Reckless play is not OK
Another round of footy; another round of serious head injuries. For a sport with a reputation of being dangerous, there could be little worse…
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They have created the ultimate sport, the perfect mix of skill, athleticism, fitness, action, and beauty. It is called footy.
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Another round of footy; another round of serious head injuries. For a sport with a reputation of being dangerous, there could be little worse…
Whenever a player punches another player on a footy field, there is always lots to be said in the media. Questions of severity and…
Everyone has heard the soundbite or seen the clip of Alastair Clarkson’s dig at Tom Papley. Clarkson is often given a lot of extra…
While watching the St Kilda versus Port game on Saturday, I wondered what exactly has happened to footy. There was no flow, no rhythm…
If you're like me, you are sick of watching Toby Greene's nonsense nearly every time he takes the field. If he's not going into…
It was a rare opportunity. We had decided to splurge on taking the whole family to a Major League Baseball game to see our…
“through sheer force (strength) of will”
😊
'Disgraceful': Veteran coach slates Saints chiefs for treatment of Ratten - 'one of the best coaches I've ever worked with'
Do you mean labour regulations issues?
A lot of labour rules don’t apply to this type of situation.
The only real hurdle would be getting the AFLPA to agree to longer, unbreakable rookie contracts.
But the courts wouldn’t be involved.
Time for AFL to get serious about equal opportunity
This is the same problem as last year with the McKay hit on Clark.
Everyone keeps citing “football action”, accidental contact, and how important it is that players always go hard at the ball.
Playing the game well doesn’t mean playing recklessly.
Some people refuse to acknowledge that.
Patrick Cripps' suspension overturn is a disgrace. The AFL must act to ensure it can't happen again
Yes, I know he’s played only a handful of games, but is it true they actually want to extend his contract?
His recruitment was one of the worst list mgmt moves ever.
And everyone knew it was a bad idea.
Soft-tissue injuries are notorious for never healing well, and Sydney had him on big money and just wanted to unload him.
It still makes me shake my head.
AFL News: Blues' brutal selection call stuns, Jones Bulldogs bound, Saint's season scuppered
That’s not really true, is it?
AFL News: Blues' brutal selection call stuns, Jones Bulldogs bound, Saint's season scuppered
Why gripe about how much a coach/player deems acceptable?
Contract negotiations are not based on needs; only what each party is willing to give/accept.
The concept of need doesn’t come into it.
I do take your point, though – you’d think there comes a level of accumulated wealth at which a person is willing to accept a little less in return for the joy and satisfaction of doing something he/she loves doing.
For perspective, AFL salaries seem reasonable, almost insulting, when compared to MLB, NFL, or NBA salaries.
I honestly cannot imagine how the numbers work out for clubs in those leagues. It must come down to TV and advertising.
AFL News: Rashford's Sherrin photo sparks FA photo-op ban, Clarkson's huge price tag revealed as North circle
Rashford: So, what’s this AFL thing, mate?
AFL Fan: Well, let me show you instead of trying to explain.
[Rashford and AFL Fan watch Aussie Rules match]
Rashford: Apologies, mate, but I don’t really get it.
AFL Fan: Look, you have to be ridiculously fit and a world-class athlete, and there’s no whinging or diving.
Rashford: I don’t know anyone who would go in for that.
AFL Fan: Probably not.
Rashford: Of course, those blokes must draw a fortune for anything that difficult.
AFL Fan: About what a baseball player makes in six weeks.
[Moment of awkward silence]
Rashford: Might I keep this ball?
AFL Fan: Only if you can dribble it off the grass.
[Rashford hands over ball, hangs head, and walks away]
AFL News: Rashford's Sherrin photo sparks FA photo-op ban, Clarkson's huge price tag revealed as North circle
Good article, Stone.
People need to just stop all this nonsense about clubs being shut down or moved.
Your article won’t change anything, but if something bothers you, and you need to put off real work, I say write a piece for the Roar.
That’s what I do.
It makes you feel better and gives you the serenity to ignore all those stupid commenters going on about moving clubs to Tassie.
And, let’s be honest, opinion pieces are the most fun to read anyway.
Dear footy fans: Stop saying you want North or Gold Coast to move to Tassie
Wow, I’ve never heard the argument that the ref was “challenging” a player.
You sound like my 8-yr-old son. As far as he can see, he’s never done anything wrong in his life.
'If Greene's suspended we riot' or 'three weeks minimum': AFL split over Toby ban
This is a great article: funny, relatable, well-written!
And a fun question to ponder, too!
Yes, I did find myself rooting for some unexpected teams this year, at least a little.
Collingwood? Maybe a little pity for their horrendous mess, but not enough to cheer for them.
Hawthorn? They’re probably a little unlucky for having Kennett around, but then, I think they could have gotten rid of him if they’d really wanted to.
The strange one for me is Melbourne. I actually wouldn’t mind if they won it all.
The 2021 AFL season is destroying my belief system
That’s actually an interesting point.
I think every single person interested in writing or talking about footy probably has a club or two they like better than the rest.
On Fox, they all have a club they love.
Commentators and journos who can’t be mostly objective usually don’t last very long anyway.
It’s actually pretty cool that footy writers/broadcasters don’t have to pretend to love every club the same.
In the US, commentators never mention which side they support; it’s kind of lame and insincere.
In footy, it’s just out there, and I think it makes people seem more real and honest.
