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AFL gets tough on acting

By Mr Dandalooa

The AFL will take a tough stance on players who fake injuries or the brutality of a tackle by introducing a “staging” rule.

The hardline approach could see Aussie Rule players with a flair for acting in a bid to receive a free kick, hauled before a disciplinary tribunal and potentially fined thousands of dollars.

AFL umpiring director Jeff Gieschen and outgoing match review panel chairman Andrew McKay said the move came after clubs urged the league to take action on staging and teams with a propensity for diving.

While some suggest the game is already too sanitised, many would agree that there is nothing pretty about seeing a player reprimanded for a textbook tackle after a player faked a play to gain an advantage.

Immediately, the games of soccer and basketball spring to mind when players stage a dive to cheat a call from the unwitting umpire.

Players in the AFL deemed to be staging will face fines of up to $2,400 for a third offence.

AFL general manager of football operations, Adrian Anderson, said the decision was made after the annual review of tribunal decisions.

The AFL decided that the new rule would protect the spirit of the game, he said.

“If you have a look at sort of examples we’ve provided you know, I think one of them illustrates where the umpire paid a wrong free kick because he thought that there’d been contact but there wasn’t,” he said.

“You know, it’s a tough, hard sport and it’s got to remain that way.

“There’s always potential for controversy, especially in our game, and every time you make a decision there’s potential for controversy.

“We wouldn’t be making many decisions if we’re worried too much about that, we just have to decide what we think is important to protect the spirit of our game and we’ll do that. And yes there’s bound to be some controversy.”

While many supporters are fed up with the many rule changes endured by the AFL over the years, the AFL has very publicly moved to make the game more family friendly.

It is no secret that AFL boss Andrew Demetriou is concerned about that, and whether families will encourage their children to play other, less-physical sports because of the growing perception that Aussie Rules is too brutal or dangerous.

In its move to name and shame fakers, the AFL is on the PR offence by subtly suggesting that it’s approach, unlike that of soccer and to a lesser extent basketball, is much tougher.

Without naming names, the AFL has always had some level of thespian play and despite the new rule, it will continue to have this, like every other sport.

The key to this is though, the subjectivity of the nature of the rule.
Will the decisions be made retrospectively? What happens if one umpire believes one player and another doesn’t?

When a free kick is paid and it was not there, the call may result in a goal and in the end that goal may win that team the game of football. It’s been seen before.
Although this is a blight on the game, many people in AFL circle are sceptical about how well this could be policed.

On the flipside, it can be easier to detect players who “attempt” to take possession of the ball but they’re not really intent on getting the ball, and they may be more inclined to achieve body contact from the opposition player.

In that instance, umpires can easily get caught out by thinking that he’s tackled without possession of the football.

However, Gieschen said coaches felt that staging was a blight on the game, wasn’t in the spirit of the game, and was in fact detracting from the game.

He said staging a dive sometimes serves to create melees at times because players who don’t see it clearly think something has happened and they come in.

“The coaches drove, pretty much, that we needed to look at that situation,” he said

A second staging offence by a player will carry an $1800 fine, reduced to $1200 for an early plea, while a third offence will carry a $2400 or $1800 penalty.