Stamping out staging presents another issue

 

Roar Pro

By Justin Rodski, 5 Feb 2010 Justin Rodski is a Roar Pro

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 AFL, staging

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Essendon's Brent Stanton and Collingwood's Brent Macaffer dive for a loose ball during the AFL ANZAC Day Round 05 match between the Essendon Bombers and the Collingwood Magpies at the MCG. Slattery Images

The move to make ‘staging’ a reportable offence has the AFL diving into unfamiliar territory. Under the new rule, for the first time in the games history players can be reported and subsequently charged with staging for a free kick, the first offence is merely a written reprimand, while a third offence carries a maximum penalty of $2400.

Slapping players with fines might help curtail some offenders, but this has the potential to become an even bigger problem for the AFL.

Often a criticism of the round ball game, staging is for the most part considered a form of cheating. The very guilt of a player is inadvertently questioning his integrity. Fearful of a damaged reputation why would anyone simply lie down and not fight the charge?

To be labelled a cheat is the biggest insult possible in any sport and while the players might end up paying for milking a free kick, the AFL could in fact end up paying an even bigger price.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know any game is tarnished by staging but is it that prevalent in the AFL that it even needed to be stamped out? How hard will it be to prove even with 5 different camera angles? Either way the tribunal review has put the issue back in the spotlight and firmly back on the agenda.

We saw first hand in the world cup of soccer how quickly a game can be brought into disrepute, just ask Socceroo captain Lucas Neill. There’s no doubt the stakes are higher in the penalty box of a quarter final in a world cup match against Italy, compared to round 2 match between Richmond and Adelaide with the ball in the back pocket at the MCG with 5 minutes still remaining in the first quarter. But the principle remains the same, we can’t simply accept hypocrisy across different football codes.

Winning though is seemingly more important than playing within the spirit of the game or even the sportsmanship of a fair contest. Perhaps that’s what separates our indigenous game from the rest of the world?

This is not an issue players take lightly and nor coaches. West Coast Eagles coach John Worsfold said it all when asked if his players staged for free kicks

“Staging’s not an issue for us – its going to take a lot to knock us over. We’re fair dinkum”

The league sort feedback from the AFL Players Association and all 16 clubs as a part of its tribunal system review, subsequently identifying staging as a reportable offence because it may incite a melee, it could affect an umpire’s decision making and it is not in the spirit of the game. While all three may be true to some extent, when players are charged with the offence, they will always contest or appeal the decision…otherwise they are publicly shamed as a cheat.

Melbourne Football Manager Chris Connolly hadn’t even considered a players integrity in approving the new rules changes

“well that’s a good point, we hadn’t thought of that”

I hope the AFL has…..

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