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Just another example of how they are taking all the hardness out of the game , and with it the excitment.
Even if they don't change any of the rules, making umpires and players hyper aware of this overly dudicial line makes the game much more self concious and far less adherent to the rules of the jungle. Lets face it before America had survivor, we had Aussie rules. Who wants to see an episode of survivor where the net work is always talking about being nice ??? !!!
This is a full contact sport, when will they ever stop dilluting it ?
I like my footy like I like my beer . At full strenth.
Thats what was so good and enthralling about Plugger. he had the skills, but he also had the hardness (who can forget the duels between him and pagans jail house meatheads) .
If they take this out of the game, baketball becomes far more interesting!
I think AFL is like a fight at school, everybody wanted to watch it and basically we just wished the teachers would P iss off.
Well I just wish the AFL would stop ****ing with the game:-
.......
From heraldsun:
Operation taggers: Warning for leeches
By MARK ROBINSON
17jul03
TAGGERS beware - the AFL is watching you and expect the heat to be turned up even more.
The AFL Rules Committee met yesterday and has requested umpires pay "greater attention" to players being blocked or tagged off the ball.
The committee's decision comes a day after Adelaide coach Gary Ayres called for more protection for his premier onballer, Andrew McLeod.
And it would seem the man in the gun is Carlton tagger Anthony Franchina whose past three games -- against McLeod, Melbourne's Travis Johnstone and West Coast's Phil Matera -- have come to the attention of field umpires.
No official complaints have been made about Franchina, but club officials have made it known they are unhappy with the tenacious Blue's tactics.
Other taggers certain to be monitored include Collingwood's Brodie Holland, Sydney's Brett Kirk, Melbourne's Simon Godfrey, Richmond's Tim Fleming and Essendon's Damien Peverill.
AFL director of umpiring Jeff Gieschen yesterday said he was aware of "isolated cases" of heavy tagging in the past month.
"We're aware of players who are being heavily pressured and we know players who can apply the heavy pressure," he said.
"Pressure is fine, but once they infringe and break the laws, that's when we expect our umpires to pay free kicks."
But Gieschen was adamant tagging tactics were not out of control.
"In the past month we've probably noticed some game situations where there has been some very close checking applied, but it's no worse or severe than other periods in the game," he said.
He said tagging was monitored as an ongoing issue.
"It's not something we say: `Gee, we've got to watch taggers this week,' . . . we're on to things like that all the time."
The major complaints centre around players being grabbed behind play or being blocked from getting to a contest.
"We can't pay free kicks because players apply a lot of pressure, but we can for infringements and blocking more than 5m from the ball comes under that," Gieschen said.
"We expect if guys impede and the umpires see it, they should ping them."
Ayres and the Crows have been fuming over the recent tactics used to quell McLeod.
"He gets heavily negated," Ayres said. "I think he needs to get looked after more by the umpires."
Franchina's tactics, strongly defended by the Blues, have been privately criticised by opponents in the past month.
Three weeks ago at Optus Oval, McLeod dominated the first half with 17 possessions, but after being assigned Franchina managed just five more.
After the game, the umpires asked the Crows about allegations of scratching ?not by any specific Carlton player ?but Adelaide chose not to pursue the matter.
So intimidatory was Franchina that McLeod's teammates, Wayne Carey and Scott Welsh, intervened several times.
Johnstone, who had Franchina as a tagger for three quarters a fortnight ago, was furious after the game over what he perceived as unfair tactics.
Several times the umpires intervened as Johnstone and Franchina jostled off the ball and throughout the game Johnstone could be seen pleading with the men in white for a free kick.
Johnstone gathered eight touches in the first quarter, but was restricted to six more for the remainder of the game.
And, at the weekend, the emergency umpire was forced on to the field after Franchina and Matera began grappling behind play. The umpire stood 10m from the contest for 10 minutes.
Even if they don't change any of the rules, making umpires and players hyper aware of this overly dudicial line makes the game much more self concious and far less adherent to the rules of the jungle. Lets face it before America had survivor, we had Aussie rules. Who wants to see an episode of survivor where the net work is always talking about being nice ??? !!!
This is a full contact sport, when will they ever stop dilluting it ?
I like my footy like I like my beer . At full strenth.
Thats what was so good and enthralling about Plugger. he had the skills, but he also had the hardness (who can forget the duels between him and pagans jail house meatheads) .
If they take this out of the game, baketball becomes far more interesting!
I think AFL is like a fight at school, everybody wanted to watch it and basically we just wished the teachers would P iss off.
Well I just wish the AFL would stop ****ing with the game:-
.......
From heraldsun:
Operation taggers: Warning for leeches
By MARK ROBINSON
17jul03
TAGGERS beware - the AFL is watching you and expect the heat to be turned up even more.
The AFL Rules Committee met yesterday and has requested umpires pay "greater attention" to players being blocked or tagged off the ball.
The committee's decision comes a day after Adelaide coach Gary Ayres called for more protection for his premier onballer, Andrew McLeod.
And it would seem the man in the gun is Carlton tagger Anthony Franchina whose past three games -- against McLeod, Melbourne's Travis Johnstone and West Coast's Phil Matera -- have come to the attention of field umpires.
No official complaints have been made about Franchina, but club officials have made it known they are unhappy with the tenacious Blue's tactics.
Other taggers certain to be monitored include Collingwood's Brodie Holland, Sydney's Brett Kirk, Melbourne's Simon Godfrey, Richmond's Tim Fleming and Essendon's Damien Peverill.
AFL director of umpiring Jeff Gieschen yesterday said he was aware of "isolated cases" of heavy tagging in the past month.
"We're aware of players who are being heavily pressured and we know players who can apply the heavy pressure," he said.
"Pressure is fine, but once they infringe and break the laws, that's when we expect our umpires to pay free kicks."
But Gieschen was adamant tagging tactics were not out of control.
"In the past month we've probably noticed some game situations where there has been some very close checking applied, but it's no worse or severe than other periods in the game," he said.
He said tagging was monitored as an ongoing issue.
"It's not something we say: `Gee, we've got to watch taggers this week,' . . . we're on to things like that all the time."
The major complaints centre around players being grabbed behind play or being blocked from getting to a contest.
"We can't pay free kicks because players apply a lot of pressure, but we can for infringements and blocking more than 5m from the ball comes under that," Gieschen said.
"We expect if guys impede and the umpires see it, they should ping them."
Ayres and the Crows have been fuming over the recent tactics used to quell McLeod.
"He gets heavily negated," Ayres said. "I think he needs to get looked after more by the umpires."
Franchina's tactics, strongly defended by the Blues, have been privately criticised by opponents in the past month.
Three weeks ago at Optus Oval, McLeod dominated the first half with 17 possessions, but after being assigned Franchina managed just five more.
After the game, the umpires asked the Crows about allegations of scratching ?not by any specific Carlton player ?but Adelaide chose not to pursue the matter.
So intimidatory was Franchina that McLeod's teammates, Wayne Carey and Scott Welsh, intervened several times.
Johnstone, who had Franchina as a tagger for three quarters a fortnight ago, was furious after the game over what he perceived as unfair tactics.
Several times the umpires intervened as Johnstone and Franchina jostled off the ball and throughout the game Johnstone could be seen pleading with the men in white for a free kick.
Johnstone gathered eight touches in the first quarter, but was restricted to six more for the remainder of the game.
And, at the weekend, the emergency umpire was forced on to the field after Franchina and Matera began grappling behind play. The umpire stood 10m from the contest for 10 minutes.
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