Tackle king Jude Bolton fears tackles that bring opponents to the ground will go the way of the bump – an act done at the player’s peril.
Eight players have already been rubbed out for a combined total of 13 games across the first five rounds as part of a league-wide crackdown on head-high contact, prompting coaches to recognise the need for change when it comes to tackling.
While there is almost universal acceptance of the dangers of sling tackles where two motions are involved, there remains confusion among players over what constitutes a dangerous tackle. Zach Merrett failed to have a one-game ban overturned despite his tackle not involving a secondary action.
The bump was once a celebrated part of the game, but players are now told by coaches to avoid it due to the threat of suspension should there be head-high contact. An old school footballer with modern views on concussion and player safety, Bolton believes players who tackle opponents to the ground are now also running the gauntlet.
Essendon’s Zach Merrett was banned for one match for this tackle.Credit: AFL
“It feels like it’s heading that way,” Bolton said. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.
“I still love the physicality. Not every tackle results in a concussion and I don’t want to see a non-contact game. That’s not what I enjoy and I’m sure most of the fans don’t.
“We’ve got to do it within the parameters and make sure there’s player safety and make sure we keep the physicality. As long as we remove sling tackles with the dual action. Then if you feel like you’ve completely pinned two arms you’ve got a duty of care when you take them to ground. You’ve almost got to guide them down. I don’t know how you do that gently.”
Fierce tackles: Clayton Oliver, Will Day and Zach Merrett.Credit: Screen grabs
Under the league’s tribunal guidelines, a tackle where an arm(s) is pinned may be considered rough conduct as the tackled player is in a “vulnerable” position. But tackles that do not pin the arm make it easier for the ball-carrier to dispose of the ball.
Bolton, who once held the league record for most tackles since the stat was recorded, sympathises with modern players who must execute split-second tackles that do not risk injury knowing they would also be scrutinised by coaches if their opponent broke free.
“It’s a footy action and that’s getting suspended versus someone leaving the ground and bumping – you want to eradicate that,” Bolton said.
Sebastian Ross was “gang tackled” by three Collingwood opponents, including Taylor Adams.Credit: Twitter / afl.com.au
“I do grapple with it. How do you train for it, and how do you execute it in a game under pressure in desperation, the last opportunity to stymy a foray forward?
“Even in my day, they were taking ineffective tackles. You’d get your tackles, the raw numbers, and then look at how much the game opened because you didn’t pin that arm. It actually invites a secondary tackler if you don’t pin the arm, and it opens the game even more so.
“If you look back forensically at goals quite often it’s on the back of a missed tackle. It’s never been more important to execute it, but we also know the importance of player safety and the like. The game has a big decision around how they find a way forward on this.”
One assistant coach can see a time when coaches tell players not to finish a tackle. Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew said the game was almost at the point where players were discouraged from tackling opponents to the ground.
“If you choose to take a player to ground and they hit their head you’re putting yourself at risk, which, I think, is the right way to go,” Dew told Fox Footy’s AFL 360. “We need to protect the head as much as possible, we do need to adjust our coaching. There’s far too many [cases] in the first five rounds.”
