1 hour ago, The Lobster Effect said:

He'll need to wait for the dust to settle

Not with them in the finals, he shouldn't.  He's still part of the club, until the contract is up end of season.

Unfair to use it, to distract them.

9 minutes ago, GM11 said:

Nailed it in one sentence.

If the umpires penalise the kidney punches and elbows and blatant holds and pay what they see, instead of what they are are told to see, these incidents would probably never happen.

From memory, this punch didn't even result in a free kick, with the umpire looking in the general direction. Play on.

They've lost control of the game.

I grew up in a rugby league state, and I can recall in my teens any tackle that went near the head was penalised. Now they get away with it and everyone is so desensitized that commentators and spectators alike complain about penalties that are clearly high, and clearly intentional. AFL is slowly going the same way with all kinds of illegal play going un-penalised. When one is paid out comes the 'tiggy touchwood' line.

The 'Gaff defense' is a perfect example of where things have gone wrong. I punched him in the guts not long ago and got away with it so I thought I'd have another crack. I guess he broke the tag in the end so achieved the desired result. Now that's not to say Brayshaw is totally innocent here. He was holding, and blocking Gaff's run outside the laws of the game (5 metres) and should've been pinged in the first place, which would've prevented all of this 100%. In my opinion most taggers are breaking the laws of the game constantly, even ours.

23 minutes ago, GM11 said:

Nailed it in one sentence.

If the umpires penalise the kidney punches and elbows and blatant holds and pay what they see, instead of what they are are told to see, these incidents would probably never happen.

I'll take it a step further and say I fully believe the umpires are taking on field instructions from a 3rd party via their headsets. The number of very late calls this year has skyrocketed, and in 1 particular game a voice could clearly be heard saying '15 seconds' when players were lining up on goal. The umpire would then yell to the kicker for the 15 seconds. Who was it?

17 minutes ago, FireInTheBelly said:

AFL is slowly going the same way with all kinds of illegal play going un-penalised. When one is paid out comes the 'tiggy touchwood' line.

If they paid the "tiggy touchwood" frees, they might be amazed at how quickly the players adapt and stop conceding them.

When players are allowed to body surf oppo into the ground and it's somehow not "in the back" ... when they can freely throw the ball ... scrag and monster oppo forwards without penalty ... then just about anything that is in the actual laws of the game does look "tiggy touchwood".

Ref it according to the rulebook and a lot of the game's ills will disappear, and the players will adjust quickly. Like they did with the "tough love" deliberate OOB. The AFL can do it.They just don't want to do it.

15 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

If someone king hit my brother and smashed his teeth, and then ran away, i would want nothing more to do with them. 

Pure and Simple 

What if you were being paid 700k a year to work with them

1 hour ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

I too feel for Gaff for a number of reasons:

• He is genuinely heartbroken for the incident. 
• He knows what it is like to be the victim.  2 years ago he was on the receiving end of a Jonas elbow to his head.  It was in a marking contest but Gaff had no idea it was coming.  Jonas got 6 weeks.  Some argued it should have been 8.
• He now has 8 months to sweat it out before taking the field again and have a chance to redeem his reputation. 
• Players play to participate in finals and hopefully win a premiership.  Missing 2 to 4 finals is a bigger penalty than 8 home and away games.  

On DL we are especially emotional over this incdent because Andy is Gus' little bro and most are keenly interested in getting Gaff to our club.  Any other two players from other clubs and I doubt it would have anywhere near as much attention.

Gaff at the Dees?  I think he fits the Goodwin type player of tough, competitive and humble.  The way he has conducted himself in the aftermath of a very sad episode says a lot about his character. 

Edit:  Thanks @MSFebeyfor adding the video of the Jonas/Gaff incident in post below.  Gaff was out cold before he hit the ground and stayed there for a very long time.  A player does not easily forget the damage a hit to the head can do.  Gaff's remorse is especially compelling in the circumstances.

