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James Kelly failed to refute a two-match ban for rough conduct against Brendon Goddard’s head, and Joel Selwood sums it all up with a tweet: ‘Sad day… The bump is dead!’. This underpins a huge debacle.
However, is a funeral for the bump an overreaction?
AFL is widely known to be an aggressive, adrenalin-fuelled sport complemented by skill and talent. And we can grant that the ‘bump’ is a conceived tactic of these two renowned aspects of the Aussie sport.
It should be recognised however, that there is a viable reason for the Match Review Panel (MRP) to perform a concentrated analysis on any actions within a match that endangers a player’s wellbeing and safety.
Within the aggressive nature of defending possession through bumps and tackles, a careful and meticulous point system is followed by the MRP in order to assess each situation of incorrect conduct methodically.
It is the MRP’s most important job and with an immense duty of care, they need to deliberate each punishment with precision.
Although the MRP’s idea of ‘rough conduct’ engages in a concept to enhance safety throughout AFL, there’s a very clear demise in the basic dynamic contact that has once consistently occurred during matches throughout the past 150 years.
It’s easy to criticise the MRP and furthermore the AFL as a whole, but it’s also easier forget the rationale that reinforces the MRP’s decisions.
Rough conduct recognises the level of hazard seen in game-play and this encompasses all coarse actions utilised to achieve possession, irrelevant of the prevalence of injuries within cases.
Ultimately, Australian Football employs a durable contest of tackles, shepherding and even the battle for contested marks. And no one, including the MRP can ignore that the main tactics of a successful match are peppered with forceful contact.
Keeping in mind the safety of the players, the traditions of AFL style, the AFL/MRP responsibilities, there’s one question that should be asked of everyone within the AFL community, is the nature of the game evolving in an unwanted direction?
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