Incorrect disposal and dropping the ball - Clarko genius

[Spirit of Jack]

In 2017 we won a premiership through superior intensity and tackling. We swarmed the ball and our opposition simply could not cope with the pressure. It was obvious to me that the AFL did not like it and in 2018 and 2019 it clearly instructed the umpires to give the benefit of the doubt to the ball carrier. Dropping the ball and incorrect disposal decisions plummeted.

Presumably they did this to open up the game. Like all one eyed supporters I saw this as an AFL conspiracy against Richmond, because we were the best at it. Despite the AFLs intent, we were not adversely affected as our zoning was just as important as our ball pressure. However it did drive me to distraction watching our tackling go largely unrewarded.

Come 2020, everyone is playing the Richmond game style, in fact most are playing it better than us. We unfortunately lack intensity and run at the moment. Hawthorn is probably playing it best of all.

So naturally here comes Clarko spruiking to the media...he is a genius. Now that the Hawks are one of the highest pressure team in the competition, he is demanding that the tackler be rewarded! He is saying that the game will open up if we start rewarding the tackler again.

I'm not certain he is right, but I what am sure of is it would benefit the Hawks the way they are playing. Ultimately we too may benefit as well if we get back to the defensive intensity that won us two premierships.

 

[zippadeee]

North were dropping the ball like a hot spud without any calls.
Anderson tried to "Dusty' Omeara but it failed again No Call.
But 30 seconds later Bozzo the clown goes for a mark barely any contact, he over plays the contact and straight away is given a free kick.
Its bullshiit.
Degoey gets swung 360 in a tackle play on.
Greene gets his head ripped off twice, both No free.
Sidebottom lies the ball on deck while being tackled again no free kick.
Martin gets the ball is half tackled and still gets the ball away and is then pinged.
The umpires are hopless.
And i hate the media backs them with "they're only calling it as the rules of the AFL"
Bullshiit. Then why in 3 games have we only received 3 inside 50 free kicks?
Carlton got 5
Collingwood 3
Hawthorn 6
Stkilda 4

 

[22nd Man]

The ball winner not the lurker.

 

[zippadeee]

Clarkson lied.
They did get a free from a tackle.
5 minutes left in the last. Sympkin is tackled and throws the ball, it was paid a free kick.
Senior sergeant Zip....reporting for PRE news

 

[DavidSSS]

That's interesting, what are the numbers on those frees?

I would have thought prior opportunity gives the 'benefit of doubt' to the ball carrier all the time and has done for years.

Personally, I think the rule works fine. If you make it too rewarding for the tackler then you will soon have a situation where you would rather not have the disputed ball and that would be terrible for the game.

If you want to increase scoring then to me it is simple. Team defence has improved out of sight and defenders constantly cover each other, create plus ones and kill contests. When ball movement is slowed every team gets huge numbers back. The only way to stop those things is to make it more difficult to cover the ground to defend so you reduce rotations to a number that creates fatigue, either by stopping rotation or removing access to interchange.

My view is doing those things would almost certainly create more scoring but would reduce other aspects of the game. It's a be careful what you wish for scenario.

You could reduce rotations, but a team can still manipulate the rotations, especially if ahead early, to rest their back line.

How about 3 on the bench?

DS

 

[Althom]

Constant rule changes have wrecked the game. Let's introduce some more rule changes.

 

[AngryAnt]

In 2017 we won a premiership through superior intensity and tackling. We swarmed the ball and our opposition simply could not cope with the pressure. It was obvious to me that the AFL did not like it and in 2018 and 2019 it clearly instructed the umpires to give the benefit of the doubt to the ball carrier. Dropping the ball and incorrect disposal decisions plummeted.

We never played for the free kick, we wanted the ball spilled loose so we could grab it and transition forward quickly. The only time we wanted to free kick was if we had the ball close enough to take the shot at goal.

 

[year of the tiger]

This is not the year to analyse and make more changes to our game - we just don’t know whether the lack of scoring is due to

* interrupted competition
* interrupted training
* players looking lethargic cause they don’t know what is going to happen
* shorter games (that should reduce scoring by a minimum 20% cause we are playing shorter qtrs but I haven’t seen anything that says scoring is down by 20% - is it?
* no crowds means there is less energy
* stopped eating cheese sandwiches

I am not enjoying footy that much this year but I still want the tigers to win if they play.

But I am definitely over all the public commentary about what is wrong with the game - it has stopped me listing to all the talkback shows which is a pity cause it’s during a time of tiger dominance.

