It's time for the AFL to stop dragging the chain

Thankfully the there is not huge support for a yellow-red card system within the AFL. In soccer, the ref is judge, jury and executioner all at once and has other powers, like determining the end of the match on his own. AFL umps do not have such powers, and I would think the majority of AFL fans are fine with that. The guilt of any offence which goes beyond the granting of an onfield penalty, or otherwise, is determined via a separate process, and thank goodness for that.

I have to be careful what I say given I'm still involved in local footy, but I can certainly concur that certain umpires will send players off should they argue against free kicks much like AFL players do. Often it is zero tolerance on even asking why a decision was played against them, as in if you so much say the word Why or But it will be at the very least a 50 and a last warning that if it continues the player will be sitting for 15 minutes game time (which can be up to 30 minutes actual time). The only differences in reality between the local umpires and those we see at the elite level is a lower rate and they don't bounce the ball.

Classic. I've been trying to find the game I was referring to but no luck.

Let's reduce the number of umpires to one, who not only can issue yellow and red cards, but can decide the end of the match by the blow of his whistle (and we'll give the boundary umps little flags to wave around).

In Rd 6, 1977, Essendon hosted Footscray at Windy Hill. Essendon led at quarter time 6.6 to 5.1. Footscray gradually got on top, but late in the 3rd quarter Essendon was reduced to 17 men, by which time Footscray had leapt to a 18.11 to 11.9 lead. With a one man advantage for the whole of the final quarter, Footscray piled on 11 goals to win 29.15 to 13.11, being a 100 point win. I'd say over the course of 121 years of VFL/AFL history, Footscray would not have scored too many 100 pt wins against Essendon, certainly not at Windy Hill, nor would they have scored 29 goals too many times (although they did happen to kick a then record 33 goals against St Kilda the following year). This is why anyone who thinks the AFL should have a soccer-style red card system doesn't know what they're talking about.

North beat Essendon with 17 men for the entire last quarter, back in the 70s. I don't think a team has been down to 17 since. Possibly not before either.

please....

Its a man down on the interchange, which means quite a lot (ask any coach). And just watch any sport that has a send off rule, and you will see this just does not happen. Its all in your head. We need to relax on the whole "it will be rigged" ideal, and focus on the "its the right thing to do" ideal.

Yes, good call. Then we would have something other sports could look to.

Tend to agree Paul, except for your caveat about the incident occurring in the first half. Not sure the timing matters a great deal.

Exactly. However, the "leave the game alone" crowd will be in full voice, seemingly unaware of the world around them.

My experience with a send-off rule in country footy was not good. Umpires used it very excessively and with nearly all send-offs used on either players challenging umpiring decisions or, at worst, jumper punches or tummy taps where a free kick was most appropriate. Approach with caution. Also, I am sure we all await with interest Michael Christian’s MRP review of the three dangerous head-high hits on Crows players in the second half (the Cutler 'Jezza Cameron look-a-like charge' in particular). The AFL want Brisbane to do well, but the silence on these reportable incidents in the media is alarming.

The lower grades have send offs because there aren't cops and security around and things can get out of hand. Yes if Hurn went off you'd even up the numbers, but not necessarily the quality. If anything you'd encourage the Jed Lambs of the world to run through players.

Fortunately for Alistairs' reputation and for Port that day, he could only catch up with one bloke in Darryl Wakelin and he couldn't land any of them anyway That remains one of the most baffling on-field meltdowns I've ever seen on a football field.

Does Alastair Lynch ring any bells?

I never quite understand the concept of the teams being "a man down". You still put 18 players on the park, you just have one less interchange player available. Not quite to the extreme of players throwing themselves into harms way, but "being cautious" on the outcome of a concussion test for the purpose of rubbing an opponent out could become a thing. If Fyfe/Dangerfield/Dusty did the bump and the player is shaken, say its concussion and rub them out. No one will question doctors being cautious and precautionary with head injuries.

This rule does exist in the lower grades of AFL football as well; for example the SANFL and all the community leagues. The AFL itself might be one of the few aussie rules leagues that doesn't have it. I don't the rule would be used for any of the incidents we currently discuss, it is often just for a second reportable offence in the same match. I think we do need it for the situations we haven't seen yet. Imagine a grand final. Imagine the opening bounce. Someone starts swinging haymakers at any opposition player he can catch up with. There is nothing the umps could do and the premiership could be decided by how many blokes my imaginary thug catches up with. A life ban way well not bother him as he puts his medal on the mantlepiece and heads off to retirement.

Don’t disagree about Hurn but even if it was the wrong decision it only has the impact of evening up playing numbers - especially if limited to how long the player injured was off the ground for. Other levels of Australian rules football have the send off rule why is the AFL such a special case.

It's not a rule change in terms of actually affecting the way the game is played, though. It's far less interference than say, eliminating the third man up. I really like the concept but it would need some serious thought as to how it is implemented. They might need something like a provisional send-off for a few minutes where a match referee then has a chance to rule on whether the player can return or whether the incident warrants sitting out the match.

Are you advocating for censorship of free speech?