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The Roar

Stirling Coates

Editor

Joined March 2012

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Stirling Coates started out as an AFL crowd contributor, and is now one of The Roar's editors.

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Very clever 👍

Facing their lowest ebb in some time, Swans must get creative

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AFL
 
Today

What mistakes have the board made?

Facing their lowest ebb in some time, Swans must get creative

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AFL
 
Today

Very, very tempted by the Cats and can see an argument for Port. Essendon over North and Bulldogs over Blues seemed pretty straightforward for mine.

The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 6

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AFL
 
5d

….Do you seriously not understand the difference between fiction and real life?

I like Star Wars films, does that mean if I see someone start swinging a sword in public I have to clap and cheer? Would calling the police in that situation make me a hypocrite? Come on man…

Some light on Addin Fonua-Blake's words

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League
 
5d

In fairness, your last two visits were 2017 and 2013. Totally different side since then.

The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 6

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AFL
 
5d

Gabba is much more similar to SCG in dimensions.

Kardinia: 170 x 115
Gabba: 156 x 138
SCG: 149 x 136

The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 6

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AFL
 
5d

Tough market for clubs who want to sack a coach this year I reckon with depleted coaching stocks. Probably a good thing for Goodwin.

Why Melbourne are a Dee-sappointment - and what they should do next

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AFL
 
6d

Since when has John Longmire ever blamed the umpires? He’s always been one of the most measured coaches at press conferences in my experience.

2020 AFL season: Round 6 preview

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AFL
 
1w

Yes and no on Frawley’s one. I reckon he got pinged for diving on the ball which, under law 17.6.5, says it’s entirely on him to knock it clear, but I think the umpire got that one wrong too.

He was bending to pick the ball up and got tackled onto it, should’ve been a ball up.

Does anyone know what the holding-the-ball rule is anymore?

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AFL
 
1w

I’ve never rated Robert Findlay highly as an umpire. It seems here he’s got the call wrong and then muddied the waters further by offering a nonsensical explanation.

He is correct in that you must make a genuine attempt to dispose of the ball if you haven’t had prior opportunity, but he’s ignored rule 17.6.2 (b) which states;

“Where a Player in Possession of the Football has not had Prior Opportunity,
the field Umpire shall throw up the football when a Player, in the act of
applying a Legal Tackle, holds the football to the body of the Player
being tackled or the football is otherwise pinned to the ground.”

Does anyone know what the holding-the-ball rule is anymore?

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AFL
 
1w

Agreed. Way too much lying down on opponents after a free kick – giving teammates plenty of time to flood back.

AFL coaches should learn the rules before complaining about them

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AFL
 
2w

The umpires understand the laws just fine. You can’t deliberately throw the ball ever.

If, while attempting to handball, you are swung off-balance and fail to execute the act properly – that is play on if you haven’t had prior opportunity. Same if your opponent knocks the ball out of your hands in the tackle, or them knocking your arm causes the ball to come loose.

If you have had prior, however, all of those actions result in a free kick.

Judging what constitutes prior opportunity will always be contentious, but the laws around what is acceptable when you’ve had prior vs when you haven’t are very clear.

AFL coaches should learn the rules before complaining about them

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AFL
 
2w

That’s a different law. When a player has had prior opportunity, their intent is no longer relevant. They must immediately and correctly dispose of the ball, otherwise it’s a free kick.

AFL coaches should learn the rules before complaining about them

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AFL
 
2w

I think during preseason once they trialled a rule where if a tackler dragged the ball underneath the body of their opponent, they’d be pinged for holding the ball instead of the tackled player.

Nice in theory, but way too hard to police and actually allows players to dive on the ball more as their opponent’s fumbled attempt to take possession once it was knocked clear could earn them a free kick.

AFL coaches should learn the rules before complaining about them

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AFL
 
2w

If you don’t believe that law was correctly adjudicated on Sunday night, that’s fair enough – what constitutes prior opportunity is messy and will never satisfy everyone.

The point I’m making is that Clarkson’s explanation of what holding the ball is at his press conference was objectively false.

AFL coaches should learn the rules before complaining about them

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AFL
 
2w

Except the laws of the game implicitly state intent matters with the holding the ball law. The comparison to high contact and out on the full is irrelevant – the penalty in those cases is, as you say, for making high contact or kicking it out on the full.

For holding the ball, however, the penalty (where the player has not had prior opportunity) is for not making a genuine attempt to dispose of the ball, or deliberately throwing or dropping the ball – the intent matters.

AFL coaches should learn the rules before complaining about them

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AFL
 
2w

I can certainly get behind a free kick against players joining in when their own teammate is being tackled. Doesn’t serve any purpose but to clog the pack and force the umpire to call a ball-up.

AFL coaches should learn the rules before complaining about them

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AFL
 
2w

That’s fair scepticism, although I’d counter again with the fact that 2015 was the only year in that stretch that Geelong missed the finals too.

Was Saturday night Carlton's 'SCG moment'?

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AFL
 
3w

Melbourne are the only side since 2007 to win in Geelong and not play finals, so it clearly is something.

Was Saturday night Carlton's 'SCG moment'?

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AFL
 
3w

I think it says a lot more about Adelaide than it does about Gold Coast.

The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 3

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AFL
 
4w

I was surprised all three of us went that way too. Although I think sometimes when you see all three of us go one way it creates the misleading impression that it’s a confident pick, it’s really three of us picking Sydney 52%-ish or thereabouts.

The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 2

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AFL
 
Jun

Because Carlton’s good second half was against a good team and they’re playing a bad team this week, while Fremantle’s good second half was against a bad team and they’re playing a good team this week.

The Roar's AFL expert tips and predictions: Round 2

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AFL
 
Jun

But they never seem to remember Dean Cox shoved Darren Jolly in the back beforehand and should never have been sending the ball inside 50 to begin with.

Four burning questions for West Coast ahead of the AFL restart

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AFL
 
Jun

But he didn’t drop it.

In any case, his mark isn’t celebrated for the particularly strong set of hands, it was the distance from the side he quickly travelled to impact the marking contest. If he hadn’t made it in time or stayed down, Mark Seaby takes the grab 100%.

Four burning questions for West Coast ahead of the AFL restart

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AFL
 
Jun

A fair question. Collingwood are probably the only reasonable comparison given Carlton and Essendon have been poor over the same period, but here goes.

COL: 8-2 at Marvel, 2-1 at Adelaide, 2-1 at Optus, 2-1 at SCG, 0-2 at Giants, 2-0 at Gabba, 2-0 at Metricon

ESS: 17-9 at Marvel, 2-1 at Adelaide, 2-3 at Optus, 0-3 at SCG, 1-2 at Giants, 2-0 at Gabba, 3-0 at Metricon

CAR: 5-17 at Marvel, 0-3 at Adelaide, 1-1 at Optus, 1-2 at SCG, 0-1 at Giants, 0-2 at Gabba, 2-1 at Metricon

Given the Tigers have won two premierships in this span, the fact their record is comparable to sides who have four combined finals appearances across the same span is damning.

Four burning questions for Richmond ahead of the AFL restart

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AFL
 
Jun
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