Really well put. I feel very sorry for both of them.

Isn’t it funny how some of the most frequent of posters have suddenly disappeared after Mark Brayshaw was interviewed?

It’s called keeping your powder dry until the facts have been brought to the surface. It’s okay to have an opinion but you can do that without being idiots and jumping to conclusions.

 

19 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

If they paid the "tiggy touchwood" frees, they might be amazed at how quickly the players adapt and stop conceding them.

When players are allowed to body surf oppo into the ground and it's somehow not "in the back" ... when they can freely throw the ball ... scrag and monster oppo forwards without penalty ... then just about anything that is in the actual laws of the game does look "tiggy touchwood".

Ref it according to the rulebook and a lot of the game's ills will disappear, and the players will adjust quickly. Like they did with the "tough love" deliberate OOB. The AFL can do it.They just don't want to do it.

How about the new one when you take a mark, or get paid a free, against the opposition player lying face down on the ground, it's a free shot to push them in the back. How is that allowed? I can't recall seeing that prior to this season. Now it's every opportunity.

9 minutes ago, -Ⓥ- said:

What if you were being paid 700k a year to work with them

I may be able to work with them, but it would be like the situation at Adelaide a few years back. 

Different sides of the changeroom and don’t ask me to socialise. 

Unlike many on here, i don’t think he missed. 

Gaff squared up Brayshaw and went Bang. 

If that were my brother lying on the ground, i couldn’t have a beer ? with Gaff

i would just want nothing to do with him, he crossed the line. 

But it will be fascinating to see what pans out, 

When Gaff was talking about the incident, he mentioned that at the time he did not want to go back out on the field. Given where the game was at, with the Eagles winning comfortably, it is surprising that Simpson and the Eagles player welfare team did not advise him to finish up for the day.

The vision of Gaff on the bench distraught, with Simpson trying to talk with him seems to look like he is frustrated that he has to continue playing. Where I am going with this is, I wonder if that will have any impact on his decision whether to stay or leave. If he felt that he wasn't looked after as a player of the Eagles, it may way his decision away from staying there. Drawing a long bow I know but just some food for thought.

On a side note, the Eagles as an organisation has had a very poor year off the field in the way they have conducted themselves. From someone who previously lived in Perth, couldn't have happened to a better club, they really are an arrogant bunch of to$$ers!

 

5 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

I may be able to work with them, but it would be like the situation at Adelaide a few years back. 

Different sides of the changeroom and don’t ask me to socialise. 

Unlike many on here, i don’t think he missed. 

Gaff squared up Brayshaw and went Bang. 

If that were my brother lying on the ground, i couldn’t have a beer ? with Gaff

i would just want nothing to do with him, he crossed the line. 

But it will be fascinating to see what pans out, 

As Mark Brayshaw alluded to - Brayshaw definitely lowered his centre of gravity half way through Gaff lashing out. Have watched it a few times and I genuinely think it was an upper chest punch gone horribly wrong. 

25 minutes ago, FireInTheBelly said:

How about the new one when you take a mark, or get paid a free, against the opposition player lying face down on the ground, it's a free shot to push them in the back. How is that allowed? I can't recall seeing that prior to this season. Now it's every opportunity.

They're highly conditioned athletes. Surely you can't expect them to get to their feet without using some kind of leverage against the ground? If the oppo player happens to be under the biometrically optimal location to do that, it would be unfair to penalise the player with the ball.

Also the player lying down, by being face down, is not watching the ball and not participating in the play, therefore it follows as a matter of law, that any action by the other player is not "in play" and therefore no infringement can be said to have taken place.

I'm getting the hang of this. Anyone know of any openings in the AFL umps dept?

2 minutes ago, Mondê said:

As Mark Brayshaw alluded to - Brayshaw definitely lowered his centre of gravity half way through Gaff lashing out. Have watched it a few times and I genuinely think it was an upper chest punch gone horribly wrong. 

