2018 Rd 8: Post Game Passion: Carlton vs Essendon

[PaulP]

It's not temporary PaulP, it has always been part of football, sport, war, politics or just about any other organised conflict. You target the leaders!

My sons been a captain of footy teams on and off for years, and he's one of the smaller players on the field like Murphy. What enables him to contribute consistently are the actions of team-mates not the opposition. The opposition are always into him!

Things change and evolve. There are many things that were done in AFL/VFL footy before that are no longer possible.

And AFL footy isn't war - it's a multi billion dollar entertainment industry with highly trained sportspeople pretending to be gladiators for our collective entertainment.

The AFL is essentially a glorified mates competition - plenty of these guys go to school together, grow up in the same street, go to draft camp together, play on the same team before changing over, marry each other's sisters, rent houses together etc. You think they sit in the change rooms planning war ?

I'd like to see specific examples of the great recent teams (Hawks, Swans, Cats) repeatedly selecting one player to target for the whole game with this sort of carry on.

It's low brow - get it out of the game.

[crazyjoedevolamk11]

And I'm not really a fan of this habit Bolton has of occasionally targeting one player - first Mills at the Swans, then Ablett at GC, now Goddard. It's not a great look for the game, and it makes us look like we have no skilful way of winning, so we have to resort to this. I'm hoping it's just a temporary, growing pains arrangement.

You forgot Scicily Paul, personally, I don’t have a problem with this at all, always been a part of footy, gotta be strong in mind to play this game & if your teammates aren’t helping you out, then cop it sweet and try and get the pill

[dodge]

Paul, I kind of agree and know where you're coming from.

I don't think Goddard was treated nearly as much as Mills was - that was over the top.  The first qtr, maybe, but the second he was much more free.  It almost seemed as if a few players kind of remembered and instruction and half heartedly followed through after qtr time.

While not saying it is right - they were doing some ordinary things as well.

If players such as Goddard, Sicily and maybe Oliver behave like they do when a little comes back to them, of course teams are going to take that advantage.  Bet that Gawn won't be targetted...

Does it follow that if the physical is rubbed out, so is the verbal?  It appeared Bellchambers gave someone a mouthful after the first bounce was recalled.

[PaulP]

Paul, I kind of agree and know where you're coming from.

I don't think Goddard was treated nearly as much as Mills was - that was over the top.  The first qtr, maybe, but the second he was much more free.  It almost seemed as if a few players kind of remembered and instruction and half heartedly followed through after qtr time.

While not saying it is right - they were doing some ordinary things as well.

If players such as Goddard, Sicily and maybe Oliver behave like they do when a little comes back to them, of course teams are going to take that advantage.  Bet that Gawn won't be targetted...

Does it follow that if the physical is rubbed out, so is the verbal?  It appeared Bellchambers gave someone a mouthful after the first bounce was recalled.

I'm certainly not suggesting the Bomber are angels - far from it. It's an area of the game that I think needs to be cleaned up as I said. As a Carlton fan, I pay most attention to our games, and so would have more of what we do in mind, rather than what the other teams are doing.

The physical is more black and white for mine, the verbal sledging is more a grey area. However I do think this also needs looking into, as even though the players tell us that they know where the boundaries lie, they seem to transgress those boundaries far too often.

[PaulP]

You forgot Scicily Paul, personally, I don’t have a problem with this at all, always been a part of footy, gotta be strong in mind to play this game & if your teammates aren’t helping you out, then cop it sweet and try and get the pill

Yes, you're right, I did forget La Sicilia. Like I said, can anyone provide examples of any successful team employing this specific tactic i.e verbally and physically targeting one and only one player from the opposition for an entire game, and doing this a number of times against different opposition ?

[Lods]

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/alastai...5c2443cb8d

“I think there is a line in the sand to be drawn on it and that probably crossed it a little bit last week. But having said that, we can’t be too critical because we have been involved in that sort of stuff ourselves, every club does it at some point in time to try and influence or negate or curb the influence of a player from the opposition. Carlton did it particularly well last week.’’

Clarkson said Sicily would learn from the game, but conceded he was a player who played “on the edge” and the Hawks had to educate him on how he managed that in the future.

Mills, Sicily, Goddard...What was the result of each of those games?
We won't change the tactic.
Change will have to come from the AFL

[PaulP]

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/alastai...5c2443cb8d

Mills, Sicily, Goddard...What was the result of each of those games?
We won't change the tactic.
Change will have to come from the AFL

That much is certainly true.

[LP]

Yes, you're right, I did forget La Sicilia. Like I said, can anyone provide examples of any successful team employing this specific tactic i.e verbally and physically targeting one and only one player from the opposition for an entire game, and doing this a number of times against different opposition ?

Like the Dawks getting into StevieJ or Ablett Jnr?

When Brisbane used to target Bickley or Goodes?

Like when Robbo targeted Fletcher?

When just about any team we come up against targets Murphy!

It's been that way forever it's not something new at all, teams always identify key individuals and target them in whatever way they see fit within the rules!

[LP]

And AFL footy isn't war - it's a multi billion dollar entertainment industry with highly trained sportspeople pretending to be gladiators for our collective entertainment.

Money is the root of all evils, for greedy people money is worth going to war for in whatever circumstances they can orchestrate.

I'm sure we would all love some more idealistic approach, but it's nice the nice guys who win, go ask Cotchin!

[PaulP]

Like the Dawks getting into StevieJ or Ablett Jnr?

When Brisbane used to target Bickley or Goodes?

Like when Robbo targeted Fletcher?

When just about any team we come up against targets Murphy!

It's been that way forever it's not something new at all, teams always identify key individuals and target them in whatever way they see fit within the rules!

I'll take your word for it, but I don't recall any of those instances, and I don't recall of any of those being a single player being smacked and crashed into for an entire game.

So if all's fair in love and multi billion dollar entertainment, I guess there won't be any complaints on here when this sort of garbage is meted out to any of our young stars and leaders ?