Wednesday, May 7, 2014: Fixing the game...

This is all Lindsay Thomas' fault. Way back in round one 2013, Thomas laid an attempted hip and shoulder on Collingwood's Ben Reid. The hit itself was fair, but the resulting headclash left a bloodied Reid staggering from Etihad Stadium. Thomas, aside from the chorus of boos that followed him for the rest of that day, escaped unpunished. That was where it all started; ever since, the rules have been in chaos.

Part of this was a survey in this years pre-season, where 85% of clubs said that Thomas should have been suspended. The league reacted with the new interpretation, if you bump and hit the head, you're gone. It made sense if you wanted to reduce head injuries, because all of a sudden the risk of bumping someone was high enough to effect the split second decisions of the players. But it also created a fair bit of angst, because intrinsically it doesn't sit right with footy fans to punish someone for what was, ultimately, an accident. Alas, poor Jack Viney joins Nat Fyfe as the two players who have paid the price for Thomas' cheap shot.

So last night, as we do every Tuesday at Smother House, we put on our wigs and grabbed our gavels and sat down for a game of mock tribunal. This time was different though, because rather than divulging into a slanging match and eventual James Packer brawling, we came up with a solution. And we're taking it all the way to the top.

If you watch the contentious Thomas' bump, you'll notice a subtle yet important difference between it and the Fyfe and Viney incidents; the ball. This doesn't need a complete overhaul of the game, nor should it require a boycott or protest. It would please both the clubs and supporters if Thomas' cheap shot was punished, without requiring Fyfe or Viney to perform fine mathematical judgements whilst running full tilt into a rather large athlete. We just need to tweak the rules, something like: If you elect to bump a player who is not in possession of the ball, the onus is on you to to protect the head. The same rules would still apply to anyone who deliberately hits someone high while they are in possession of the ball.

This is the fastest and cleanest way to prevent the softening up of the game, we only hope the right people read it.

In the news...
It's all bump stuff today and we can't be bothered. Just share this blog and save the league.