Star fears players are exploiting dangerous tackle rule

ISAAC Smith has said he’s started to see examples of AFL players staging for free kicks amidst the dangerous tackle crackdown, predicting we could be in for “two or three years” of confusion.

Twenty-one players have been suspended for dangerous tackles in 2023, with just three successfully overturning a rough conduct charge at the AFL Tribunal.

In the absence of a notable rule change or an AFL executive putting their name to the crackdown, confusion has reigned king as players continue to get penalised.

But as an added side effect, the Cats star suggested players have started taking advantage of the new rules.

“The thing I don’t want to see, which I think I’m starting to see creep into the game, as a player, we understand we’ve got the responsibility to make sure we don’t injure an opposition player’s head but I feel like players, as players do, are starting to find little tricks or nuances to maybe draw a free kick from this,” he said one SEN’s Crunch Time.

“And you don’t want that to come into the game as well, because then we’re going to take one step forward and two steps back.

“So I think this is going to evolve over the next two or three years.”

Smith also gave his take on what an umpiring fix could be to find middle ground between officials and players.

But he further warned of a rule change that could change the essence of the game.

“I know tackles have gone up a lot over the year, but we don’t pay incorrect disposals anymore,” Smith said.

“If we blow the whistle quicker, if we pay incorrect disposal, which is an actual rule that’s been in the game forever and a day that we don’t pay anymore [we could start to fix this].”

“Not that I ever want it to come to this, but it feels like it’s going to get to the stage where players will not be able to take players to ground.”

Gerard Whateley replied, “It feels like we need the AFL to answer that question.”

– SEB MOTTRAM/ SEN