tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230735942025-03-25T13:46:06.578+11:00Murph’s occasional blog on issues in Australian Rules football. . .Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger615125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-55298827317230941642016-08-25T09:35:00.001+10:002016-08-25T09:35:46.048+10:00

North Melbourne Football Club has torn itself a new one this week. The last-minute announcement of no contract extensions for four of its veterans has to be the most-botched player management and public relations exercise in AFL/VFL history. What were they thinking? It’s telling that none of the four were aware of their fate until the day before the axe fell. That means, despite the coach’s

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-90480887966510334542016-06-01T23:06:00.000+10:002016-06-01T23:06:17.517+10:00

The furore this week over free kicks for tackles over the shoulders need not have happened. That it has is down to the AFL's long-standing tradition of using a wrecking ball to remove a mosquito. Years ago, in response to increasing instances of head injuries, the game's lawmakers declared players' heads sacrosanct. No action that involved contact above the shoulders would be tolerated, not even

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-31467798542780632632016-05-19T17:50:00.000+10:002016-05-19T17:50:24.848+10:00

The now-infamous Mason Wood shot clock wait has forced the AFL to make a change to shot clock arrangements for the balance of the season. The shot clock will not be seen on the large screens at AFL grounds during the final two minutes of each quarter, according to AFL operations boss Mark Evans. AussieRulesBlog has mixed feelings about these issues. The Mason Wood scenario, with the player

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-45858058996709569622016-05-08T17:59:00.002+10:002016-05-08T17:59:48.414+10:00

It was an ugly way to finish an otherwise fantastic game of Aussie Rules tonight, with a Kangaroos player waiting for the countdown clock to expire at the end of the game. AussieRulesBlog has never liked countdown clocks being available at the game to competing teams. Putting the goalkicking countdown clock on the screen for players to see removes much of the tension in a game, and could,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-38071239047688328832016-04-03T08:35:00.000+10:002016-04-03T08:35:57.988+10:00

Revelations from Neil Balme late in the week that football “journalist” Mark Robinson had manufactured his story about Barcode players testing positive for illicit drugs in off-season didn't surprise AussieRulesBlog. But it’s good to see a move toward holding journalists to account for their stories. Following Balme's statement, it emerged that the Barcodes’ playing group had decided to “ban”

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-34246225499024650692016-03-31T09:42:00.002+11:002016-03-31T09:42:56.575+11:00

Last week’s story by Mark Robinson on out-of-season hair testing for illicit drug use is, unwittingly, shining the spotlight on the AFL’s confidentiality problem. Under the agreement struck between the AFL and the AFLPA, the results of the testing are treated as confidential individual health information. As such, the results, and presumably names, are available to club doctors, and, presumably

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-41700967364868516962016-03-11T09:11:00.001+11:002016-03-11T09:11:30.442+11:00

We watched the Richmond-Port Adelaide pre-season practice game on Foxtel last night and couldn't believe our ears near the end. It was a spirited affair throughout, with the Tigers’ abysmal skills — and, it must be said, a mounting in-game injury toll — contributing to their inability to compete with Port. Halfway through the last quarter, with Port well ahead, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-43042637832932205942016-02-26T21:31:00.001+11:002016-02-26T21:31:34.662+11:00

We're watching the Cats and Barcodes going around on the second weekend of preseason, and it just occurred to us that something is missing. The concept of having every scoring decision correct  isn't a bad one, but when it means a minute or more of slow motion replay it becomes a needless distraction. It has been noticeable (eventually) that the game is not being interrupted to check every

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-48763960789054862282016-02-23T13:41:00.002+11:002016-02-23T13:41:50.846+11:00

According to The Age's chief football writer, "The embarrassing oversight that has seen Alastair Clarkson not once named the AFL's coach of the year has led to a policy change by the games's coaching body." Why is it embarrassing? Sure, his team has won three AFL Premierships on the trot — a not insignificant achievement — but should a premiership automatically qualify Clarkson to win the award?

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-89243681050998472212016-02-22T23:35:00.001+11:002016-02-22T23:36:20.646+11:00

AussieRulesBlog has been lucky enough to see all but one of this first week's games via our pay-TV service. Our initial view that the game had changed has been vindicated. These are practice games and most teams will be holding something in reserve. Nevertheless, the standard has been good mostly with all teams giving fans something to look forward to. For some it was a competitive quarter by a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-50212622605943772142016-02-22T14:38:00.001+11:002016-02-22T14:38:50.307+11:00

Much bleating on social media and elsewhere about the week’s holiday being offered to Docker giant, Aaron Sandilands, but the MRP are following a well-established practice. Sandilands can’t be blamed for being head and shoulders above the rest of the competition, at least in stature, but he erred on two counts. Firstly, Griffiths wasn’t his ruck opponent, and second, having chosen to bump, he (

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-84058189687074298032016-02-18T23:55:00.000+11:002016-02-18T23:55:47.670+11:00

Watching the opening game of the 2016 pre-season tonight, one thing stood out — the change in tackling intention. It might be that the umpiring department have got onto something that will improve the game we watch every week. In the lead-up to the game, it was made quite clear, though the media, that the umpires would strictly police slinging tackles. AussieRulesBlog sees that as a real plus,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-62402153201094082432016-02-18T12:02:00.000+11:002016-02-18T12:03:05.755+11:00

