- Jan 19, 2014
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I'll have to think on a more detailed response.Well for a start I don’t subscribe to the view that the bump is dead. Just that it can't be used in a way that creates a real risk of head injury. And is the bump such an integral part of the game anyway? The shirtfront used to be legal. It's still not outlawed by name but any bump, shepherd or tackle that puts an exposed player at risk of serious injury (usually because he's focussed on the ball and not braced for impact) is not in the spirit or best interests of the game anyway. Especially head injury which has such life-altering consequences. Old timers might have loved the way that Kozzie Pickett cleaned up Bailey Smith but IMO both players are lucky that Smith didn't end up in hospital. I'm happy to see that type of play stamped out.
How would helmets kill the game?
I suspect you're not being serious, but if you are, do you really need me to answer that?
There are so many ways it would alter the game completely. It's nothing to do with bumping with or without helmets on. It's that they would all have to wear the things and everything they do would be affected. Perhaps even their peripheral vision, their centre of gravity and their balance, which would alter the entire dynamic of a match, the fast plays, the ball movement, the finger tip control. What chance we'd ever see Jamie Elliott soar into the air for the sort of speccy he took on ANZAC Day? I surely don't need to go on.
It would be just too much of a price to pay just to allow players to continue to bump. The game would be unrecognisable. And the players would be unrecognisable too!
So A-League would be more attractive to watch. At least until such time as concern about CTE from headers causes the soccer authorities to mandate helmets.
On reflection we might be better introducing a hybrid form of AFL with limited ability to bump or tackle. Maybe we could call it ... ummm ... Gaelic Football?
And one last point: there's an ongoing debate about how effective helmets are at preventing concussions and CTE anyway. Soft shells probably don't do much to help. And hard-shell helmeted NFL players are still getting life-changing, life-shortening CTE.
Currently the beers are kicking in and no helmet ever constructed is going to save me