That discussion had Stella Jr and I more than just a tad bemused- particularly when it was asked, then followed up with "she's second in coaches' voting". She's been outstanding this season, and a genuine two way player- top 5 in both disposals and tackles, the only other player doing that is Ebony Marinoff (pretty good company to be keeping, particularly when you're discussing AA).
I knew him as a gentle young man, I cannot say for sure the reasons for his decline
We watched him fade before our very eyes, and years before his time
Unsurprisingly Malloy nailed ten votes in this week's AFLCA voting. The next two highest vote-getters - Gardiner and Hurley (seven and five votes respectively) should come as no surprise either. Hurley has been solid all season and you can see her getting more assured each week. I imagine working alongside Gardiner is helping her heaps. The two of them are pretty similar in height and build and the way they play, and you can see them becoming a quietly potent double-act in years to come as they gain more experience.
Coaches' votes, R8: Lion chasing down Roo, six perfect 10s
They tweaked the RS nomination criteria at the start of the season (possibly just for this year) to allow players who have previously been nominated to be nominated again this season so long as they meet the other criteria. That means Hurley is eligible to be nominated again this year. Fingers crossed that Saturday's performance - her best of the year, notwithstanding the quality of the opposition - might see her get the nod in an hour or two.
Sarah Black included her last week in a list of players in with a shot of claiming one of the remaining nominations.
Young guns still with a shot: Best remaining Rising Star hopes
Yay! My wish has been granted. Well deserved, Sofia.
Hurley earns second Rising Star Nomination
And in more news arising out of Saturday's game, the Bulldog who lay the tackle on Sheppard has been charged with rough conduct and sent straight to the tribunal. The tackle that the commentary team spent the next fifteen minutes telling us was perfectly fair.
Admittedly it wasn't typical of the kind of tackle that has been penalised at the tribunal in that it wasn't a double-action or even really a sling. But if the standard applied is that a player has a duty of care to her opponent, and should not tackle in a manner likely to cause head injury, this one doesn't pass muster. It should matter not that Sheppard was unaware that the tackle was coming and so didn't "brace herself" for contact.
MATCH REVIEW: Western Bulldog Britney Gutknecht sent to Tribunal, Giant and Sun banned
Last edited by liz; 23rd October 2023 at 09:06 PM. Reason: punctuation typo
I finally watched the match and it was a disgusting moment imo. I don't mind an aggressive tackle, but Sheppard was blindsided and very vulnerable. Therefore, the tackler needs to show some duty of care, which she did not.
What was even more abhorrent were the biased commentary team who kept raving about it, even after it was clear that Sheppard was being assessed for concussion. What we are beginning to discover about such head knocks is no joke and the long term effects are scary.
I hope the offender gets the full penalty. She needs to miss games. More than that, I hope Sheppard is okay and can bounce back quickly.
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