If you're after proof that the bump is dead, look at the Pies v Suns match. With just under 9 minutes left in the 1st quarter, the ball was in the F50 for Collingwood and the hot potato landed in Brown's hands in a pack. He tried to handball it (I'm not convinced it was a legit handball, but no prior so play on) under pressure from Ballard. As the ball dribbled forward, Ballard fell into Brown's side and took him to the ground without tackling him. They fell to the ground and the umpire paid holding the man, even though he wasn't held and Ballard was entitled to knock him to the ground by a push to the side as the ball was within 5m.
Then Brown missed the shot. On the kickout, Jack Ginnivan was on the mark and closed on Lachie Weller as he ran out to the right from the goalsquare. Sam Collins had been standing close to goal and obviously was going to come in and try to shepherd Ginnivan to help out Weller. Ginnivan should have been aware that this was going to happen. However, as Lachie Weller went into his kicking motion, Ginnivan gave up on the chase just as Sam Collins came in and bumped him, meaning he went down like a sack of spuds. The bump was neither forceful nor illegal. Contact was made pretty much as Weller kicked the ball and definitely when the ball was less than 5m away. Sure enough, free to Ginnivan for an easy goal. So, within a few seconds, 2 free kicks were paid against defenders who bumped from the side. In both cases, Jason Dunstall was surprised the free kicks were paid. Nick Riewoldt tried to say it was the type of "blind side hit" the AFL was trying to get out of the game, though he lost a bit of steam when he saw the replay. (By the way, I can't see how it could be argued that this was a blind side hit given that Ginnivan should have known Sam Collins was standing where he was so he could deliver that bump).
Then when the ball made its way to the wing after the centre bounce, Brown took possession and tried to run past Farrar with the aid of a don't argue. Farrar stuck the tackle anyway but hit the ball as he was doing so and knocked it out. It should have been a free kick for holding the ball, but instead it was paid to Brown for holding the man. The commentators all agreed that it was just a bad decision. Boy oh boy, if that sequence of frees had been paid against us, this site would have melted down.
Then Brown missed the shot. On the kickout, Jack Ginnivan was on the mark and closed on Lachie Weller as he ran out to the right from the goalsquare. Sam Collins had been standing close to goal and obviously was going to come in and try to shepherd Ginnivan to help out Weller. Ginnivan should have been aware that this was going to happen. However, as Lachie Weller went into his kicking motion, Ginnivan gave up on the chase just as Sam Collins came in and bumped him, meaning he went down like a sack of spuds. The bump was neither forceful nor illegal. Contact was made pretty much as Weller kicked the ball and definitely when the ball was less than 5m away. Sure enough, free to Ginnivan for an easy goal. So, within a few seconds, 2 free kicks were paid against defenders who bumped from the side. In both cases, Jason Dunstall was surprised the free kicks were paid. Nick Riewoldt tried to say it was the type of "blind side hit" the AFL was trying to get out of the game, though he lost a bit of steam when he saw the replay. (By the way, I can't see how it could be argued that this was a blind side hit given that Ginnivan should have known Sam Collins was standing where he was so he could deliver that bump).
Then when the ball made its way to the wing after the centre bounce, Brown took possession and tried to run past Farrar with the aid of a don't argue. Farrar stuck the tackle anyway but hit the ball as he was doing so and knocked it out. It should have been a free kick for holding the ball, but instead it was paid to Brown for holding the man. The commentators all agreed that it was just a bad decision. Boy oh boy, if that sequence of frees had been paid against us, this site would have melted down.