I can't agree with this on the grounds that when we're talking about "behind play" we're usually talking about a player being sniped from behind completely outside of play.
In Houli's case, he's trying to get into play, and being held from doing so, thus affecting "play". In fact, the reality is that if his opponent wasn't at full stretch trying to hold on, his head wouldn't have been as low as it was and he wouldn't have been knocked out.
I again go back to the umpire who witnessed the incident and said "it didn't look intentional" and ask "if you're watching what's going on, how could you not blow the whistle in which case none of us are even having this conversation. The 85kg of useless dead weight that Houli is expected to cart around a footy field and still get a kick, doesn't get knocked out, and Richmond still has Houli in it's team against Port, StKilda, GCS and GWS.
Interesting that the AFL can rule that Hall's hit on McGuire was "in play" when play was over 50m away, thus allowing him to line up in a GF, but in Houli's case, being held from joining play, isn't in play. Interesting that this is so abhorrent to them, that they do something that hasn't been done in 112 years, but in the case of a Swans player 50m off the ball it's "Nothing to see here, move on please"! Same team that gets to play us off a bye, Essendon off a bye and then Melbourne off 3 consecutive 6 days breaks, the last of which is off a trip to WA.
I'm guessing Essendon's record off the bye is about as good as ours.
While I'm ranting...........
How many jumper punches have been thrown in the last 12 months? How many media circuses is there.... just Cotchin's!
Media urges AFL to review Rance for diving when he's hit in the chest neck area quite forcibly by a player who's around 110kg in weight, yet all I hear from the media in Clayton Oliver's case is how even the slightest contact to the chin can shock you enough to fall over!!!!
And now the media circus over Houli, but nothing on Jordan Lewis putting more fractures in a jaw than the Libs have debating gay marriage, and that was an intentional act, aimed to do as much damage as he could get away with.
Just look at the decision last week when it apparently can't be proved as intentional when Joel Selwood drives someone's face into the ground by dropping his elbow and full body weight onto the back of Mitchell's neck! You want the potential of serious injury. then look at that for an example! Watch that incident and tell me that wasn't intended to hurt a player as much as possible, with time to consider one's actions before performing the act.
Where was the media circus last week?
The AFL has to decide whether it's running a genuine competition or some sort of theatre production or pantomime
