Chewy nailed it for mine. The MRP has applied a 'general play' lens to a ruck contest. It doesn’t work.
Most charges these days incorporate the notion of reasonable care. The argument in general play is that you have a duty not to injure your opponent if it can be avoided. Sandi is in a ruck contest, and that contest should be his focus. In fact, it should be his only focus. But coaches have increasingly deployed a third-man up strategy, which means now at any time some clown can come in from the side and put a knee into him. Even the umps are confused - often paying nonsense free kicks for blocking. Sandi now has to battle his ruckman, and look out for snipers coming in from 360 degrees.
If you ask me, the AFL has neglected its duty to protect ruckmen, which means now Sandi has to protect himself by taking his eyes off the contest. But, the first time Sandi looks away from the contest (and let’s be clear, he’s not looking directly at the glass-jawed Richmond bloke, but just honing in on movement to his side), and a bloke gets hurt, they suspend Sandi.
It’s bogus, and displays a lack of understanding about the game. Or at least about rucking. But that is probably a product of not having any ruckmen on the panel.
It’s times like this I wish we had an Eddie-type President who wasn’t afraid of rattling the cage. It would be much easier for someone as timid as Bondy to challenge knowing the groundwork was laid in pointing out what a travesty this is.
