There can be little doubt that the marketing strategy that saw Karmichael Hunt signed to the Gold Coast Suns was based as much on curiosity value as any realistic expectation that Hunt could reach the pinnacle in a third football code.

The man they call Special-K gave us a glimpse last year with his first goal in AFL football, but has elevated his performance to a substantial degree in his second season.

Where, last year, pundits focussed on the smallish number and lowish quality of his possessions, this season the commentary has been almost universally positive about his value to the Suns’ midfield. His dream-fulfilling after-the-siren goal this weekend has put the stamp of approval on his fledgling AFL career.

It is, by any measure, a significant achievement to gain the industry’s respect. We think a return to NRL or rugby is no longer the main danger to the Suns retaining their code-jumping champion. Surely his next objective will be to conquer a fourth football code — the round ball game — before moving on to the NFL!

We hope that The Promised Land can emulate Special-K’s development, even if it might take a little longer. We need to remember that Hunt is 28 and had already mastered two, albeit rather similar, codes. Folau is a relative baby at 23 and even life-long AFL players of his size can struggle to hit their straps before their mid-twenties.

Regular readers will already be well aware that AussieRulesBlog has long been critical of the Match review panel system currently in place. The theory sounds just fine, but too often the practical results leave a great deal to be desired.

Sharrod Wellingham’s devastating bump to Kade Simpson last Friday night and the MRP’s assessments released today simply serve to highlight, yet again, the failings of this mathematical approach to on-field indiscretions.

‘Reckless’ is how the MRP describes the action. We’re tired of beating round the bush. Let’s call this assessment for what it is: bullshit! Wellingham had left the ground before the ball got to Simpson, did not ever even glance in the direction of the ball and was tucked into an offensive bumping shape, did not make any attempt to get the ball, was solely focussed on hitting Simpson. Reckless!

Meanwhile, Heath Hocking’s ill-considered off-the-ball block of Lenny Hayes gets assessed as ‘intentional’ — because it was off the ball. We don’t have any argument with that assessment, but it looks ridiculous compared with reckless for Wellingham’s action.

Not only does the reckless assessment give Wellingham a free break, but the system rewards him with a 40% discount because of his good record. Sorry, intentionally taking out an opponent in the way Wellingham did disqualifies him from obtaining any advantage from his lack of previous charges.

Adrian Anderson’s MRP assessment system is fine for small indiscretions, but has proved itself, time and again, demonstrably inadequate for major incidents.

Anyone who saw Simpson’s body spasming in the seconds after the collision will have had the same thoughts that ran through AussieRulesBlog’s mind — that Simpson had sustained a major spinal or head injury. We reckon Wellingham is very, very lucky that he doesn’t have a wheelchair-bound Kade Simpson on his conscience.

If ever a proof were needed for the old adage about football being played 95% above the shoulders, the Blues provided it last night.

Clearly stung by the criticism of their coach, Brett Ratten, the Blues bounded out of the blocks.

The Barcodes, like the Bombers a few weeks ago against the then-winless Demons, seemed to play like they could turn it on when required. But when they hit the go pedal, the Blues responded.

So, the out-of-form Blues gave the Barcodes a lesson in mental preparation, if not football. There simply are no easy games at AFL level and the team that assumes it can win on its own terms is destined to fall short.

The tackle Taylor Walker applied to Steven Morris last weekend has been almost universally condemned, and a good thing too.

For some reason we can’t fathom, some people are describing this as a sling tackle. It’s not. It’s a spear tackle. Spear tackles are characterised by the opponent being lifted from the ground and driven forcefully into the ground, more-or-less head first.

The sling tackle is perfectly demonstrated in Jack Trengove’s tackle of Patrick Dangerfield in 2011.

Trengove holds Dangerfield’s arm and then rolls — like a crocodile death roll — so that Dangerfield’s body is dragged over the top of Trengove’s body and into the ground. The effect is similar to those plastic arms used for throwing balls for dogs to chase. The added length of the arm tends to produce a greater acceleration of the object being pulled in a (rough) circular path. This tackle is quite clearly different in form, execution and potential health damage from Walker’s tackle.

