Opinion - AFL's high contact rule a recipe for disaster

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Opinion - AFL's high contact rule a recipe for disaster

Authored by: Brett Northey
on Wednesday, April 07 2010 @ 04:56 pm ACST

It's not as drastic as every rule since 1994 being bad. People often think that the rule changes have driven the game changes, but in many cases I think it is the reverse. The AFL is a pro league and in evolving to that the players became more skilful, more tactical and fitter. That is what has caused flooding and less high marking, a couple of the major complaints about the modern game. A lot of the AFL's changes have tried to combat those kinds of things - Aussie Rules has been an evolving game for 150 years, one of its great strengths.

So a lot of changes have been needed in my opinion. I'm very specifically critical of the interpretation of high contact when two players meet approximately simultaneously for the same ball. The onus should be on both players to approach it sensibly, protecting themselves first and their opponent second.

A similar case is ducking into tackles. Players began doing it more and more in the 1980s and would get free kicks for high contact. It was dangerous and it was unfair on the tackler who was grabbing at waist and chest height only to have the player duck. If they avoid the tackle fair enough, but the interpretation was changed, quite rightly, to make it holding the ball if they were caught high. This reduced the incidence of ducking and means players tend to do it mainly when they have a genuine chance of evading the tackle, not more regularly.

The same applies for the ground ball, one player is effectively ducking into a collision. But the rule interpretation has been changed in the opposite way to above. It rewards that player. That means we're now seeing this dangerous approach being encouraged, and we'll start seeing players at all levels and ages mimicking it. Fair opponents will accidentally cause injury, and there are plenty of unfair opponents too, who will do some serious damage at suburban and country level.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

Opinion - AFL\'s high contact rule a recipe for disaster

Authored by: Brett Northey
on Wednesday, May 04 2011 @ 11:40 am ACST

This issue has now been raised again in the mainstream media. (Although a mix between head first approach to the ball and ducking high tackles).

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/paralysed-former-bulldogs-forward-neil-sachse-warns-footballers-not-to-duck/comments-e6frf9jf-1226049477050

We're seeing more and more mild concussions, dazed players, players rubbing their necks.

Time for a change of policy. And if players don't stop crashing in head first then start paying frees AGAINST them.

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Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

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