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AFL needs to stamp out thuggery

Roar Guru
6th May, 2013
22

Before I start out…I do not support Collingwood and I don’t hate St Kilda. Justin Koschitzke should be banned for two months. There it is, out in the open.

He should be made an example of, and be the ground zero for the AFL stamping out thuggery in the great game.

I’m not saying that the AFL is a thuggish game, and nor am I saying that Koschitzke is a thug.

However, from time to time, thuggish acts occur and they need to be punished appropriately.

AFL is a gladiatorial sport. Players push themselves to breaking point, tackle hard, and fight to the death to get their hands on the red pill.

People get hurt in AFL. No one (including this writer) has a problem with that. It is inevitable that players are going to feel pain and get hurt in the fair contest for the ball in a 360 degree high contact sport.

However, nowhere in the rule book or the spirit of the game (and 99% of sport) does it say that a player can deliberately hurt and inflict undue pain to another player. And that is precisely what Justin Koschitzke did to Jamie Elliott.

Kosi is not the first to do this (think Chris Judd last year, Barry Hall, Darren Milburn etc etc), but he should be the last.

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Koschitzke pummelled Elliott. He elbowed him in the face for absolutely no other reason than to hurt him and take him out.

They were at least 20 metres of the ball, Elliot had his back to the contest as he was running of the ground. Kosi deliberately took two unnecessary steps to go over and clobber Elliott in the head.

He has played 197 games. He should know so much better than that. Kids watch the game.

That is a completely thuggish act. It doesn’t belong in any sport. It needs to be eliminated.

The AFL should be embarrassed that that act warranted only a three match penalty, the same penalty that countless of other players have been given for unintentional yet reckless behaviour.

This was intentional. It wasn’t reckless. It was malicious.

He should have been offered a two month suspension. The AFL should send the message that thuggery won’t be tolerated and declare that those who engage in these acts should go and get a library card for they won’t be welcome on the pitch for a while.

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The game is better than this. Thuggish behaviour should have no place in AFL, or sport in general.

It’s time for the AFL to realise this.

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