I can remember over a long period of time how us Australians used to give it to the soccer players around the world for diving and screaming in pain when they tripped over.  How times have changed!  We now have our own homegrown staging generation of players who train to get free kicks.  

Its always been there in small doses but now it in every single game and it's getting worse.  Staging for free kicks has become a tactic and strategy at most clubs, some do it far better than others.  This encourages players to cheat and it is a cancer on our proud game.

The AFL must stamp it out or we too will have our divers head Duckers and cheats.

First Mathieson and now Stewart have made names for themselves ducking in their debut games.

Annoyingly, Melbourne need to tackle better but I have no doubt in my mind that Hawthorn took control when they started getting so many free kicks for ducking.

It is a blight on the game. The AFL will pass down penalties if it catches on. These staging incidents make for horrible viewing.

Clarko supposedly gave him a clip in his press conference.

Ive not heard it just heard it from a mate.

ducking the head, droping the knees is NOT staging. Staging is where someone acts like they get hit and they have not been.

I totally agree with Clarkson, the interpretation must change to stop the encouragement to try and gain the free, because someone is going to get hurt.

I find it amazing that first gamers are doing it now. Shows that they get away with it at lower levels too.

Essentially a form of lying,not a good quality to possess.

Ducking your head to get a free kick a bigger crime in popular afl land than systematic drug cheating

The "fix" is easier said than done with regards to the contentious "Around the neck' decision ... at least people are now starting to finally realise that it's not necessarily an umpiring issue, it's more of a rules of the game issue.

My fix is to not pay around the neck at all unless it's a blatant high tackling issue with intent ... incidental contact should just be play on.  I've always felt that way and I'm not at all surprised that the ruling is finally being exploited by the players.  Another fix is to cite players to the tribunal who "stage" for the high contact ... but first of all, the staging bit needs to be outlawed.

The real issue is we don't have a replay* facility and what we can see in hindsight.  In real time, it's very difficult to know exactly what has happened with regards to the high contact ... as for a consistent outcome, good luck with all that. 

It's a bit like flooding in that sense ... why did it take so long for someone to think of doing it? (flooding)

 

*I'm not advocating a replay facility as the game goes for long enough as it is.

Edited June 4, 20169 yr by Macca

What people have to understand is there doesn't need to be a rule change to stop what Stewart did...

It was a very,very wrong call by the umpire, there is a very big difference between ducking and driving or slipping the tackle. The umpires are getting this wrong so and it needs to be stamped out.

If a player ducks his head like this fool did then I believe and have said a number of times, it needs to be a match review issue and he should get weeks for it.

Imagine if he became paralysed from this, he has not only destroyed his own life but how would Harmes feel, imagine the guilt.

Melbourne needs to tackle better. The majority of mfc head highs are just poor or lazy tackles

Edited June 4, 20169 yr by jacey

39 minutes ago, rjay said:

What people have to understand is there doesn't need to be a rule change to stop what Stewart did...

It was a very,very wrong call by the umpire, there is a very big difference between ducking and driving or slipping the tackle. The umpires are getting this wrong so and it needs to be stamped out.

If a player ducks his head like this fool did then I believe and have said a number of times, it needs to be a match review issue and he should get weeks for it.

Imagine if he became paralysed from this, he has not only destroyed his own life but how would Harmes feel, imagine the guilt.

If you're talking about any given incident like the one you highlighted rjay, you make a decent point.

But what about from an overall perspective? - like every high tackle in every game of the season.

The ducking can be seen (but not always) and then there's the dropping of the knees/body and the shrugging of the arms in an upward motion ... and all that can be done at once.  Players are also backing into tackles whilst lowering their bodies.

It's a rules of the game issue and it needs to be addressed so the umpires can have a clear pathway on how to deal with it all. 

Clarkson today was not necessarily pointing the finger in the direction of the umpires ... he probably should have been more specific and named the people on the rules committee (do we know who they are?) and the umpires boss (Luke Ball)  Also, he made mention of the concussion issue and how the players are using the greater recognition of concussions as a vehicle to draw high contact.

Make no mistake, this issue is not going away in a hurry ... unless the AFL takes affirmative action.  I'd prefer if they acted now rather than at the end of the season.  It's a 'now' problem and it will probably get worse as the season goes on.

 

Edited June 4, 20169 yr by Macca

Two word people... Two words...

 

Cheating c_nuts 

Edited June 4, 20169 yr by KrazyJay

That's one area that needs looking at and the other is throwing the ball instead of hand balling it, the doggies have mastered it but now other clubs are following suit. 

Watching the game today and then a couple of quarters of other games when I got home, it is becoming an epidemic, players don't even seem interested in concealing it, they just throw it and know they'll get away with it.

it appears that you only get called for it if your opponent has you pinned and you've only got one arm free.

 

 

7 minutes ago, Macca said:

If you're talking about any given incident like the one you highlighted rjay, you make a decent point.

But what about from an overall perspective? - like every high tackle in every game of the season.

The ducking can be seen (but not always) and then there's the dropping of the knees/body and the shrugging of the arms in an upward motion ... and all that can be done at once.  Players are also backing into tackles whilst lowering their bodies.

It's a rules of the game issue and it needs to be addressed so the umpires can have a clear pathway on how to deal with it all. 