The battle for eighth continues: AFL Round 20 power rankings
It’s been the most frustrating year in a long time.
Not sure if Ratten is the problem, but it’s also hard to defend a coach when the list seems more talented than their on-field performance would indicate.
If Harvey really has designs on becoming a head coach, maybe they should bring him in as an assistant under Ratts for a few years.
Six talking points for AFL Round 20: Queensland disasters and Magpies to play spoilers
There are split-second decisions everywhere in the game. Players are the ones who need to figure it out.
Sometimes they mess up, as Mackay did.
Mackay never actually touched the ball in this case.
He didn’t tap it on, or do anything productive.
He just put his shoulder into Clark’s jaw.
He lifts his shoulder into the jaw.
That’s why it was so uncalled for.
Your questions below…
Yes, I want players to go about it as hard as they can, without being reckless.
No, I don’t want to remove the contest from contested possession.
It is very difficult to determine when contact becomes dangerous. I fully admit this is not an easy thing to sort.
Reckless play is not OK
I just watched the vision again… you are completely wrong.
The ball is in Clarks hands before Mackay hits him.
Reckless play is not OK
I knew I’d get some pretty vitriolic push back on this; that’s fine.
But don’t accuse me of thinking footy could or should be injury free.
It’s dangerous, and always will be.
That’s undeniable, and I have no problem with that.
Going full speed and giving full effort are not synonymous in every situation.
One of you brought up motorcycle racing – that is a great comparison.
In racing, you have to slow down for some situations, like curves.
You are still giving it your all.
Some situations require less than full throttle in footy, too.
The best players know when that is and how to do it.
Reckless play is not OK
Macca, it’s interesting that your last article was basically the opposite of mine, using the Plowman/O’Meara hit. You side with the it’s-just-part-of-the-game crowd. Thanks for reading. I think the open debate is important.
My question for you: Why would the game really be worse off if players slowed up a little to avoid dangerous hits?
Reckless play is not OK
Well, of course saying a list has (or does not have) talent is an opinion.
So we won’t argue over that.
Probably should have said, “I disagree” instead of, “That’s not true.”
But I did actually say they have not performed this year.
That is true whether they have talent or not.
Ultimately, the flag goes to the side that wins it, not the consensus most-talented team.
Is St Kilda’s season already over?
Nice first article, Harry!
As Big Four Sticks noted, you won’t get many comments b/c the article is about StK.
Don’t feel bad, that’s just how it is.
The Saints will not make finals. They’ll probably finish where they sit now.
They’ll have a few more horrid losses, and a couple surprise wins.
Real bummer.
Just enjoy the mess at the Pies.
Is St Kilda’s season already over?
Fully agree that neither McCartin nor anyone should be banned for life because of one bad incident.
The point is that Swans legal team opened Paddy up to doubt by insinuating that any time his blood sugar is low he’s at risk of reacting like that.
I think that was the really unfair thing.
They should never have mentioned it at all. The kid had a clean record and was already getting off easy with six matches.
I can understand that diabetes was a factor, but that has more to do with keeping people’s respect than getting out of punishment.
Lyon vs Robinson: This round goes to Robbo
Can you imagine Robinson, Lyon, Cornes, and Barrett all in a room with a camera?
Would have to be a big room.
Lyon vs Robinson: This round goes to Robbo
No, I’m not claiming Robbo is a great role model of professionalism. I’m only saying that in this particular discussion, he’s right to question McCartin.
Robbo has a tendency to pick at scabs, which is not admirable. He’s ruined his relationships with so many people, it makes me wonder what the atmosphere is like around Fox. Must be pretty icy at times.
Lyon vs Robinson: This round goes to Robbo
In this case I am saying that Robinson is right.
I’m not trying to be objective on this particular issue.
I’m not sure how Lyon knows about diabetes, but he’s the one who claims Robbo is not educated. Of course education is a good thing, in general, but knowing about diabetes is not important to this debate. That’s where I think Lyon is out of line this time.
Lyon vs Robinson: This round goes to Robbo
There’s a lot to debate/discuss in this whole situation.
1. Was Ratten really doing that badly? Probably a ‘no’ for most.
2. Why fire a fair-to-middling coach without having a proven master lined up? Seems foolish.
3. Does StK’s list have the potential to be a top four finisher? Doesn’t really seem so.
4. If the list is lacking, will Lyon be able to change things? His CV indicates he won’t.
5. Why is Lethlean not accountable for the state of the list? He should be.
6. What about Matt Finnis? Here’s where it gets interesting.
Finnis was distracted by non-football, social endeavours throughout his time at StK. I’m here to tell you as a member, those who care about winning don’t care much about all that PR fluff. Playing games in China or Cairns? It wouldn’t surprise me if Finnis was behind that. There are lot of other things I won’t mention specifically, and it seems clear Finnis’ vision for the club was not focused on winning a flag.
But how does that relate to winning?
Finnis may have been the primary advocate for Ratten all along. I have a feeling Lethlean and Bassat never really backed Ratts at all, and may have opposed his contract extension. Once Finnis was out of the way, it looks to me like there was no one left to protect Ratten from being fired, despite his contract. Did Finnis get involved with list management or other aspects of football operations?
Hard to say, but if so, that may be why Bassat and Lethlean think they are now qualified to fire the coach and lead the club in a new direction. Time will tell.
'Disgraceful': Veteran coach slates Saints chiefs for treatment of Ratten - 'one of the best coaches I've ever worked with'