Match thread: Swans v Cats.

[i'm-uninformed2]

The AFL ranking points system had McLean and Heeney as our worst players, even lower than Clarke, which I guess means we would have been better off if they stayed home.

Our forward line plus Hickey were our 7 lowest ranked players on the night.

Which goes to show the stupidity of ranking points.

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Yep, I'm sure there is a clause in the dangerous tackle rules that states that you can slam a Swans players head into the ground and that will be deemed ok.....especially if you play for a Victorian team.

MATCH REVIEW: Cats forward learns fate for Francis tackle

I’m going to be the contrarian on this one. Close neither slung nor dumped Francis. He arguably could have let Francis’ arm release a little, but other than that, it wasn’t a tackle with much damage. We’d hate to see one of our players go for that.

[Melbournehammer]

I’ve got problems with the rule. In fact I hate it. But I also hate the push in the back, the dragging it in and the ubsufficient attempt. I hate everything to do with the afl making rules up to deal with congestion because it’s all about their vision of what the game should look like.

If you pin an arm and the player hits their head because they can’t protect themselves then you should get rubbed out regardless of the result. Striking or attempted striking should lead to the penalty with weeks added for outcome.

[KTigers]

Well, if nothing else you'd have to say our last two games have been about as weird as it gets in footy. Looking forward to
a more "normal" game against Richmond on Thursday night.

[MattW]

I’ve got problems with the rule. In fact I hate it. But I also hate the push in the back, the dragging it in and the ubsufficient attempt. I hate everything to do with the afl making rules up to deal with congestion because it’s all about their vision of what the game should look like.

If you pin an arm and the player hits their head because they can’t protect themselves then you should get rubbed out regardless of the result. Striking or attempted striking should lead to the penalty with weeks added for outcome.

I agree. Close pinned the arm, Francis couldn't protect himself and Francis' head hit the ground first. It was dangerous. If the defender pins an arm, their duty includes to avoid the tackled player hitting the ground head first.

[barry]

Well a draw doesn't help us much. We had one of the better percentages of the contenders for 8th spot, but that's not going to help us now.
Still, if you offered me a draw against Geelong with Chad out, I would have taken it.

[Thunder Shaker]

Well a draw doesn't help us much. We had one of the better percentages of the contenders for 8th spot, but that's not going to help us now.
Still, if you offered me a draw against Geelong with Chad out, I would have taken it.

I have had a quick look at the fixture for the remaining matches, with particular attention to which teams have games to come against the bottom two teams.

West Coast play: St Kilda (today), Brisbane Lions, Richmond, Carlton, North Melbourne, Essendon, Fremantle, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide.
North Melbourne play: Geelong, Hawthorn, St Kilda, West Coast, Melbourne, Essendon, Richmond, Gold Coast.

Those mid-ladder teams playing West Coast can expect a win and a significant percentage boost. Mid-ladder teams playing North Melbourne can pencil in a win as well (aside from the possibility of an upset) with occasional big wins.

Apart from Sydney, three other teams have a draw as well: Geelong, Richmond, Carlton. All are competing for spots in the finals. Geelong play North Melbourne, Carlton plays West Coast, Richmond plays both of them. So percentage is going to be a factor. Perhaps not Carlton, they're rubbish, but the others? Definitely.

As for the Swans, the task is simple: win as many games as possible. Sydney's remaining fixture is challenging, with games to come against several teams in the middle of the ladder: Richmond, Western Bulldogs, Fremantle, Essendon, GWS Giants, Gold Coast, Adelaide and Melbourne. Eight-point games as far as the eye can see. If we are better than the other mid-ladder sides, we have the opportunity to prove it: not by running up the score against bottom sides, but by beating the other teams around us competing for places in the finals.

[Thunder Shaker]

Also worth noting is that West Coast will be boosting the percentages of an awful lot of mid-table sides. Our draw with Geelong actually helps us here by taking these sides out of the percentage equation.

[giant]

Good question - I wonder how often in the AFL a team has received one free kick in a half of football? I like to see the stats for that. The final count was 17 to 9 free kicks. I am glad we had the home ground advantage for the umpiring decisions.

AS frustrating as that was, I still preferred Friday night's umpiring efforts to the appalling over-umpired examples served up at the Saints and Lions games. Other than the contentious Melican deliberate (possibly technically correct but have literally never seen it paid?) I didn't see examples of where the umpires didn't understand the rules.

Thinking back on those two 50m penalties v Saints, I reckon virtually every single Swans mark the clever Cats players tried to crib 2-3m on the mark in the exact way that we were pinged for that night. As for the Sheldrick 50m, I see that same action go unpenalised about half a dozen times every game.

[dejavoodoo44]

AS frustrating as that was, I still preferred Friday night's umpiring efforts to the appalling over-umpired examples served up at the Saints and Lions games. Other than the contentious Melican deliberate (possibly technically correct but have literally never seen it paid?) I didn't see examples of where the umpires didn't understand the rules.

Thinking back on those two 50m penalties v Saints, I reckon virtually every single Swans mark the clever Cats players tried to crib 2-3m on the mark in the exact way that we were pinged for that night. As for the Sheldrick 50m, I see that same action go unpenalised about half a dozen times every game.

Yes, the constant standing forward of the mark was driving me a little bit crazy. The was one particular blatant example late in the game, where Hayward took a mark running towards the kicker, he was then rugby tackled around the leg and as a consequence, both he and the tackler slid along the turf. Then the tackler got up and stood 7 or 8 metres past where the mark was taken. I thought both the tackle and the encroachment could have been paid a 50.

Also agree about low free kick counts compared to high. While I was a bit miffed that we only received one free in first half, that was nothing compared to what I was feeling, after 38-20 caning that we received in the afternoon VFL game. And as well as that lopsided free kick count, there was around five 50s that went against us as well

[wolftone57]

Yep, I'm sure there is a clause in the dangerous tackle rules that states that you can slam a Swans players head into the ground and that will be deemed ok.....especially if you play for a Victorian team.

MATCH REVIEW: Cats forward learns fate for Francis tackle

This is disgraceful. He should have gotten at least a week

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[KSAS]

Robbo in his HS paywall article appears to be questioning the MRO decision on Close's tackle on Francis, going by the headline & accompanying photo of that tackle.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Coaches votes are in. Nice to see Campbell get some acknowledgement.

Coaches' votes, R16: Collingwood Magpies star Nick Daicos reclaims lead, five perfect 10s

[KSAS]

Luke Hodge on SEN last night, was bewildered Close wasn't suspended for 1 match, going by the precedents AFL had set earlier this season in similar scenarios.

He is confused MRO have now introduced further grey whether tackler had slown down tackle, despite player's arm being pinned & head making contact with the ground. In Close's case, the slowing down is very miminal, if at all.

I further add what medical evidence does the AFL have to support it's Close ruling, in relation to the speed of the tackle when the player's head hits the ground?

Every player may well have various tolerances to being concussion in such instances. It appeared clear cut to me if you tackled in the way Close did and player's head hits ground, that suspension is imminent.

The AFL have made an extra rod for themselves by introducing the element whether tackler slowed down the tackle.

[Blood Fever]

Why don't they just outlaw pinning one arm? Too dangerous for both head injuries/concussion and potential serious shoulder injuries.

[liz]

Why don't they just outlaw pinning one arm? Too dangerous for both head injuries/concussion and potential serious shoulder injuries.

Doesn't that negate a key objective of tackling - to stop the player being tackled from disposing of the ball.