Clarkson today was not necessarily pointing the finger in the direction of the umpires ... he probably should have been more specific and named the people on the rules committee (do we know who they are?) and the umpires boss (Luke Ball)  Also, he made mention of the concussion issue and how the players are using the greater recognition of concussions as a vehicle to draw high contact.

Make no mistake, this issue is not going away in a hurry ... unless the AFL takes affirmative action.  I'd prefer if they acted now rather than at the end of the season.  It's a 'now' problem and it probably get worse.

 

I have a real problem with ducking 'Macca' and there are rules in place for that one. I hate when umpires (who now admit) have a rule of the week and then they drop off it as time goes on. There have been too many instances of ducking this year and the player being rewarded.

If a player is backing back, or grabbing the arm to draw a tackle then it should be deemed as prior opportunity...again no reason for a rule change just interpretation.

Shrugging is a hard one, I think it's come about in a big part due to the ability of players to lift the arms in the tackle and get the ball off. Coaches are trying to get players to pin the arms meaning they're tackling higher to grab the arms. The counter is to do a Selwood and a lot of others are in on the game now...

Here's something from left field...maybe if the illegal disposal rule was tightened up to insure that a player must dispose of the ball correctly and not let them get away with dropping the ball out to advantage or just letting the ball drop in the tackle there would be more danger in trying to get the ball off. They might then hold it because of the danger in trying to give it off and players would be encouraged to tackle lower and harder to break the ball free and draw a free kick.

...anyway, just a thought 'Macca', not married to it.

2 minutes ago, Dante said:

That's one area that needs looking at and the other is throwing the ball instead of hand balling it, the doggies have mastered it but now other clubs are following suit. 

Watching the game today and then a couple of quarters of other games when I got home, it is becoming an epidemic, players don't even seem interested in concealing it, they just throw it and know they'll get away with it.

it appears that you only get called for it if your opponent has you pinned and you've only got one arm free.

 

 

It's a cultural thing at the Doggies...Teddy and the flick pass, handed down over the generations.

1 minute ago, rjay said:

I have a real problem with ducking 'Macca' and there are rules in place for that one. I hate when umpires (who now admit) have a rule of the week and then they drop off it as time goes on. There have been too many instances of ducking this year and the player being rewarded.

If a player is backing back, or grabbing the arm to draw a tackle then it should be deemed as prior opportunity...again no reason for a rule change just interpretation.

Shrugging is a hard one, I think it's come about in a big part due to the ability of players to lift the arms in the tackle and get the ball off. Coaches are trying to get players to pin the arms meaning they're tackling higher to grab the arms. The counter is to do a Selwood and a lot of others are in on the game now...

Here's something from left field...maybe if the illegal disposal rule was tightened up to insure that a player must dispose of the ball correctly and not let them get away with dropping the ball out to advantage or just letting the ball drop in the tackle there would be more danger in trying to get the ball off. They might then hold it because of the danger in trying to give it off and players would be encouraged to tackle lower and harder to break the ball free and draw a free kick.

...anyway, just a thought 'Macca', not married to it.

I like that idea ... tighten up one area helps alleviate a problem with another.  Why the AFL (Rules committee & Umpires board) have allowed the players to incorrectly dispose of the ball is baffling.  I see numerous throws (or what I'd term a throw) in every game but the umpires have been told to let it go.  'Continuous play' comes at the cost of blatant indiscretions ... there has to be a better way.

We blame the umps but they are acting under instruction.  What's Luke Ball doing? - the same as Geischen and Campbell before him as far as I can make out.  Very little.

But I'm 100% with you (and others) on the ducking but the high contact issue is from an overall perspective, a much broader issue.  The dropping of the knees and body is difficult to see in real time.  Your fix with regards to the incorrect disposal could definitely help but the staging will go on.  They need to find a way of knocking it on the head (no pun intended ) 

I've never been one to blame the umpires - the fish rots at the head.  I reckon the AFL are happy for the masses to blame the end result on those making the end result decisions.  Takes the heat off themselves of course.

Clever of Clarko to quickly shift the focus from the Hawks players to the AFL in terms of fault for the high tackle frees.

Keep playing for frees to get you over the line Hawks, that'll get you far...

13 hours ago, rjay said:

What people have to understand is there doesn't need to be a rule change to stop what Stewart did...

It was a very,very wrong call by the umpire, there is a very big difference between ducking and driving or slipping the tackle. The umpires are getting this wrong so and it needs to be stamped out.

If a player ducks his head like this fool did then I believe and have said a number of times, it needs to be a match review issue and he should get weeks for it.

Imagine if he became paralysed from this, he has not only destroyed his own life but how would Harmes feel, imagine the guilt.

Agree re match review approach. the ducking and dropping knees etc is putting players at risk and is not in the spirit of the game. Start suspending players and the behaviour will stop.

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2016-06-05/umpire-admits-error-in-dubious-high-contact-free-to-hawk-stewart

I liked this quote...

'...we won't be bringing in anything that just gives a green light for sloppy and forceful contact to the head," Evans said.

Ummm, nobody asked for that mate. We just ask that your blokes do a better job. He's trying to take the high road after they've created a highway of [censored] for themselves. Nice try.

5 hours ago, Mach5 said:

Clever of Clarko to quickly shift the focus from the Hawks players to the AFL in terms of fault for the high tackle frees.

Keep playing for frees to get you over the line Hawks, that'll get you far...

He's smarter than Roos hard to complain when you rely on welfare .