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View Full Version : Sick of "legitimate" bumps to the head!!



NMWBloods
2nd June 2003, 06:10 PM
I have to say I am so sick of these so-called "legitimate" bumps to a player's head, such as Richo on Matthews. The commentators love to say how great it is and how fair it was.

However, I can't see why it is legitimate to hit someone in the head with your shoulder, yet a slight tap is a free kick and reportable.

It should be ruled a free kick and reportable as in most cases it is avoidable, such as on Saturday night. There are plenty of other examples of this, such as the Burgoyne boys from Port and Freeborn's hit against a Brisbane player (Aschcroft?) in the GF.

sharp9
4th June 2003, 08:54 AM
Could not agree more.

What the hell is wrong with this sport? Could someone tell me if it is written in th rules that you may hip or shoulder a player in the head? That can't be possible.

I heard one of the commentators say something like "yep his arms were tucked in" or something as if that means you can do anything you what then.

It would be an unbelievably simple rule to police. "If you make intentional contact it must not be to the head"

I can't believe that anyone would suggest that this would contravene the physical spirit of the game.

They have that rule in Rugby and it doesn't take away from the physical side of the contest

snajik
4th June 2003, 01:55 PM
Originally posted by NMWBloods
There are plenty of other examples of this, such as the Burgoyne boys from Port and Freeborn's hit against a Brisbane player (Aschcroft?) in the GF.

King on Obie in the '96 GF.

Don't get me started on the Burgoynes.

floppinab
4th June 2003, 02:36 PM
I've been watching a few of the "old" games on Fox lately and it strikes me how open most of the footy was then (early '80's). Part, probably most of the reason was that it appeared that the umps were paying more frees particularly against these sort of infringements and those in a pack situation, particularly to the 3rd and 4th player coming in to a pack and impacting to the ground players, more often than not, on or above the shoulder.

IMO the only time head high contact should not be free kicked is when a player is in posession, on his feet, and clearly ducks into an impact, everything else should be free'd.

NMWBloods
4th June 2003, 03:25 PM
Nowadays they pay maybe 15 free kicks a game to each side - they used to pay nearly that many in a single quarter! And yet despite that the game was no less free flowing. In fact, in some ways it was much more free flowing as you didn't get these ugly packs of players that now follow the ball around, sort of like U10s!

I agree with your last point on head-high tackles.