hawkman
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McEvoy and Ceglar got pinged every week for that. Gawn and Grundy were always able to get away with it
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cryptor
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- May 11, 2008
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The rule doesn’t say pushing is legal. It says:
“Straight-arm blocks will be permitted in a ruck contest, provided the player contests the ball”
So big rucks like Reeves who have got into the space under the drop of the ball are now allowed to protect their position by putting their arm out. As long as Reeves has the other arm up to try and tap the ball he’ll be sweet.
I know what it means, but you can be rest assured players will run with a straight arm, and it will end up like hands in the back, where it wasn't a hand, it was the wrist...
cryptor
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Sounds like a recipe for dislocating an elbow or shoulder
If Reeves watches the ball, the opposition ruck will just run his face into Reeves hand and, well "Hawthorn" - so clearly a free kick against.
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I don't think Geelong have given away Lorne yet. Selwood got Barwon Heads, Danger got Moggs Creek, quite a few of them shared Torquay and Jan Juc back in the day, I think Hawkins and Cameron got a country town each (not beach people), so Lorne is available as trade currency
Gold
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‘It’s a form of cheating’. Rucks develop late so there’s should be similar notice for rule change. Unless it’s a crisis like removing the metal plate in the centre bounce
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‘Rucklotto’ playerswait around when a ruck free is given cos no none except one person has a clue what will happen
And sometimes not even one
Strapping Young Lad
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Huh?
Yep I’m definitely not a fan of anyone that has to blow their own horn to be heard. Real greats let others do that for them.
Crankyhawk
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I think to equalise/ reduce advantage in event of an early injury
FB19
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Shhh. We aren’t allowed to talk about players weight anymore. They can’t handle it…
Ruck contests are such a crap shoot. what's the reason for all these technical rules? Why not just let the big boys push and block as much as they like? Just make it simple, NO HOLDING. You can shove someone away, you can block them out with an arm, but you can't grab their jumper or body. Same for marking contests.
Why do we ban "hands in the back" what's wrong with it.
Why do we ban "hands in the back" what's wrong with it.
H00t
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Hands in the back makes for a fair contest otherwise the person from behind could just always push the guy in front out of the way and there’s nothing the person in front can do.
It also limits injuries like Impey’s ACL where when you are pushed from behind especially in the air it can make landing very difficult.
As for ruck contests they become a game of skill between which ruck can get away with minor infractions to gain an edge in the contest.
cryptor
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Yeah and I've said it before, I don't see why ruck contests couldn't just have the exact same rules as a marking contest. Max Gawn is the only ruck in the league who seems to be confident that when a ruck infringement is called that he knows which way it's going (hint: his).
And they should just scrap the bounce. The shape of the ball introduces more than enough chaos to the game. Umpires shouldn't have the added pressure of having to provide a fair bounce by performing a skill. Just throw it straight up in the air and given rucks an equal chance to contest it.
KermitJagger
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I agree, bounce has gone the way of the dodo. Too many stuff ups that either impact the momentum of the game or are too line ball and don't get called back.
DogDaySonny
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I like the bounce because it is so unique to the game. Nothing comes close to the same degree of randomness. Maybe the drop of the puck in hockey is in the same spirit but that’s child’s play in comparison.
I know I’m on the long term losing side of the debate, but I think with the bounce that character counts more than precision.
I know I’m on the long term losing side of the debate, but I think with the bounce that character counts more than precision.
KermitJagger
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Aussie rules can effectively lose one unique thing. We've got the man with flags signalling goals and behinds, we've got 4 scoring posts, we're the only sport that awards points for a miss.
As it sits, the umpires hate the bounce, the players and attendees get frustrated with it and the only people who want it kept feel that way due to nostalgia.
DogDaySonny
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As I said, I know I’m on the long term losing side of this argument but them’s the breaks. It will be gone in a year or two and I can drown my melancholy in a few pints at the pub as we bitch and moan about the game becoming too American.
Middle Pocket
Rookie
As an ex ump (juniors) I'm aware how the way an umpire tosses up the ball can influence the outcome. A quickly made low throw give an advantage to the faster or closer ruck, a slowly done high toss favours a taller ruck or one that has to run further to get to the contest. Also the throw is usually not straight up but away from the ump's body, to allow a backward retreat, A ruck will know this and go to that position. These variables matter.
I like the bounce, then maybe just for the start of each quarter. Keeps it in the game.
Instead of the bounce let's try dropping the ball from a drone, it would still be a unique aspect of the game and still allow for some randomness.
- Mar 15, 2006
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I think, the umpires aren't full time. The bounce is good, but how long do they spend training it? How many bounces get called back for a throw anyway?
Spend that time consulting video, communicating with each other, being on the same page with interpretations.
Spend that time consulting video, communicating with each other, being on the same page with interpretations.
cryptor
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I'd bring it back to this. What is the point of the bounce? What is it trying to achieve?
I think most would agree it's to start the passage of play in a neutral way that ideally gives both teams a fair chance to compete for first possession.
Throwing it up is far more repeatable and consequently makes it far more predictable and fair. Umpires should still be trained to achieve a certain height with the throw but that's still easier to get right than with a bounce that has a narrow margin of error.
But I'll acknowledge that my definition of what is fair here does favour rucks who are bigger or more athletic. There is an argument that a bounce that might drift in any direction or achieve a more variable height allows for rucks who can react to that variability better a chance to shine. And that in itself is a skill.
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