Bevo: change ducking unfair
WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has called the AFL crackdown on players ducking for free kicks “another flinch” and said players going hardest to win the football should not be “victimised”.
On Tuesday the AFL sent a memo to all clubs emphasising a directive to umpires to not reward players who duck, drop or shrug into a tackle to draw high contact with a free kick.
Citing Geelong captain Joel Selwood as a prime example of someone who earns free kicks by being “hardest at the football in the competition”, Beveridge said that sort of attitude shouldn’t be penalised.
“My point of view is let’s not change the game and the interpretations that have been there forever,” he said. “It’s another flinch. Just reward the player who is hardest at the football and let’s not victimise that behaviour. It should be rewarded, not penalised.
“Just leave it as it is. Reward the player who has his head over the footy.
“Ultimately, penalise the guy who hasn’t tackled like he should have tackled. I’m happy for the ones that are right on the edge or marginal to play on.
“But let’s not change things again. Reward the player that goes harder at the football.”
But Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin threw his support behind the crackdown, despite one of his players being caught up in the controversy.
But it was identified as incorrectly adjudicated and Kysaiah Pickett was responsible for the high contact after dropping his shoulders so the taller opponent took him high. “Play on” should’ve been called.
Goodwin said that specific area of the game was “tough to adjudicate” but also incidents of players ducking for free kicks needed to be eradicated from the game.
“We’ll show our players and educate our players. It’s not something that we coach within our playing group,” he said on Wednesday. “I think it’s fantastic (the AFL) have been able to come out and say ‘this is what they are going to be focusing on from an umpiring perspective’. And no doubt it’s challenging for umpires.
“I don’t think it’s a great look for our game where we try and draw free kicks, but it’s a tough thing to umpire.
“For them to come out and send a message … and we can pass that message on to players, hopefully we can try and eradicate that stuff from the game.”