More zero tolerance rules

Does the AFL know any way other than using a sledgehammer to crack a ping-pong ball?

 

The recent release of an official video to accompany the changes to the laws of the game has been somewhat overshadowed by the Bombers’ pre-emptive PR exercise.

 

For those more interested in on-field matters, the changes being introduced are:

1. Forceful contact below the knees
2. Separation of ruckmen at stoppages
3. Umpires the throw the ball up around the ground [rather than bouncing it].

AussieRulesBlog has no quibble with the separation of ruckmen. We have long been an opponent of ruck wrestles and the free kick lottery that accompanies them. When this rule was trialed in the last pre-season comp, it was a gilt-edged winner. It’s not often the AFL gets it 100% right, but in this one they’ve hit the bullseye.

 

We’re sad to see the start of what, inevitably, will be the death of the umpire’s bounce. The centre bounce is easier, courtesy of a generally harder, more stable surface, but less practice at bouncing during the game will, inevitably, lead to calls for the bounce to be dispensed with altogether. It’ll be a very sad day, but it will happen, and it won’t be that long. What next, take away the goalie’s flags?

 

So, relatively good news thus far. Unfortunately, the sledgehammer has been dragged out to counter the non-problem of Gary Rohan’s broken leg. Let’s be clear, AussieRulesBlog doesn’t want to see one more player — ever — injured in the way Rohan was. But Lindsay Thomas didn’t go to ground and didn’t try to sweep Rohan’s legs from under him.

 

Adam Goodes’ knees are a problem of a different sort. We’re quite happy to see the intentional taking of a players legs eliminated. This is, effectively, ground-level tunneling.

 

So, how do the AFL legislate against this? By banning any forceful contact below the knees. And just in case there’s insufficient grey in there already, there’s an exemption for players smothering with their hands or arms. We can almost see the players practising low-level smothering right now.

 

The video to accompany this change to the laws of the game doesn’t give all that much hope that a blanket ban can be effectively policed. There’s already a law to ban the Goodes ‘tackle’. We fail to see how adding this new offense will add anything but frustration to the game.