In Trengove’s case, the MRP decided, quite wrongly in our opinion, that the injury sustained by Dangerfield when his head hit the ground as part of the tackle made the offence of greater magnitude than, say, Lance Franklin’s tackle last week.

As we’ve plainly spelled out in the title of this post, there is no place for either the sling or the spear tackle in the AFL of the twenty-first century, but please, please, please people — use the correct term.

While we’re on the subject of alternate or clash guernseys in the wake of the Bombers’ announcement of their new grey model, it’s not just the Barcodes getting an easy run.

The Tigers have flown under the radar on this issue, probably courtesy of the ‘lightness’ of their yellow versus the AFL-defined ‘darkness’ of the Bombers’ red sash.

Thus, the Tigers alternate guernsey is this innovative design:

It takes an act of will beyond AussieRulesBlog’s abilities to see that the addition of yellow side panels and some yellow around arms and neck makes this guernsey materially lighter than the standard Tigers strip.

So, there’s one immovable rule for the Bombers and fifteen other teams, and a separate one each for the Barcodes and the Tigers.

There’s a predictable storm in a teacup as our beloved Bombers reveal their new alternate guernsey, a mix of tradition and various enhancements designed to placate all but the most vociferous opponents.

The Bombers already feature grey in the logo and in various apparel items including training gear. Let’s be grateful they decided on grey and not the TrueValue Solar blue!

The real issue isn’t the Bombers. Essendon have fought a brave rearguard action to avoid the inevitable, but have bowed to it with (public) good grace. Not so the Barcodes.

AussieRulesBlog has visited this issue previously, but now is a good time to raise it again. This isn’t a matter of clashing colours. The AFL have made it abundantly clear that they want one team in dark or vibrant colours, and the other in light or muted tones. It’s not the end of the world — that comes in December according to the Mayans!

Manchester United and Liverpool, just to name two hugely popular EPL clubs, play in a seeming rainbow of strips through their season without problems. Even Newcastle United turn out in strips other than their famed black and white vertical stripes. But not our precious Barcodes. Here’s their ‘clash’ guernsey:

Oh, and here’s their ‘normal’ guernsey for comparison:

AussieRulesBlog can hardly believe that they represent the same club! It’s astonishing. Sharp-eyed readers will note that the clash guernsey is the inverse of the normal guernsey. How devilishly clever!

And if there’s a really obvious clash, such as with North Melbourne (?), who we remind you look like this:

then the Barcodes roll out their alternative clash guernsey which looks like this:

Perhaps Vlad and his mates at AFL House could puff out their chests and bludgeon Eddie into accepting that his Barcodes should look like this for their away games?

We’re not going to hang by our thumbs waiting for the announcement.

It’s a little late, but here at AussieRulesBlog Central we wanted to add our acclamation to that already afforded “the little master”, Barry Cable, on his elevation to the status of Legend of the AFL.

We only saw Cable play in Melbourne, with North Melbourne and in State games against Victoria. His grace, agility, poise and balance were second to none in our view.

It’s commonplace these days to identify the current generations of players as being fitter and more skilled than those of yesteryear. For many players that contrast holds, but not for Cable. We’re perfectly satisfied that Cable could have competed more than effectively in today’s game.

Legend status is a well-deserved accolade for one of the very best footballers we have ever seen.

Greetings AussieRulesBloggers aand apologies for our recent (but very good) impersonation of the Invisible Man. A new job has meant we've much less time than previously to pursue our literary ambitions.

We're moved to end our self-imposed seclusion to address the matter of Brock McLean's tweet.

It's no secret that a good many AFL players aren't fielding recruiting calls from Mensa. This week's events suggest McLean sits comfortably within that group.

If you give a loaded gun to an infant, there's a reasonable chance the gun will go off eventually. Similarly, give a Twitter-enabled phone to a non-too-bright AFL player and . . . well, you get the drift.

McLean's original tweet, "Today can fuck off" prompts a number of comments.

• Who cares and who does Mclean think cares? 
• Does McLean imagine that everyone who follows his tweets is doing so from a position of admiration? Would any AFL player consider that a tenable proposition for even a microsecond? Apart from Brock? Are they oblivious to the invective hurled at them from the cheap seats?
• When will wordsmith McLean release the Great Australian Novel? Or has he now exhausted his vocabulary?