The Don't Argue

What’s he do?

He’s got the makings of the next L Hodge.

Jeebus are you serious? When I played rugby union in NZ as a wee nipper it happened all the time. Watch some super rugby or test rugby you will see don’t argues to the face frequently. Done properly you make contact with the heel of your hand or lower palm with your fingers angled back. If you go sticking your fingers in people’s eyes you would get a good belting. If you aim high your fingers will contact the top of the head and be nowhere the eyes which is what most rugby players do, aiming for the chest is rare because as some have said in this thread you can grap the arm and fall backwards. Yet another daft AFL rule that over complicates an innocuous defensive move.

Well it’s not done properly and it’s not rugby. Contact on the head you serious?

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Chris Daniher’s goal at the end of the 1993 Grand Final, when he bulldozed that Fark Carltoner, is still one of my faves of all time.

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Greg Inglis was a master at it.

Remember when the AFL had an open cheque book for these code hoppers, and then when it looked like we were going to get a superstar like Inglis, they put a lid on it?

Or am I misremembering?

I’m just making the point that its not dangerous, when done properly. If it was rugby union would ban it, their administrators have the same duty of care for players as the AFL. The palm of the hand is soft, its not like a punch the is no forceful impact. Rugby union is globally the second biggest football code after soccer and the fastest growing football code internationally played the same way with the same intensity by men and women. Perhaps its just that Aussies have soft heads which would explain a lot.

Contact to the head or throat is illegal. And it’s the throat contact that’s a big worry. Remember Zaha recently, could barely talk after copping it. A larynx will get ruptured one day.

No high contact is a long standing and entirely sensible rule within the game of Aussie Rules that quite rightly no-one wants to change. The fact that rugby players hit each other in the head is completely irrelevant.

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I want to don’t argue this thread. It’s a great part of the game, even better if the high ones get paid.

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Yeah…don’t know about that, man.

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I think the problem is some people are thinking that a high, or to the face fend off is legal. Sure you can do some serious damage. THATS WHY ITS NOT LEGAL!

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Sorry, but who is this? Fantastic moniker.

I think we should have all players adopt the big don’t argue, but perhaps not to the extent of these guys, good ol’ WPA:

Powell-Pepper. No real reason for calling him that, I just thought he looked like a bit of a tool. I’ll freely admit I can be a shallow, judgmental jerk at times…

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Nothing wrong with it if called against when above the chest. It’s annoying cos it’s getting pumped up too much by commentators because they get hard calling “gives the don’t argue!” When it was simply a “fend off” it was a minor aspect of the game. The AFL probably sent a memo round to clubs asking them to do it more to improve the spectacle and give sound and visual grabs they can use to try and entice rugby fans. I don’t really believe that, just wanted to rag on the AFL.

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I reckon it’s absolutely fair and part of the game so long as it’s below the neck.

Although if you go back and look at the original ‘don’t argue’ Huttons logo (whence the name derives), it depicts a hand very definitely pushing into the face!

Who remembers those ads “don’t argue, don’t argue, Huttons footy franks are best… do…oh…o’nt argue…” etc. I think the ‘don’t argue’ logo was a very long standing image for the Huttons company from early 1900s, well before those tv ads for the footy franks!

And I recall hearing Mick Thomas explaining that ‘big don’t argue’ was a reference to any fight/brawl.

I get where you’re going but firstly, this is AFL not Rugby Union. There is stat somewhere about the amount of concussions and head injuries Rugby players have over any other sport. You are way off on the palm versus punch impact ratio, just consider the velocity. Happy to be wrong here but a palm at face versus a standstill punch can do a lot more or equal damage.

Rugby might be the second biggest “played” but is it even watched by enough people? And why football as a measure and not sport. AFL would be in the top 5 football but that’s not saying much.

Yes, Aussies have soft heads. That must be it, not the dangers of a reckless way of avoiding a tackle that could lead to serious injuries even if it was dealth to the chest. May as well let players kick to get away.

I recall Nick dalsanto saying they train the defence against the don’t argue, but it’s a skill which is difficult to master.
Clearly hurls got it right. It’s difficult to see but he seemed to entwine his arm around dangers, and like a vine, as danger tried to pull backwards, it only tightened the grip
Once danger was latched onto, hurls could convert forward momentum into a spin.
I just loved how hurls dealt with him. It was brutal.

I can’t see Marty doing that until he has done 5 preseasons in the weight room.

There’s an Aikido technique used for when someone grabs the front of your jumper that I reckon could be adapted to someone applying a don’t argue. It’s the pressure you put on the back of their thumb that takes all of the strength out of the don’t argue.

Momentum and how to use it is a big part aikido and typically you are moving towards the person rather than being stationary or moving back so that would be against you a bit, but still , I think there’s something in it.