At the Trough Rd 13
AFL – News, Reviews, Injuries and Tactics are all discussed “At the Trough” with Schitty.
Grand Slam:
Everyone in football is throwing their weight behind the latest issue. The sling tackle. The Match Review Panel is in a difficult position with this one as the outcome of the tackle seems to have more bearing on the sanction than the act itself. This was highlighted by the discrepancies in the sentences handed out during the week.
Mumford and Kosi both got two weeks for what appeared to be two solid tackles. Joel Corey got a week, reduced to a reprimand due to his good record, for what was the AFL equivalent of a spear tackle. The difference is that Jack Steven played on after the Corey tackle whilst the others were visibly concussed.
It defies logic that the Corey tackle could have been seen as less reckless than the others. All it does is points to the fact that the MRP is placing significant weight on the result of the tackle rather than the act itself. I firmly believe that the AFL has given the MRP a directive that any action, deemed to be forceful, that results in a player being injured is to be penalized, whether the initial action is within the rules or not. Anything that attracts a negative reaction to the game needs to be penalized. Any action that might make parents cringe and consider a shift to a rival sport must be stamped out.
Andrew Demetiriou seems to have forgotten a basic fundamental of our game. Jon Brown said it best today in his column in the Courier-Mail. "Let's get one thing straight, AFL footy is a contact sport … and while I understand times have changed, and I accept that society won't allow some of the crude stuff that used to go on, I'm worried we're getting a bit soft,""Like it or not, injuries are an occupational hazard in any contact sport at the highest level. If you don't like it, go and play a non-contact sport. If we take the physicality away, it'll be to the detriment of the game. "It'd be like telling Mark Webber and the Formula One boys they can only drive in second gear to minimise the risk of a prang."
So be warned, if you make a legitimate tackle, the way you have been coached to do so since under 10s, but the ball carrier is hurt you can expect to spend a few weeks on the sideline.
My best 22.
The AFL turns 21 this year and to celebrate the Herald Sun are giving readers the opportunity to select the best 22 players to have played in the AFL era. In line with this I thought I would submit my best 22 players of the last 21 years.
BP: Matthew Scarlett FB: Stephen Silvagni BP: Gavin Wanganeen
HB: Andrew McLeod CHB: Glen Jackovich HB: Dustin Fletcher
W: Shane Crawford C: Michael Voss (c) W: Simon Black
HF: Gary Ablett Snr CHF: Wayne Carey HF: James Hird (vc)
FP: Tony Lockett FF: Jason Dunstall FP: Brent Harvey
RU: Dean Cox RR: Chris Judd R: Greg Williams
Interchange: Mark Riccuito, Robert Harvey, Matthew Pavlich and Nathan Buckley
Coach: Mick Malthouse
Emergencies: Adam Goodes, Ben Cousins and Paul Roos.
I’ll Rant and Rave:
WTF Buddy? Lance Franklin, I love you dearly but you are the most frustrating human being in the history of civilization. Our club is in the midst of an injury crisis that seems to be targeting everyone at the club over 6 foot three with any talent at all. Minus our fullback, centre halfback and full forward / second ruck, going into a pivotal two weeks for the club, you decide to pull out the shirt front. Sure it was negligible contact, sure the contact was exacerbated by the ball carrier who turned into you. The fact remains that you went to that contest with no other intention than to bump. It cost you a week. If it costs Hawthorn the game against Essendon on Friday night then it could well jeopardize our top 4 claims. Why would you, with your record, contemplate going the bump. Spread the wings and tackle. I know you are trying to set the standard physically and be a leader on the field but mate, you’ve proven over the last few years that your build is not conducive to bumping. You are too fucking tall. Here’s some food for thought champ, you want to set the standard and be a leader of the club then here’s what you need to do. Shelve the bump, shelve the acting and staging for free kicks. Just play the football mate. When you decide to go there is not a player in the game who can go with you so please Buddy, just play the fucking game.
