#AFL Round 20 Weekly Discussion Thread

[Hotpotato]

Many commentators especially former players saying Gaff (and Gaff enunciated it as well) meant to hit Brayshaw in the chest.

I’m sure Gaff is a decent fellow, however he looked Brayshaw in the eye and lined him up .
Brayshaw has substantial dental issues which will go on long long after 8 weeks.

Gaff is battered mentally but is injury free .
8 weeks is pretty lenient really.

[MattW]

I see that Gaff got 4 votes in the ACA award. I'm guessing that it was 4 from Simpson and none from Lyon; as Ross didn't seem to be all that impressed with Gaff, after the match.
If it was that way, then it's a somewhat tactless message from Simpson. Or maybe he's still trying to pretend that he didn't see the incident?

Lyon gave Gaff the 4 votes: 'There's no winners here': Lyon on Gaff ban - 'There's no winners here': Lyon on Gaff ban - AFL.com.au.

[CureTheSane]

AFLHQ must have trembled when this possibility was raised. Just the thought of lawyers getting access to the field of play is mind blowing. How many lawsuits will the AFL have to deal with for a whole range of issues? And what would the players think about facing possible felony charges every time they took the field? And maybe the players could be subjected to slander suits for sledging. It's a slippery slope.

I don't think the game can function if incidents on the field were subject to the laws of the land. But there is merit in your suggestion that there should be some legal threshold, like if a murder were committed on the field, then that would certainly come under Australian Law.

And what if he's been hit in the temple and dies?
Should Gaff then be subject to the laws of the land?
You can't pick and choose which incidents in society are subject to societies laws.
But clearly that is the way it is for now.

I often think of the person who has no interested in football, or any sport for that matter, and what their interpretation is.
It seems that because it's a part of sport there is some kind of hall pass in this area.

[RogueSwan]

I guessed it would be 8-10.

It needed to be that long to ensure he doesn't play again this year.
It is quite tough listening to Angus Brayshaw talk about the issue but it is worth it. AFL exchange podcast
BTW this is actually one of the better footy podcasts out there, surprising seeing as it comes from AFL Media.

[dejavoodoo44]

Lyon gave Gaff the 4 votes: 'There's no winners here': Lyon on Gaff ban - 'There's no winners here': Lyon on Gaff ban - AFL.com.au.

Bizarre (if the report is correct).

[Markwebbos]

And what if he's been hit in the temple and dies?
Should Gaff then be subject to the laws of the land?
You can't pick and choose which incidents in society are subject to societies laws.
But clearly that is the way it is for now.

I often think of the person who has no interested in football, or any sport for that matter, and what their interpretation is.
It seems that because it's a part of sport there is some kind of hall pass in this area.

No one was charged with anything when Philip Hughes was tragically killed playing cricket. I don’t think it was ever suggested. But I bet if he’d been hit in a brawl on the ground it would have been.

[AnnieH]

In my opinion, he should have gotten longer. I really don't care how sorry he is.
Big blouse barry was given 10 weeks (7 weeks in a time where if you pleaded guilty, you got a 25% discount). Staker suffered a concussion only, albeit at the exact moment big blouse barry made contact).
The injury suffered in this incident was extraordinary. I don't believe the punishment fits the injury.

[Markwebbos]

Here's a story from yesterday about a 13 year-old being in court after assaulting an opponent.

Girl accused of Heathridge junior football attack blocked by court from playing, attending games - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

A 13-year-old girl accused of assaulting another teenager in a suburban football match, leaving her partially blind and with spinal injuries, has been blocked by a court from playing and attending games later this month...

The victim fell to the ground and the accused allegedly "mounted" her and punched her in the face five to 10 times. Team members pulled her off the victim, who was hospitalised with facial and spinal injuries.

The police prosecutor said she was left with "partial and potentially permanent blindness in her left eye". She also suffered significant injuries to her spine and had to wear a neck brace for eight weeks. She may require spinal surgery...

The accused's lawyer applied for a variation of bail conditions to allow the girl to play. The lawyer said the WA Football Commission had already dealt with the incident, imposing a two-month ban, and argued she should be free to resume playing once the ban had expired later in August. But the police prosecutor argued the existing bail conditions should continue, saying the conditions were set to protect other children in the sport.

