Is anyone else noticing a large increase in illegal blocks? Have the rules around this changed?

*Warning: If your internet is capped low, it's probably best if you don't continue.

Go here: http://www.afl.com.a...76/default.aspx

Then: click page 2, select MFC vs STK Q1, wait x minutes / make a coffee (depending on net speed / video quality selected) for the whole quarter to cache, click to 27:50 mark and watch the slow-mo from the pocket camera.

Macdonald is blocked ~35m from the kicker and ~10m+ from the receiver. Is the ball within 5 metres at any time during the two-stage block? The more I watched that 'set play' the more blantant it seemed.

(sorry about the click and wait .. I'd already watched the quarter at the time I put it on loop to have a look. maybe someone can youtube it)

It is undoubtedly illegal. Maggots are getting worse.

Watched the WCE / Rich game and saw some appalling frees.

1. a free kick for abusive languange? Maybe a report but a free? Didn't know there was a rule on that,

2. numerous frees to WCE for sliding down in a tackle - Selwood, Herr, Shuey the worst offenders

Can't remember the others but there were at least 5 others that were blatantly wrong or missed

Is anyone else noticing a large increase in illegal blocks? Have the rules around this changed?

*Warning: If your internet is capped low, it's probably best if you don't continue.

Go here: http://www.afl.com.a...76/default.aspx

Then: click page 2, select MFC vs STK Q1, wait x minutes / make a coffee (depending on net speed / video quality selected) for the whole quarter to cache, click to 27:50 mark and watch the slow-mo from the pocket camera.

Macdonald is blocked ~35m from the kicker and ~10m+ from the receiver. Is the ball within 5 metres at any time during the two-stage block? The more I watched that 'set play' the more blantant it seemed.

(sorry about the click and wait .. I'd already watched the quarter at the time I put it on loop to have a look. maybe someone can youtube it)

Easier to go to game analyser and click on marks inside 50. The Reiwoldt mark is the one you are talking about .

The trouble is that so many of them seem to like to be show ponies with the grandiose holding the ball signal when some poor bugger has the guts to go in and get the ball and is ridden into the ground by some vulture, than actually look at the rest of he game.

The illegal block is becoming a blight - but apparently not the cool issue of the season.

I'd have thought the rule was clear: if you focus on the player and compromise their ability to get the ball, it should be a free kick. If you're blocking out while your eyes are on the ball, that's just good positioning. It's when you are solely focused on the player that a free kick should be given against you.

Unfortunately, the umpires rarely play it. Zach Dawson was one of the worst offenders of this in recent times.

Ashton Hams from West Coast has built his game around being 5'10 and running at a slant, then whipping his neck back at the slightest contact. What Selwood does is fine by me because 1) he gets a lot of hard ball; and 2) he uses a technique that, even if the high-contact free kick didn't exist, would still get him out of a lot of tackles by brushing the opponent's arms over his head so he can escape.