At first glance, Mick Malthouse’s reported $1 million price tag to manage the twelve suspended Bombers (and three at other Melbourne clubs?) for the 2016 season is a steep one. If Paul Little steps in and picks up the tab, it's a no-brainer. But even if the players funded it themselves, there's more upside than down. While there’s plenty of precedent for players missing a year of football and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-62986026914131503142016-01-20T10:30:00.002+11:002016-01-20T10:30:36.743+11:00

Former ASADA chief Richard Ings’ condemnation of Essendon’s recruitment of former Docker Ryan Crowley says there can be no absolution for past sins. For non-Twitterati, Ings’ tweet yesterday was :“Coming right out of a doping ban, Ryan Crowley signed by EFC as replacement for one of 12 banned for doping offenses. I do give up.” and a little later: “ IMO time served is of course the end of a ban.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-66227529368942376052016-01-14T16:59:00.000+11:002016-01-14T16:59:02.900+11:00

AussieRulesBlog wonders how much disincentive the $5,000 suspended fine imposed on Dustin Martin by Richmond is to the young man. The fine was imposed after Victoria Police announced there would be no criminal prosecution out of Martin’s altercation with another restaurant patron. The suspended fine apparently relates to him drinking to excess, and thus contravening the [internal?] player code

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-5421602233833722622016-01-12T18:11:00.000+11:002016-01-12T18:16:28.007+11:00

Whereas the AFL Drug Tribunal focused on whether Essendon players had been administered thymosin-beta 4 or not, the Court of Arbitration for Sport focused on what the players hadn't done. The difference between comission and omission — that pesky c — is the difference that saw the thirty-four past and present Essendon players banned today. In the absence of positive drug testing results, the AFL

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-72352820998319228752016-01-12T09:05:00.000+11:002016-01-12T09:05:30.936+11:00

The decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport to suspend thirty-four past and present Essendon players over the 2012 supplements program is a decision with a world sport perspective. The anti-doping regime could not afford a no-fault defence to succeed. Morally, the suspension of the players for an entire season is indefensible, but this decision has nothing to do with the rights or wrongs

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-45478882004019217722015-12-28T18:25:00.000+11:002015-12-28T18:26:27.402+11:00

The Australian media coverage of Jarryd Hayne’s quest to win a place in America’s National Football League has, mostly, displayed an alarming lack of knowledge of the American game. AussieRulesBlog isn’t suggesting that all Australian sports writers have to become experts in the NFL. Rather, we contend that only those who have a more than passing knowledge of the game be tasked with writing on

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-85861605791090706402015-03-18T22:33:00.002+11:002015-03-18T22:33:42.763+11:00

Well, our cup will runneth over if the reports in the mainstream media prove to be  reasonably accurate. "... while the PA system will be used to relay umpiring and score review explanations." says The Age reporting on revamps to the "fan experience" at the Docklands stadium. We're keeping our powder dry — to mix metaphors wildly — until our eyes or ears prove that this is a meaningful

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-70231794229882140982015-03-16T12:48:00.001+11:002015-03-16T12:48:06.615+11:00

We haven't watched a great deal of the meaningless pre-season practice games, but one incident from the weekend's games has struck a chord for AussieRulesBlog. Carlton's Chris Yarran was tackled, in the third quarter if we recollect properly, was spun in the tackle and managed to get a handball off. Yarran and the TV prognosticators were bemused when one of the four field umpires paid a free

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-72838517174685863832015-02-22T10:36:00.000+11:002015-02-22T10:36:07.131+11:00

Two reports in recent days lead AussieRulesBlog to reflect on sportspeople and the expectations that seem to automatically attach to them. We were a strong supporter of Karmichael Hunt in his code-crossing venture to the Gold Coast Suns in the AFL. On-field, you couldn't have asked more of a man whose body was clearly not suited to a 360-degree running game. There can be no doubt that he gave

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-37704082525425287912015-02-13T17:57:00.002+11:002015-02-13T17:57:22.102+11:00

Sorry, couldn't resist after seeing this fairytale — touted by The Age on it's site as an enticement to read — Essendon makes mockery of pre-season comp . The only mockery is of The Age's Chief Football Fantasist.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-85537950196100034772015-02-13T16:40:00.000+11:002015-02-13T16:42:07.824+11:00

Once again, the Queen of Speculation has been proved to have put her delicate hoof into her mouth. Essendon's ongoing refusal to make itself available for the AFL's pre-season challenge . . . Essendon Chairman Paul Little issued a statement today. In part, he said, At no stage has the Club refused to take part in the NAB Challenge competition. We needed to carefully consider the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-81424385325756269202015-02-11T22:45:00.001+11:002015-02-11T22:46:52.624+11:00

The Age's 'chief football writer' has much in common with the nation's Prime Minister — she fudges, forgets and misrepresents to fit whatever point she decides is appropriate. Facts are, for these two, a mildly inconvenient irrelevancy. Today's story in The Age (Essendon's refusal to play is making a mockery of the pre-season competition) amply serves to demonstrate. Essendon's ongoing refusal

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23073594.post-17914248123542504482015-02-10T10:39:00.000+11:002015-02-10T10:39:19.962+11:00

"McLachlan yesterday said reports he was considering a change from day to twilight [for the Grand Final] were incorrect." (see http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-chief-executive-gillon-mclachlan-says-league-not-looking-at-possibility-of-twilight-or-night-grand-final-timeslot/story-fnelctok-1227213813347) So much for the drivel written by the Queen of Speculation a few days ago . . .

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0