 

[Baloo]

Team prior is the rule change that makes sense. First player in a team get's the prior opportunity cover. But if dishes a handball to a teammate 2 m away who is surrounded by opponents and duly gets caught immediately, then it's "BBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"

 

[Jetboy]

Team prior is the rule change that makes sense. First player in a team get's the prior opportunity cover. But if dishes a handball to a teammate 2 m away who is surrounded by opponents and duly gets caught immediately, then it's "BBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"

Hasn’t it always been that way? The only addition to that would be that we would already be yelling “Bbaaaaaaaallllllll” after player one has thrown it to player two..lol

 

[blx]

So let me get this straight.

Rewarding the tackler (who restricts the flow of the game), actually opens the game up more???

rightio then...

 

[DavidSSS]

I'd be talking a dramatic reduction in rotations, if you kept today's system you might go to 16 or 20. With four or five a quarter it would be purely midfielders who used them.

The other option is to change interchange to be either all subs or a mix with reduced rotations.

Yeah, and I think all these options merit discussion, but less on the bench goes with the smaller list sizes if that is foisted on clubs.

DS

 

[DavidSSS]

Constant rule changes have wrecked the game. Let's introduce some more rule changes.

I have sympathy with this but reducing the size of the bench is not so much a rule change as a reversal of a rule change, remember 2 reserves? I do.

You want to reward the player going for the ball, then pay holding the man. Simples: player tackled while not in possession of the ball gets a free, we should make it a rule, oh, wait a minute . . .

DS

 

[tigertim]

There’s something quite galling about coaches like Clarko and Buckley talking about the ugliness of the footy this year. I’d have thought the footy being so ugly is due to coaches trying to suffocate the opposition even more this season due to its 16 minute quarters.

Grant Thomas is an advocate of when the player with the ball is tackled, regardless of prior opportunity, being pinged by the umpire. Reckons players will quickly learn to truly make an effort to dispose of the ball rather than just getting a ball up and resetting.

 

[MD Jazz]

There’s something quite galling about coaches like Clarko and Buckley talking about the ugliness of the footy this year. I’d have thought the footy being so ugly is due to coaches trying to suffocate the opposition even more this season due to its 16 minute quarters.

Grant Thomas is an advocate of when the player with the ball is tackled, regardless of prior opportunity, being pinged by the umpire. Reckons players will quickly learn to truly make an effort to dispose of the ball rather than just getting a ball up and resetting.

Yeh, clarko was responsible for honing the team defense, restricting opposition scoring. It suited him then but doesn't now so he acts like some sort of game saviour?

*smile* off clarko. Your team is old and *smile* and despite being a shorter season is no chance of a flag. Lets hope you suffer through a long, slow rebuild.

 

[CarnTheTiges]

I have sympathy with this but reducing the size of the bench is not so much a rule change as a reversal of a rule change, remember 2 reserves? I do.

I do too. Let’s do away with the interchange and bring that back. How long do you reckon that’ll last before the media, who drive all this anyway, are screaming to do something about that, because it’s really not much fun watching a bunch of completely buggered players drag themselves around the field.

 

[zippadeee]

There's one stupid rule that needs to be changed.
You can handball 20 metres and it's called play on, but you can kick it 15 metres and the play can stop.

 

[DavidSSS]

I do too. Let’s do away with the interchange and bring that back. How long do you reckon that’ll last before the media, who drive all this anyway, are screaming to do something about that, because it’s really not much fun watching a bunch of completely buggered players drag themselves around the field.

Yeah, I only want to wind the clock back partially, I reckon interchange was a good rule change but do we really need 4?

Zip, 20 metres for a kick before it is a mark? That could work. Of course we would be relying on the umpires to be able to adjudicate it but it would certainly make a difference, and at 20 metres, when in doubt, kick too short.

DS

 

[BillyJean17]

It’s one of the more frustrating aspects of the game when a player is caught stone cold drops the ball and then is awarded a free for holding the man ,,,,Wingard in goal sq ,, appalling umpiring , if a player has enough time to turn that’s prior op done and dusted . Afl players get away with blue murder compared to Auskick

 

[tigertim]

A small article hidden in the HUN today.

“AFL players have been put on notice that they will be penalised for holding the ball if they continue deliberately absorbing tackles without trying to dispose of the ball.

Umpires coach Hayden Kennedy said the trend had risen since games restarted.

“Players must show a genuine attempt to dispose of the ball. In recent weeks they’ve had the tackle, the tackle took them to the ground then we,re quick to ball it up. We need to hold off and see what happens, especially in the one on one.”


Look out, it’ll be the rule of the week and the umpires will be red hot on it. The teams that don’t learn to quickly readjust will be penalised.