The AFL has lost touch with the game.
These were 2 tackles that did not cause any injuries and have taken out 2 premium players out of the biggest game of the home and away season with 2 x top 4 teams.
How a tackle can be considered medium impact when the players get straight up is a mystery.
Agreed.
And we’ve had other players directly hit opposition in the head in differing incidents and only get fines.
Shouldn’t be suspending players only on ‘potential to cause injury’. But here we are.
Alex made a good point yesterday, kicking in danger has the potential to kill someone if you boot them in the head
its all gone too far. knee jerk reaction to all of tgis concussion stuff
The AFL has shat itself due to the concussion legal case. It wasn’t the years of allowing massive hits, and some cheap sniper shots to go on. It wasn’t putting players straight back on after being knocked out, and not monitoring/giving them time off afterwards.
Nah it wasn’t that at all. It is a ■■■■■■■ minor tackle, where the head contact was negligible at best.
The game has generally been cleaned up for the good in terms of big contact. But we are not the NFL where repeated head contact is still a major feature of the game. I feel sorry for the guys affected in the past, they deserve support and dollars, but it is a small number compared to all the players who come through the AFL.
And of course, you can still punch someone in the head (as long as you don’t use your fist) and that is ok, but wrap someone up and drop to the ground, WHOA, you are in big trouble.
Bunch of ■■■■■■■■■.
‘Potential’ to cause injury, copying Work Safe , like having a guard rail on cutting machinery
Where the hell are the players union through all this? Their clients are being shafted, robbed, deprived of key moments in their lives and nothing. Are they still a thing? There must be backlash from all sources to stop the rot re this rule (the suspensions for non injury). The players need a voice, i really feel for them. Zach must me just guttered and questioning whats the point of it all. The AFL did the right thing to bring the rule in, but the suspensions associated with non injury incidents is simply outrageous, and must me taken to task. I wouldnt be surprised if the players behing closed doors discussing a strike or some form of action, and fair enough too.
The intent of the Rule is good, but it’s application is unworkable.
There are certain rules in the game that we get frustrated with….
Why wasn’t that HTB,
Why was that a 50 ?
Etc etc, they are frustrating the umps don’t make consistent decisions and as a result we get some very frustrating outcomes.
Move on to this …
Elliot’s tackle had the potential to cause injury, he got lucky the guys head didn’t hit the ground but it could have so easily.
Yet he doesn’t even get cited.
So we go from some poor decisions resulting in sometimes getting a free kick or not …
And. Now
Some poor decisions resulting in players being suspended or not, based purely on a subjective application of this rule.
Correct, its a sport and they destroying it by turning it into a worksite. Great call!
I stated last night (not sure which post) that 90 thousand fans from both clubs booing at the start of the ground would be a fantastic message to AFL. I really hope that happens, no disrespect to the occasion, but the message would be definitely heard
And only if someone actually gets hurt are there massive consequences
Otherwise businesses might get a fine if first advised to address issue but don’t
Merrett should have got a fine at worst.
it’s all about deflecting liability onto the actions of players - ‘look we banned them for doing the wrong thing but they keep doing it so not our fault’
imagine suspending someone’s employment for cutting off their hand on a jigsaw when you didn’t give them the instructions on how to use it in the first place
They have created a monster. Head injuries ine thing, what about all the knees getting blown out through being tackled etc? Theres potential for a knee injury in every tackle. Theres 100s of ex players hobbling around for life re these injuries too. So when one of them files a civil case, do they bring in another rule to protect that wave? Its just ridiculous. They did enough by bringing in the rule, suspending players if cause an injury, the rest has no place in the sport.
Just another normal day in crazy town.
AFL finding it too hard to differentiate on the basis of likelihood of injury from different tackles.
AFLPA is an AFL sponsored body, that is about all that needs to be said.
Sorry if this has been posted but I just received same. Oliver- play on, not cited.
The only consistency is inconsistency and we always manage to be on the wrong end of the stick.
Ah ok, well the toothless tiger bites again, well not yet, hasen’t even been cited yet.
OMG finally someone who knows the correct word to use!
We could certainly note that the inconsistencies are disgracefully apparent. And yet it’s also so, so predictable. So maybe it’s actually consistent .
Anyone any insight on where too from here? Would the club be considering some form of appeal if an option? Who plays god re that decision?