Tackling

Football is a contact sport. Tackling is part of the game. If players do dumb things during tackles people can get injured.

Here’s a few tackles to have a look at:

• Heath Black copped a Reprimand and 93.75 demerit points (i.e. next time he’s charged he’s gone no-matter-what). McQualter wasn’t injured in the tackle.
• Byron Picket’s tackle on Cornes was deemed “not a reportable offence” by the MRP. Cornes was concussed.
• Byron Picket’s tackle on Kennelly wasn’t reported or assessed by Umpires or the MRP. Kennelly was out for 4 weeks with a knee injury from the tackle.

Nothing against Byron Pickett – he’s one of the games hard-nuts.

However, the AFL Match Review Panel and decides that Heaths tackle was “Rough Conduct”, but decided Byron’s two injury-inducing tackles weren’t worth looking at. Come ON!!!???!!!

These incidents were either all worth a charge/reprimand/suspension, or none of them were. Another example of MRP inconsistency.

Freo shafted again.

Round 9: Fremantle V St Kilda Match Review Panel Assessment: Heath Black, Fremantle, has been charged with engaging in rough conduct against Andrew McQualter, St Kilda, during the fourth quarter of the Round Nine match between Fremantle and St Kilda, played at Subiaco on Friday May 25, 2007. In summary, he can accept a reprimand and 93.75 points towards his future record with an early plea.The incident was assessed as negligent conduct (one point), low impact (one point) and body contact (one point). This is a total of three activation points, resulting in a classification of a Level One offence, drawing 125 demerit points and a one-match sanction. He has no existing good or bad record. An early plea reduces the sanction by 25 per cent to a reprimand and 93.75 points towards his future record. >Result: Reprimand + 93.75 demerit points
Round 5: Sydney V Melbourne Match Review Panel Assessment: None Result: Not Reviewed by MRP, No Charge
Round 6: Melbourne V Port Adelaide Match Review Panel Assessment: Contact between Melbourne’s Byron Pickett and Port Adelaide’s Kane Cornes from the fourth quarter of Sunday’s match was reviewed. It was the view of the panel that Pickett pinned both of Cornes’ arms and dropped his knees behind the Port Adelaide player’s body to take him to the ground. Cornes’ knees dug into the ground, which propelled both players forward and caused Cornes’ head to hit the ground. Pickett did not sling or drive Cornes into the ground[Ed: Are they blind??]. The forceful contact with the ground was due to both players’ momentum and while the action resulted in an injury to Cornes, which was unfortunate, it was not a reportable offence. Result: Reviewed by MRP, No Charge