I have watched the close up vid multiple times, and i disagree, why because Gaffs fist is moving slightly upwards. 

I am sure he is utterly remorseful now, but that doesn’t change my opinion of where that punch was intended, at that moment. 

Then he kept running, which is also damming. 

36 minutes ago, McQueen said:

Isn’t it funny how some of the most frequent of posters have suddenly disappeared after Mark Brayshaw was interviewed?

It’s called keeping your powder dry until the facts have been brought to the surface. It’s okay to have an opinion but you can do that without being idiots and jumping to conclusions.

 

I'm glad Mark came out and said what he did. It was a massive hellstorm and really needed a call for calm. Good on him.

3 hours ago, Ungarie boy said:

Have said this before, but the answer is actually pretty simple; pay a free kick for contact of the ball (5 metres).  Its pretty much already in the rules:

1) you aren't allowed to tackle (grab) a player without the ball

2) you are not allowed shepherd a player more than 5 metres off the ball

3) you are not allowed bump a player more than 5 metres of the ball 

apply theses and it all stops.

Oh and then enforce the a simple rule amendment, if your closed fist makes contact with another player then it's an automatic 1 week suspension (If an AFL player is that careless, clumsy, clueless, that the can't hit the ball with their fist then they shouldn't be playing at this level / the don't have the skills)

Agree with all that except the last para. You have to allow for a player being so clumsy that he does hit a player rather than the ball.   Gotta leave some work for the MRP.

Actually I'm amazed how infrequently players bash opponents when pretending to punch the ball when tackled.

Edited August 8, 20187 yr by sue

3 hours ago, Dr.D said:

disagree. He definitely didn't mean to punch him in the face. Those swinging right hands are usually targeted into the chest/top of the jumper region but gaff missed. Gaff certainly didn't look at him and punch him in the face. not sure what vision you were watching. 

He was certainly looking at the right vision Doc. Gaff was looking directly at Brayshaw and bang went his fist into his face. He then looked behind him and ran off. Quite cowardly. 

 

12 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

I have watched the close up vid multiple times, and i disagree, why because Gaffs fist is moving slightly upwards. 

I am sure he is utterly remorseful now, but that doesn’t change my opinion of where that punch was intended, at that moment. 

Then he kept running, which is also damming. 

Fair enough. A truly bizarre attack if the punch hit where it was intended.

1 minute ago, Mondê said:

Fair enough. A truly bizarre attack if the punch hit where it was intended.

Yes, which is why i would be very careful recruiting him to the club now. 

He totally cracked under pressure and it won’t be forgotten

6 minutes ago, Mondê said:

Fair enough. A truly bizarre attack if the punch hit where it was intended.

A push, a shove, a bump any of these would have been a much better alternative. A strike with such force to the intended chest area does seem baffling. Huge mistake but I'm sure he knows it by now. 

9 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Yes, which is why i would be very careful recruiting him to the club now. 

He totally cracked under pressure and it won’t be forgotten

What was the pressure?

10 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Yes, which is why i would be very careful recruiting him to the club now. 

He totally cracked under pressure and it won’t be forgotten

He cops a tag every week and still dominates, just as he did against Freo. He'll be fine

2 minutes ago, sue said:

What was the pressure?

Being tagged heavily

12 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Yes, which is why i would be very careful recruiting him to the club now. 

He totally cracked under pressure and it won’t be forgotten

The important people in this (the Brayshaw family) have forgiven.  I found the conversation between Mark Brayshaw and Gaff's dad (who rang to apologise) quite moving.  Both fathers and families have shown great understanding and are role models for others who find themselves in very difficult circumstances with their children. 

If the Brayshaws can move on surely the rest of us can be equally forgiving - even if some with elephant like memories never forget. 

Edited August 8, 20187 yr by Lucifer's Hero

1 minute ago, MSFebey said:

He cops a tag every week and still dominates, just as he did against Freo. He'll be fine

Well this week was different....