Staging or taking a dive is currently plaguing the AFL. It seems administrators are unsure how to effectively manage the ploy to draw cheap free kicks.
Several instances across the year have found players jerk their heads’ back in a manner which replicates the force of copping a high tackle. This has come to be known as “staging”. In the US over exaggerating contact is called “flopping” and as we know in soccer, it is called ‘diving’.
Under this year’s crackdown on staging, a player’s first offence results in a reprimand or a warning. Subsequent offences can draw fines of $1600 and $2400.
Essendon forward Leroy Jetta became the first player to be charged with staging following the Bombers round eight victory over Richmond.
In line with AFL legislation, Jetta received a reprimand for exaggerating contact from Richmond’s Steven Morris. Jetta dropped to the ground upon the slightest bump.
Several weeks later in Melbourne’s upset win over the Bombers, Jetta took centre stage again. Jetta threw his head back dramatically following a tackle around the waist from Joel MacDonald.
The match review panel continued their inconsistent and at times bemusing verdicts and Jetta avoided a second conviction or fine.
If the AFL is serious about stamping out this pathetic act, the match review panel must take a tough stance.
A strategy similar to the illicit drugs policy could potentially eliminate staging. A three-strike and you are out scheme may be the answer. If an offender is found guilty of staging three times they receive a mandatory penalty, consisting of either a fixed suspension or substantial fine.
The suspension could be one to two matches, more than enough to scare players against diving.
Whatever procedure is imposed, the AFL must adhere to their policy consistently, unlike their enforcement of the current system.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
I think the only way to stamp it out is to Name and Shame the player in any code. Its just not sportsmanship.
Kev
Guest
I wouldn't go down the path of suspending players as it's a penalty that's handed out after the incident and doesn't deal with it on the spot. The best way to stop this is to hit players where it hurts and that's on the scoreboard. For an incident like Leroy Jetta the penalty should be a free kick at the top of the goal square to the opposition regardless where on the ground the staging occurred. Call it whatever you want, 2 50 metre penalties or a 100m penalty, anything that gives the opposition side a guaranteed goal will do more to deter players from staging than a suspension.
Lroy
Guest
Ha ha, ok, I demure to your expert judgment :-)
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Nah, what Selwood does is very, very different to what the Eagles are doing.
Lroy
Guest
Dude, Bryce Gibbs did this a few weeks ago, Selwood at the Cats does it every week, I saw a couple of Crows doing it last night. It is not and had never has been just a WCE phenomenon. Last time I checked Leroy Jetta was a Bombers player, and hes been the only guy reported fined etc for staging as far as I am aware.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Once again, there is a nuanced difference between the player that deliberately puts his head in harms way which might earn himself a free (and I agree it can difficult to tell the difference between those legitimately earned and those that are 100% instigated by the ball carrier), and the West Coast Eagle trick of flinging your head back when caught around the chest - the latter being akin to the soccer dive in that you are trying to convince the official of something happening that has not happened. We need to get on top of both examples, but it's the latter that deserves absolute disdain from the footy community and which deserves post-match penatlies by the MRC.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Very true Timmuh, trying to draw your opponent into transgressing, often by better positioning of your own body, is a different matter again, and no one is going to worry about the bloke who has positioned himself better than his opponent.
Keagan Ryan
Roar Guru
I think all AFL followers know its (staging) has been around forever. The media speculation this year is generated from a push by AFL officials to eradicate it from the game. Also the ducking into tackles tactic of drawing free-kicks has increased the prominence of staging.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
There is a difference between "playing for a free kick" and "pretending you have earned a free kick". Both have been around forever though. Trying to draw a free kick by, for example, not taking control of the ball and hoping an opponent tackles you is playing for a free kick; ie trying to trick an opponent into giving away a free. Always been there, and over the last few years as the holding the ball rule ointerpretations have changed year to year; arguably week to week and sometimes quarter to quarter; seems to have become more common. Trying to fool the umpire by playing up contact; eg pretending incidental contact was solid contact and brutal thuggerry has been around for ages and largely frowned on. In most instances, however, there was some contact. "Making sure the umpires sees it" rather than trying to make the umpire see something that wasn't there. Throwing back the head in a tackle with no high contact on such a regular basis is a new phenomenom (it always occurred, but very rarely). I wonder if the new rules around the head being sacrosanct, and the tackler having ultimate responsibility even the tackled player deliberately puts their head in the way, have played a part in it. If the umpire has any doubt now, he is almost obliged to pay the free where doubt normally results in "play on". High definition televisions, more cameras, and more scrutiny of every game no doubt play a part as well, things which happened in the past and weren't noticed much now get seen more often.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
The expression: "give him an academy award" has been uttered since the 1960s, so it's not a new phenomenon. It has always been frowned upon, and rightly so. Most footy fans have an extremely low threshold for it, so if you have a few celebrated cases, well, that's a few too many.
Keagan Ryan
Roar Guru
I think it's more prominent this year because the AFL installed a specific policy to rub it out of our game.
Cameron
Guest
Possibly so. Or maybe it just seems like a new thing because we have called it by other names such as "playing fo a free kick".
Kasey
Guest
Cam it seems like a new phenomenon, because for years, Aussie Rules fans deluded themselves into thinking that simulation happened in 'other' sports.
Cameron
Guest
Can't see why everyone seems to think this is a new phenomenon. Playing for free kicks has been happening for many yeras, but still it sours the integrity of the game and should always be clamped down upon.
JCVD
Guest
Happens in a lot of sports. Soccer is the big one with players in the NRL now following suit. If it gets ur team a penalty then it is seen as doing a good job of milking