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The handball is arguably the most unique aspect of Aussie Rules Football. It has given AFL fans plenty of glorious memories over the years.
At half-time of the 1970 VFL Grand Final, then Carlton coach Ron Barassi told his players to handball and play on at every opportunity in the second half – a tactic which had never been attempted, or even thought of, until then.
Sixty minutes later, the Blues had overcome a 44-point deficit to defeat Collingwood by 10 points and win the premiership.
And who could forget the footage of Geelong legend Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer revolutionising the game during the 1960’s. He would courageously grab the ball out of the ruck and produce 30 plus metre handballs to teammates further afield. Farmer was one of the few men to singlehandedly change the way the game was played.
But like the old video cassette player and the Hawaiian shirt, the handball is on the verge of extinction.
Why?
A new form of hand disposal is invading the AFL – the throw.
An incredible amount of illegal throws have either not been detected or paid this season. The problem is, these throws are so blatantly obvious and umpires aren’t paying free kicks against the offending player.
It’s a big concern.
In Round 9, Brisbane champion Simon Black was under pressure and illegally tossed the footy to Todd Banfield at centre half-forward. No whistle. Banfield ran into goal uncontested and put the Lions eight points ahead of a stunned North Melbourne in the final term.
The following weekend, West Coast’s star ruckman Dean Cox went up uncontested at a stoppage against Gold Coast. He went to tap the ball with both hands, but once he realised he had no opponent, he was unsure whether to tap or handpass the footy. In the end he did neither, grabbing the ball and chest-passing it with both hands.
It would’ve made Australian Diamonds centre Natalie von Bertouch proud. Miraculously, the umpire deemed the disposal legal – or he just didn’t see it.
Then this past weekend, both the Roos and the Suns were involved in another throwing incident. North’s Leigh Adams produced an identical toss to Black’s, however this time the game wasn’t in the balance and the Roos were the throwers – not the throwees. But once again, the umpire deemed the disposal legal.
There have been numerous other cases throughout this season where players have been well tackled and incorrectly disposed of the ball. But instead of penalising players, umpires have let the play go.
It’s absurd. There is no place for throwing in AFL. There never has and there never should be.
Players who throw the ball need to be penalised. At the moment, they’re being praised. Soon throwing in the AFL could become an art.
If you wanted to see high quality throwing, you’d dig up some old footage of Andrew Johns’ passing during his zenith years in the NRL.
Or you would check out Brett Lee’s magnificent throwing technique when fielding on the boundary rope in a game of cricket. Or you would moan at the TV when Eddie McGuire ‘threw’ to another unnecessary commercial break during an episode of ‘Hot Seat’.
But now you can watch a game of AFL and see blatant throwing too. In fact there’s more throws in an AFL game than throw rugs in an Adairs shop.
Enough is enough. The throw must go.
Since the early 2000’s, handballing has become prevalent. Coaches have instructed and encouraged their team to dispose the ball by hand. By doing this, players avoid kicking to one-on-one contests and are more likely to break opposition defensive zones.
The definition of the handball has changed this season. Instead of holding the ball stationary in one hand and using the other to punch the ball with a clenched fist, players have been informally permitted to use one hand to dispose of the ball.
Have we missed something? Did we miss one of the AFL’s endless rule changes? Did the rules committee make throwing legal during the off-season? Surely not.
However it’s hard to know who to blame for this throwing phenomenon.
Certainly not the players. They never run out onto a field with the intention of throwing the ball when tackled.
Don’t blame the umpires too. It’s clear they have been briefed to move the play on as much as possible in contested situations. It doesn’t matter how players do it, as long as they dispose of the ball and keep the play continuous.
And don’t blame the rules committee either. It never created a rule that allowed players to throw the ball whenever they wanted.
Perhaps it’s time Jeff Gieschen and the umpires committee used some common sense.
Yes the game is at its best when it is continuous and free-flowing. But a throw is a throw. A throw is illegal and there’s no place for it in the AFL.
A throw should be ‘not on’, not ‘play on’.
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