Webber

Great stuff! Have you sent it to Greg Champion at the Coodabeen Champions?

We're just not dealing with the application of logic and fairness in respect to this ruling. As so many have pointed out, deliberate elbows to the head can get 1 week, high profile players/clubs get lenience, Jack Viney was bracing and had no option for avoidance. The game is a heavy impact sport and injuries will occur, unfortunately even the occasional death. All indisputable facts, but irrelevant when it comes to the application of a dysfunctional law, and a broken system of arbitrating that law. Logic has taken a holiday with this, and justice is the victim. I'd be amazed if common sense were applied tonight, and the game will continue to suffer. The saddest part is the blindness to reason from those in charge of the game, but if ever there were a chance for the new CEO of our sport to win the hearts and minds of the football loving populous, it's right now.

PJ_12345 has suggested on 'changes...' thread that bubble wrap armbands would work. Funny, and to the point, and easy to do.

Sure does, Loges. He is merely iterating the situation as we know it. Why bother writing anything? And in his very Damien Barrett way, he has neither the talent or the judgement to use his commentary to highlight the dysfunction in the system, and how with good policy and implementation, the AFL can change the course of the current trend, which punishes outcome regardless of incident. It's the perfect 'accident versus intent' dilemma. For a real journalist, read Greg Baum in today's (ex) big paper.

I reckon Jude Bolton has just installed himself as the favourite for the Apprentice coaching gig under Paul Roos, based on his article in 'The Age'.

Perfectly outlined, Akum.

It does, and about Matt Jones, Rohan Bail, Dean Terlich. The reality is that most reckon they're stopgap players at best, when in fact they've all held their spots with aplomb so far this season.

There is no question that Viney was bracing for impact, and that Georgiou's tackle put Lynch's head on a sharp downward trajectory, which is the only reason the contact was to the head, given Lynch is 10 or more centimetres taller than Viney. The defence would even be fair to say that Viney slowed AND lowered his own shoulder to avoid high contact, given his squat like position at impact. The mitigation of blame entirely rests on the forced downward movement of Lynch's head, something Viney could NOT compensate for.This should not have passed the review stage. Ludicrous over-intervention.

Matt Jones is one of the core dozen selected every week. The coaches LOVE him, they have every reason to, he IS an AFL standard footballer now, as he was last year and hasn't hit his ceiling yet. The lack of insight into his value to this team on here is baffling.

It's a really interesting idea you've come up with Deanox, and would both de-congest and make the umpires jobs easier. The problem I reckon is the 'contested ball' situation, where the tackler both tackles the player, and gets his hands on the ball, potentially taking the bulk of possession. At what point does he then become 'tackleable?' Tricky.The objective point on the holding the ball rule as it's being umpired now, is that it's an embarrassment to the notion of predictable adjudication. It is simply a raffle as to whether a given situation will end with a ball up, play on, or penalty to the ball carrier. I would suggest we all look at the footy (Dees or other) with NO idea of the umpires call. This is not because we don't know the rule, it's because it's adjudication is the very definition of a coin toss outcome. What we DO know is that Perth and Adelaide home games make the outcome a LOT more predictable, which is attributable to bias by crowd influence. As mentioned by others, it's a 3 to 4 goal a game influence. Stats will bear this out. Your idea is a winner for clarity, as is making AFL umpiring a full time gig, so they can improve the standards. The fact that the biggest domestic sporting code in the country is not umpired by full timers is ludicrous.

You've stolen some of my thoughts, bananas. Impossible to get overexcited about JKH. He has generational abilities, that just can't be taught. He has elite reading of the play, elite agility, and elite decision making. His disposal for a 7 game player is very good. I'm convinced he's going to be a superstar. And I mean A-grade elite. Viney's bash and crash is also enormously rare, and more importantly is a standard setter for the entire team. Also, and I can't believe I'm saying this.....Bail and Pederson may be AFL standard.

Agreed. The Cats get an absolute armchair ride in this competition, while all the other Melbourne sides have nil home ground benefit against other Vic's for their home ground.

He's a quick study, and a totally natural footballer. A big get!

The stats show that the Perth and Adelaide teams get a free kick bonanza against interstate teams. It's an embarrassment to the AFL, particularly in light of the umps not being 'full-time' professionals like the players. I don't think today's were any worse than usual, it's just that a win was at stake, which is recently oh so rare. So just the usual 3-4 goal a game SA and WA umpire bias factor today, making the victory that much more special. And the worst decision?........Bail's 'non-mark' I'd say.

How long since we've won in Perth or Adelaide? A MASSIVE win, umps are worth 3-4 goals a game to the home side in these cities, given their one-sided interpretation of holding the ball and blindness to other obvious infringements against the visitors. Makes the current situation of non full time umps in this competition a continuing embarrassment. Great work, Dees!

Funny how often I've seen the 'best game ever' applied to Matt Jones. I reckon he's the most underrated/forgotten man in this current list. Thankfully the decision makers at the club know his worth, and he will be finishing top 5 in the b n f again thus far. He is a good decision maker, has very good disposal, despite the blind bleatings on here to the contrary, and gets a fair bit of it. What I really like though, is his performance in the contest, either through traffic or one on one, where he often makes light work of much higher profile opponents. He will however, never get the recognition he deserves on here, and I'm b******d if I know why.

Setting standards.....all good.

Benefit of the doubt? It's rarely given to any players on here, and very very begrudgingly.

I reckon that's true. Good teams with a recent history of success, and built in on field leadership can make a coach's life much easier. It's the coaches who drag teams from the depths and construct success that are the most impressive......Alistair Clarkson, and probably at the moment, Ken Hinkley.

As I have deanox. We move on.

ray, you and Moonshadow are in complete and utter ignorance of the privacy details of my anecdote and yet you continue to ply your presumptions with a pedantry which is too often seen on here. You overstate your objections ("we all do") and claim the moral high ground when in fact you're in quicksand. There is no mistake, nor offence, nor breach. If you are not 'comfortable' then that is YOUR issue, not mine.

Have you imagined for a second that said details, in fact the anecdote entire and with much greater detail, has been made public, and to a much greater readership (actually listenership) than that on here, by the footballer at the heart of the anecdote? (No names!) Do you know the person, and how he feels about the anecdote, and it's public reiteration? Unless you can answer yes to these questions, your objections, your spectacularly condescending and preachy posting of Vic Health Records Act, are an exercise in pure grandstanding at the very least. Your imputations of offence and unprofessionalism could not be more misplaced.

I guess after 25 years in a profession, maybe it's just too crazy still to think I might have some idea. Lucky I've got the moral arbiters on demonland to keep me on my toes

Haha, unfortunately, many of them were seemingly indestructible...

I guess it's not the time to spill the real truth on Dermie's broken 'johnson' episode then?