Black Swan. Dane Swan tweeted that he was sick of being woken up at 6am to complete drug tests. If that is the biggest blight on his existence then I’ll happily trade with him. Suck it up princess. It goes with the territory. PS. I did rate the jibe re your ability to hide your drug use from the testers. 1 each way.
I really rate him…I sprayed Roosy on this site a few weeks ago for his apparent need to fellate a player prior to having an opinion about him. It seems to be catching. Jason Dunstall, who has never pulled any punches, now feels the need to quantify every player oriented opinion with the obligatory, “I really rate him as a player”. Right lads, from now on we are going to assume that you rate everyone you will be discussing very highly unless you say otherwise. Not only will you not look like Rainman, constantly repeating yourself, you’ll find you have twice as much time to actually discuss the footy. What a novelty.
The Drum…
Wayne Carey is telling the world that he is ready to return to active football with a role as a forward coach in mind. Given all that has surrounded the “Duck” over the last few years I hope he can make a successful comeback. The man was one of the greatest players ever to don the boots and it would be a shame if his lack of a moral compass meant that he is lost to the game forever.
Jimmy Bartel has been named this week despite a heavy concussion. My mail is that he will not play this week as he is experiencing tunnel vision and memory loss. The prognosis could be even worse for the Cats with fears that the Brownlow medalist may need surgery to release pressure around the base of his skull and in this worse case scenario he wont play for at least 10 weeks which would all but end his season.
Zac Dawson has attracted the ire of his team mates with some ill advised twittering. Whilst the Saints try and salvage some dignity out of a season that has long since gone off the rails, Dawson saw the need to have a crack at Robert Walls over his impending employment issues. Zac is playing some tit for tat as Wallsy has previously, very astutely, informed his listeners of some of the more glaring deficiencies in Dawson’s game. His ability to man up, spoil, mark and kick were the major ones. Apparently the leadership group at the Saints feel Zac should concentrate more on his game than what is going on in the media.
Hi – Five:
5: Shannon Hurn:Built like a tank Shannon Hurn is having easily the best year of his career. Has had to cover for the loss of Waters and is doing a cracking job. His positional play and third up spoiling are impressive but his drive by leg is one of the biggest weapons in the game. His ability to penetrate the lines and impact the scoreboard from outside 60m (3 goals on Sunday) has had a major bearing on the Eagles success this year.
4: Matthew Kruezer: Very impressive since his return. They say it takes ruckmen 5 years to mature after being drafted and as strange as it may seem, the knee injury could have been a blessing for Kreuzer. He has spent a lot of time in the gym and is now a very imposing man. He is equally as good forward or midfield so is tailor made for the game under the sub rule. Kruezer will become the prototype for modern ruckmen.
3: Jack Watts: I’ve had a fair whack at Watts this year but the kid has been impressive over the last 3 weeks. Since Bailey has been using him strictly in the forward half his effectiveness has multiplied. He had 24 possessions, 9 contested on the weekend to go with his 6 marks, 3 contested and 3 goals. He will always carry the weight of expectation that comes with the number 1 draft tag but finally the Demons fans are seeing some light.
2: Shane Savage: Taken at number 75 in the 2008 national draft, Savage was definitely not touted as the next big thing. Hi work rate has impressed internally and having been given his chance this year has been nothing short of spectacular for the Hawks. 33 touches, 16 of them contested, 8 inside 50s, 4 tackles and 2 score assists to go with his 4 goals. Ladies and gentlemen stand up and take notice, we have ourselves a player here.
1: Dustin Martin: Not yet 20 years of age, Martin’s performance on Saturday night had some well respected pundits drawing comparisons to Leigh Matthews. Whilst I’m not quite sure he’s done enough to stand beside the greatest player of all time there are some similarities in the way they go about it. Immense strength for one his age and a great game sense allows him to impact the scoreboard and any midfielder who averages more than 2 goals a game is the business. 22 touches, half of them contested, 3 tackles, 5 clearances and a game winning 5 goals. He’s not Lethal yet but he sure is deadly.
Thanks to Mark Nolan/Getty Images AsiaPac for use of the photo
