(05-23-2021, 10:46 AM)Gointocarlton link Wrote:Plowman got 2 weeks for the bump on JOM so he is a definite out.Interesting one. Ordinarily, the issue of choosing to bump arises when a player hits an opponent who has the ball rather than tackling, or hits a player trying to gather a ground ball. This was a marking contest. Mitchell had kicked long and it was heading straight towards Plowman who was running towards the ball drop. JOM was running laterally and their paths were destined to intersect at right-angles. Plowman was entitled to sprint towards the ball: JOM had no right of way even though he was presumably Mitchell’s target. It was only in the last 1-2 strides (I.e. in the last split-second) that Plowman’s left arm drops down and he turns his shoulder to brace for impact. He didn’t “choose to bump”. The question really is whether he should or could have put on the brakes to minimise the impact or deviated. And in a football sense, could he really have deviated and allowed JOM to mark on the run and run unchecked into our D50?
Should Plowman be punished for bracing for impact? The main benefit of that choice was enjoyed by Plowman. But he minimised or eliminated the risk of a big head clash by keeping a half-shoulder distance between their heads. We saw with Dangerfield that 2 players crashing into each other at an angle can lead to severe concussion for one or both. And if Plowman had instead put his elbows up in preparation for a chest mark, the impact may have been much worse.
The umpires on field adjudged it a footy collision and no free was paid.
When we rebounded the ball and kicked long inside 50, Betts and Frost were sprinting laterally across the ground but directly towards each other. It could have been a massive collision, but Eddie ran slightly to the right of the incoming Frost and the impact was minimal. If they’d collided, would Frost have been in trouble if Eddie had been concussed?
Unfortunately, marking contests are inherently dangerous when players approach at pace. The guts needed draws admiration but shouldn’t always draw a free kick or a report. I remember a game in which Fev flew into a pack with the knee up (and the stops down) in a classic power forward move. He launched upwards and took the mark. Unfortunately, a Tigers player ran into the pack with the flight of the ball and Fev’s knee went smack into his face. And the umpire paid a free kick against Fev. You shouldn’t get a free kick simply because you show reckless disregard for your own safety and get yourself hurt.
JOM should be lauded for his guts in keeping his eyes on the ball and running in from the side when it was fair to assume there’d be contact. But at best he should have drawn a free.