Magistrate Stephen Vose said the WAFC suspension was a separate matter to the court process and his own deliberations. "It seems to me it's something that's going to require a significant penalty and significant counselling," Mr Vose said.

Bail was extended and the teenager is due to reappear in court on September 18.

[Ludwig]

I'm all for clarity in sporting rules, particularly at a professional level. It should be known what actions on the field will be subject to the usual criminal laws and which will be adjudicated within the system provided by the sports organisation.

I don't know if there is any law or special arrangement pertaining to possible criminal acts in the course of a sporting event. You would think there would have to be in a sport like boxing.

It would add a lot of additional ammunition to the usual commentary with speculation whether a particular act deserves a fine, a suspension or prison time.

There have been some comments on here to the effect that 'it was only a concussion' in comparison to Brayshaw's injuries. It's very possible a concussion can have longer and more severe health effects than a broken jaw, so it shouldn't be dismissed so lightly.

[KTigers]

I don't have any issue with more serious action being taken against the likes of Gaff, Hall, Bugg etc. If the most that can
happen to the person committing the assault is that they don't get to play a game (and let's remember it is a game) for a
month or two then they are getting off very lightly in the scheme of things. I'm sure Gaff is "devastated" and "in a really
bad place", and "all his thoughts are with Brayshaw" etc etc, but is feeling bad about it afterwards really
an actual penalty for his actions. It's not like the effects of getting hit in the head violently aren't pretty well known these
days. You have to wonder how many players from the "good old days" in the 60s and 70s are suffering now from coming into
contact with too many "swinging arms" in their playing days?

[chammond]

I'm all for clarity in sporting rules, particularly at a professional level. It should be known what actions on the field will be subject to the usual criminal laws and which will be adjudicated within the system provided by the sports organisation.

I don't know if there is any law or special arrangement pertaining to possible criminal acts in the course of a sporting event. You would think there would have to be in a sport like boxing.

The courts have always indicated that they are very reluctant to get involved with onfield sporting incidents. The general attitude is that anyone involved with competitive sports accepts the inherent risks, and incidents should be adjudicated by sporting bodies. The rare exception is when the incident is clearly outside the sport's normal activities, such as was alleged when Matthews (player of the century) took out Bruns off the ball.

Even a clenched fist punch could be a jumper punch or an arm punch that went astray, depending on your point of view. In Barry Hall's case, for example, he wasn't looking at Staker when he connected with his chin, and would've argued that he had no intention to injure. Definitely against the AFL rules, but probably not a crime. In the matter of the 13 y.o girl, she pinned the opponent down and repeatedly punched to the head - hard to argue that that was accidental or part of the hurly-burly of the game.

[goswannies]

Here's a story from yesterday about a 13 year-old being in court after assaulting an opponent.

Girl accused of Heathridge junior football attack blocked by court from playing, attending games - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

A 13-year-old girl accused of assaulting another teenager in a suburban football match, leaving her partially blind and with spinal injuries, has been blocked by a court from playing and attending games later this month...

The victim fell to the ground and the accused allegedly "mounted" her and punched her in the face five to 10 times. Team members pulled her off the victim, who was hospitalised with facial and spinal injuries.

The police prosecutor said she was left with "partial and potentially permanent blindness in her left eye". She also suffered significant injuries to her spine and had to wear a neck brace for eight weeks. She may require spinal surgery...

The accused's lawyer applied for a variation of bail conditions to allow the girl to play. The lawyer said the WA Football Commission had already dealt with the incident, imposing a two-month ban, and argued she should be free to resume playing once the ban had expired later in August. But the police prosecutor argued the existing bail conditions should continue, saying the conditions were set to protect other children in the sport.

Magistrate Stephen Vose said the WAFC suspension was a separate matter to the court process and his own deliberations. "It seems to me it's something that's going to require a significant penalty and significant counselling," Mr Vose said.

Bail was extended and the teenager is due to reappear in court on September 18.

What is wrong with children these days?! A 13 year old girl beats another senseless over football. 2 South Australian girls involved in separate school stabbing incidents last week. Back in my day ...