AFL Player # 7: Indefatigable Zach Merrett (c) - Interview with The Age - 20/9

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent 2027
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 10, I Remember Bluey

 

[fairbump_playon]

Live I thought he would get a week. Not a sling but drove the players head into the ground.

But the low impact / harm probably helps.

Borderline.

As for HUN.. Anzac Day is the biggest home and away game of the year… they won’t be backward in creating a narrative.

 

[boncer34]

Thanks Kyptastic for posting the video.

Could go either way, hopefully him walking away unscathed works.

 

[boncer34]

Ugh. If that’s a tackle then I give up

I mean he pins the arm and puts his head into the ground.

It's low impact but it's exactly what the AFL have said they don't want.

 

[carnthedons]

You'd hope so but they haven't announced the Friday night MRO stuff yet, including this kicking in danger thing from Shai Bolton that the talking heads reckon deserves a couple of weeks:

“He’ll get no benefit of the doubt”: Bolton to face MRO wrath for “awful” incident

“However this is graded is what he’s going to serve. (In) my personal view, he’ll serve two (weeks).”

www.sen.com.au

If you go to the AFL website and go to the news section, there's a sub-section of just Tribunal & MRO stuff where it should come up. There's usually one article for a whole day worth of games, but you only get an article if the MRO assessed at least one incident as being reportable out of all games that day. Nothing for Friday or Saturday yet.

View attachment 1662285

They said on the radio yesterday that no charges were laid from the Friday game, insufficient force from old mate Shai “Andy Lovett in a good team” Bolton

 

[Dave]

Jon Ralph

is a flog???!

 

[VelvetSledge]

I mean he pins the arm and puts his head into the ground.

It's low impact but it's exactly what the AFL have said they don't want.

Is his arm pinned though? Looks like he’s trying to fend Zach off with his elbow if anything.

Far out I wish this was cut and dry. Every single week seems like it’s a guessing game

 

[boncer34]

Is his arm pinned though? Looks like he’s trying to fend Zach off with his elbow if anything.

Far out I wish this was cut and dry. Every single week seems like it’s a guessing game

Yes. Him trying to force Zach's arm off doesn't mean Zach hasn't pinned him.

 

[Dave]

I mean he pins the arm and puts his head into the ground.

It's low impact but it's exactly what the AFL have said they don't want.

My recollection is that it’s when both of a players arms are pinned, leaving them no way to protect themselves. In this case one of Sparrow’s arms was free, and it also wasn’t the the sling/slam tackle we’ve seen players cop bans for. Sometimes a player will hit their head when tackled without it being the tackling player’s fault.

 

[boncer34]

My recollection is that it’s when both of a players arms are pinned, leaving them no way to protect themselves. In this case one of Sparrow’s arms was free, and it also wasn’t the the sling/slam tackle we’ve seen players cop bans for. Sometimes a player will hit their head when tackled without it being the tackling player’s fault.

Problem is his free arm had the ball. I've seen instructional videos that says in that case it's considered that the player can't protect themselves.

 

[TheGrizz]

I cringed live and was surprised it wasn't a free.

It will be interesting to see what it gets.

 

[Dave]

I cringed live and was surprised it wasn't a free.

It will be interesting to see what it gets.

A free kick was paid??

 

[TheGrizz]

A free kick was paid??

For the initial high contact, not the dump.

 

[Beerfish]

Ralph reckons it's a week

 

[Megabattimus]

They just showed the replay on Fox and yeah...it looks rough. Wouldn't blame the MRO at all if they gave him a week.

End of the day, the umpires have gotta be quicker on the whistle. Blowing the whistle before the player gets dumped or taken to ground would prevent a lot of these dangerous tackles.

On SM-G920I using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Lore]

For the initial high contact, not the dump.

They pay the first free, which the high tackle came first. If they paid two for the same action it'd be 50 I guess but they don't ever do that afaik

 

[Lore]

So it would have to qualify under the arm(s) pinned thing right? He's not lifted, speared, slung, rotated, driven into the ground. There's no second action. So the only one it fits would be if the player is in a vulnerable position and can't protect himself

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2023/03/01/9c9bdc05-2377-4ffb-a8a0-885835edcaf1/2023-AFL-Tribunal-Guidelines.pdf

 

[jmoo wan]

Ugh. If that’s a tackle then I give up

it’s definitely a tackle my man

 

[Happyskeret]

If he does go for a week Hobbs would come into the team no doubt.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Yeah don’t see him getting away with it

 

[DallasCrane316]

View attachment 1662451

So it would have to qualify under the arm(s) pinned thing right? He's not lifted, speared, slung, rotated, driven into the ground. There's no second action. So the only one it fits would be if the player is in a vulnerable position and can't protect himself

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2023/03/01/9c9bdc05-2377-4ffb-a8a0-885835edcaf1/2023-AFL-Tribunal-Guidelines.pdf

And it looks like Merrett was underneath him on the ground which would have minimised the impact

 

[Lore]

49 minutes 20 seconds Heeney tackles Caldwell;

Match Replay: Essendon v Sydney

The Bombers and Swans clash in round 16 of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season

www.afl.com.au

That's the example from the 2023 Tribunal handbook for low impact:


I assume the reason for this being low impact is that his ball holding arm is pinned and the other one is free...

and he got up and walked away

 

[Lore]

And it looks like Merrett was underneath him on the ground which would have minimised the impact
View attachment 1662477

aye AFL Player - # 7: Indefatigable Zach Merrett (c) - tackled some bloke

 

[Stopher]

I still think the incident occurring as play is stopped could still be a factor.

 

[Stopher]

Not surprised at all if Christian slaps a week on him, but there's plenty of opportunities to challenge that down to a fine IMO

 

[Lore]

I still think the incident occurring as play is stopped could still be a factor.

The whistle went when Merrett already had him wrapped up but before they'd completely fallen over. If he'd let go they'd probably still have fallen over, but without Zach holding him the other bloke would probably have... fallen and smacked his head on the ground, instead of landing on Zach, such was his intent to cuddle the ball instead of protecting himself.