kind of agreement signed by the players, the PA and the AFL acknowledging that players know of the risks involved in playing the game and that if they do decide to play, some kinds of health issues are accepted as a risk they take in playing.
It does my head in because the NRL shows how easy it is to fix. If you have an issue with the action, outlaw the action, not the result. Shoulder charges are gone. Swinging arms are gone. Grappling is gone. Even weird like "hip drop" tackles are on the way out. Sure, it's harder to tackle in the AFL because everyone going every which way but the AFL is already trying to take a half arsed approach to this same result anyway.
 
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It's not an intellectual thing and that's what people don't understand about changing a rule overnight. These are habits are built up over a period of time that become subconscious actions and now the AFL expects players to change overnight. It's pretty difficult in human nature to go from a subconscious action to a deliberate action because one day someone wakes up and says don't do it that way anymore.

It's like someone saying tomorrow we are all going to drive on the right hand side of the road and expect no accidents to cover.
The same thing applies to most of us also in terms of accepting this as normal behaviour. We just accept it because that's how many of us have seen it for the last 40years or longer. All dinosaurs become extinct at some stage, just takes time.
 
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It does my head in because the NRL shows how easy it is to fix. If you have an issue with the action, outlaw the action, not the result. Shoulder charges are gone. Swinging arms are gone. Grappling is gone. Even weird like "hip drop" tackles are on the way out. Sure, it's harder to tackle in the AFL because everyone going every which way but the AFL is already trying to take a half arsed approach to this same result anyway.
If taking a "half baked approach" were an Olympic sport, the AFL would be a gold medallist several times over
 

THCLT

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I'm of the firm belief that the on-field umpires have a critical role to play in this latest 'sling' tackle debate.

At the center of this debate is their want (or AFL mandate) to reduce the number of stoppages in favour of a more free flowing spectacle. I'm sure that many of you here will agree when I say that there are countless times during a game where we see a player being tackled by a vice-like grip that there's no easy means for them to dispose of the footy. How many times though do we see these umpires, almost lurking in some instances, in the hope that the ball will eventually come loose in order to keep the game flowing.

From a player's perspective (note that I've never played competitive aussie rule football, outside at school), the player being tackle would make every effort to try and break free in order to not be penalised for HTB, by the same token, the tackler would make every effort to prevent the player from releasing the ball, by every means possible in the hope of getting a HTB decision. Typically during this type of physical struggles between two elite sportsmen, the likelihood outcome is that the 'forces' will inevitably lead to them falling onto the ground. From there, you're pretty much entering a grey area with regards to how the fall took place, which part of the body took the fall, height/weight of the players involved, was the ground hard or soft, etc.

My suggestion would be for a directive to the umpires that they need to be more diligent in quickly blowing the whistle for a ball up when it's obvious that 'natural' ball movement has come to a halt. I believe that by applying some common sense into how these type of football acts are umpired, rather than religiously adhering to the mandate of fostering a free flowing spectacle would hopefully go a long way towards eradicating these type of contentious MRO judgements.
 
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I'm of the firm belief that the on-field umpires have a critical role to play in this latest 'sling' tackle debate.

At the center of this debate is their want (or AFL mandate) to 'reduce the number of stoppages' in favour of a more 'free flowing' spectacle. I'm sure that many of you here will agree when I say that there are countless times during a game where we see a player being tackled by a vice-like grip that there's no 'easy' means for them to dispose of the footy. How many times though do we see these umpires, almost lurking in some instances, in the hope that the ball will eventually come loose in order to 'keep the game flowing'.

From a player's perspective (note that I've never played competitive aussie rule football, outside at school), the player being tackle would make every effort to try and break free in order to not be penalised for HTB, by the same token, the tackler would make every effort to prevent the player from releasing the ball, by every means possible in the hope of getting a HTB decision. Typically during this type of 'physical' struggles between two elite sportsmen, the likelihood outcome is that the 'forces' will inevitably lead to them falling onto the ground. From there, you're pretty much entering a 'grey' area with regards to how the fall took place, which part of the body took the fall, height/weight of the players involved, was the ground hard or soft, etc.

My suggestion would be for a directive to the umpires that they need to be more diligent in 'quickly' blowing the whistle for a ball up when it's obvious that 'natural' ball movement has come to a halt. I believe that by applying some 'common sense' into how these type of football acts are umpired, rather than religiously adhering to the mandate of fostering a 'free flowing' spectacle would hopefully go a long way towards eradicating these type of contentious MRO 'judgements'.
I was going to type exactly this when I found the time. Well said!
 
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I'm of the firm belief that the on-field umpires have a critical role to play in this latest 'sling' tackle debate.

At the center of this debate is their want (or AFL mandate) to reduce the number of stoppages in favour of a more free flowing spectacle. I'm sure that many of you here will agree when I say that there are countless times during a game where we see a player being tackled by a vice-like grip that there's no easy means for them to dispose of the footy. How many times though do we see these umpires, almost lurking in some instances, in the hope that the ball will eventually come loose in order to keep the game flowing.

From a player's perspective (note that I've never played competitive aussie rule football, outside at school), the player being tackle would make every effort to try and break free in order to not be penalised for HTB, by the same token, the tackler would make every effort to prevent the player from releasing the ball, by every means possible in the hope of getting a HTB decision. Typically during this type of physical struggles between two elite sportsmen, the likelihood outcome is that the 'forces' will inevitably lead to them falling onto the ground. From there, you're pretty much entering a grey area with regards to how the fall took place, which part of the body took the fall, height/weight of the players involved, was the ground hard or soft, etc.

My suggestion would be for a directive to the umpires that they need to be more diligent in quickly blowing the whistle for a ball up when it's obvious that 'natural' ball movement has come to a halt. I believe that by applying some common sense into how these type of football acts are umpired, rather than religiously adhering to the mandate of fostering a free flowing spectacle would hopefully go a long way towards eradicating these type of contentious MRO judgements.
I agree with most of this, but I think the grey areas of the rules make it harder and harder for umpires. They take the hit for half-baked attempts to "correct" things, that were themselves half-baked attempts to "correct" things by the AFL. Ad Nauseaum.
 
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I agree with most of this, but I think the grey areas of the rules make it harder and harder for umpires. They take the hit for half-arsed attempts to "correct" things, that were themselves half-arsed attempts to "correct" things by the AFL. Ad Nauseaum.
The grey areas don’t help, but how often do you see a player turn 360+ in a tackle and then dispose of it. As the tackler, that’s ask ally incentivising you to tackle more aggressively or bring the player down.

For mine, the fundamental issue is that the AFL wants the ball in motion, so has changed the interpretation of its own rules to manufacture an outcome.. no it’s trying to manufacture away the consequences.
 
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The grey areas don’t help, but how often do you see a player turn 360+ in a tackle and then dispose of it. As the tackler, that’s ask ally incentivising you to tackle more aggressively or bring the player down.

For mine, the fundamental issue is that the AFL wants the ball in motion, so has changed the interpretation of its own rules to manufacture an outcome.. no it’s trying to manufacture away the consequences.
Yeah, that's sort of my point. It's not the umpires "fault" or job to fix anything though. But the AFL hides behind them.

They want to keep the ball in motion so the "interpretation" of the rule lets the tackled player have longer to rid of it - but the tackler has to work harder not to break the tackle - that's where second movements and the slings come in. Pay holding the ball when it's being held earlier, there's no need to have any second movements, sling or otherwise. Dispose of the ball when you're tackled, not when you've been turned 360+ degrees, etc.

The other consequence is the throws and faux-disposals. It muddies the game, and every now and then there are good passages of play.
 
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