Adolf Anderson...I am never wrong....
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 8:00 am
.....and even when I am you can all get stuffed...I won't admit it. Must go to the Rodents school of Public manipulation.
"AFL stays firm on pushing rule despite backlash
Rohan Connolly
March 6, 2007
IF YOU don't like it, shove it. That's the message the AFL sent yesterday to the increasingly vocal chorus of coaches demanding the controversial new hands-in-the-back umpiring interpretation be scrapped.
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said last night there would be no backtracking by the league on its stricter policing of the push-in-the-back rule, despite the growing agitation of coaches in charge of players struggling to come to grips with the new order.
"We're not going to change any rules or interpretations on the eve of a season," Anderson said. "We've followed a detailed and thorough consultative process with coaches and a variety of other people in the game have provided their input, and we will seek the input of coaches and various others at the end of this season, like we did last season."
Sydney coach Paul Roos has called on the AFL Coaches Association to demand the interpretation be thrown out when it meets on March 20, and has support from Richmond counterpart Terry Wallace, while Mick Malthouse, Kevin Sheedy and Rodney Eade all recently have voiced their concerns.
The association yesterday sent a survey to its members on the issue, the results of which chief executive Peter Allen said most likely would be presented to the league. "If the majority view is they're unhappy with it, then we will ask the AFL to revisit the rule and ask for a meeting with Adrian Anderson," Allen said.
Collingwood defender James Clement, a stern critic of the new policy (its your fault cheat), and who along with Essendon's Mal Michael and Richmond veteran Darren Gaspar has been identified as one of the most likely victims of the new interpretation, yesterday called on the AFL Players Association to lend its support.
"I think it's a smart move by the coaches association, and I think the players' association could probably put their hand up as well and objectively sit down with the AFL at the end of the NAB pre-season competition and talk about rule changes, what's worked and what hasn't, and maybe come to some compromise," he said.
"You would like to think the AFL would at least listen to everyone's case and look at it objectively, and if there was a scenario where the rules weren't working and that a majority of players, coaches, officials at clubs and spectators didn't like the rule changes, then they would probably wind them back."
But Anderson, who sought input from the coaches before the new interpretation was announced last November, said the time for debate had come and gone.
"Every coach had the opportunity to comment on the interpretation before it was introduced, and most clubs and players have adapted professionally and well," he said.
Anderson said an average of only 1.1 free kicks per team had been paid under the new interpretation so far during the NAB Cup, with only eight free kicks recorded during last weekend's quarter-finals.
"The players are adapting well, and it's a credit to the vast majority of players and coaches how well they have adapted," he said.
Clement, Collingwood's vice-captain and dual All-Australian and best-and-fairest winner, doubted whether former Carlton champion full-back Stephen Silvagni would get a game in the new environment.
"I think the way the game has evolved, people have started using their bodies, and I suppose hands are part of that," he said.
"You talk about the AFL game being over 100 years old, and how great that game is … the AFL decided to put together a team of the century, and they saw fit that the best full-back in 100 years was Stephen Silvagni, and if he couldn't use his hands, then I'd suggest he wouldn't be full-back of the century, and probably wouldn't be getting a game these days."
But his call to the players association to involve itself in the row is unlikely to be heeded. AFLPA chief executive Brendon Gale, who is on the AFL rules committee, said while sympathetic to the plight of players struggling with the new interpretation, he doubted whether the player union had the mechanisms in place to make an immediate difference."
"AFL stays firm on pushing rule despite backlash
Rohan Connolly
March 6, 2007
IF YOU don't like it, shove it. That's the message the AFL sent yesterday to the increasingly vocal chorus of coaches demanding the controversial new hands-in-the-back umpiring interpretation be scrapped.
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said last night there would be no backtracking by the league on its stricter policing of the push-in-the-back rule, despite the growing agitation of coaches in charge of players struggling to come to grips with the new order.
"We're not going to change any rules or interpretations on the eve of a season," Anderson said. "We've followed a detailed and thorough consultative process with coaches and a variety of other people in the game have provided their input, and we will seek the input of coaches and various others at the end of this season, like we did last season."
Sydney coach Paul Roos has called on the AFL Coaches Association to demand the interpretation be thrown out when it meets on March 20, and has support from Richmond counterpart Terry Wallace, while Mick Malthouse, Kevin Sheedy and Rodney Eade all recently have voiced their concerns.
The association yesterday sent a survey to its members on the issue, the results of which chief executive Peter Allen said most likely would be presented to the league. "If the majority view is they're unhappy with it, then we will ask the AFL to revisit the rule and ask for a meeting with Adrian Anderson," Allen said.
Collingwood defender James Clement, a stern critic of the new policy (its your fault cheat), and who along with Essendon's Mal Michael and Richmond veteran Darren Gaspar has been identified as one of the most likely victims of the new interpretation, yesterday called on the AFL Players Association to lend its support.
"I think it's a smart move by the coaches association, and I think the players' association could probably put their hand up as well and objectively sit down with the AFL at the end of the NAB pre-season competition and talk about rule changes, what's worked and what hasn't, and maybe come to some compromise," he said.
"You would like to think the AFL would at least listen to everyone's case and look at it objectively, and if there was a scenario where the rules weren't working and that a majority of players, coaches, officials at clubs and spectators didn't like the rule changes, then they would probably wind them back."
But Anderson, who sought input from the coaches before the new interpretation was announced last November, said the time for debate had come and gone.
"Every coach had the opportunity to comment on the interpretation before it was introduced, and most clubs and players have adapted professionally and well," he said.
Anderson said an average of only 1.1 free kicks per team had been paid under the new interpretation so far during the NAB Cup, with only eight free kicks recorded during last weekend's quarter-finals.
"The players are adapting well, and it's a credit to the vast majority of players and coaches how well they have adapted," he said.
Clement, Collingwood's vice-captain and dual All-Australian and best-and-fairest winner, doubted whether former Carlton champion full-back Stephen Silvagni would get a game in the new environment.
"I think the way the game has evolved, people have started using their bodies, and I suppose hands are part of that," he said.
"You talk about the AFL game being over 100 years old, and how great that game is … the AFL decided to put together a team of the century, and they saw fit that the best full-back in 100 years was Stephen Silvagni, and if he couldn't use his hands, then I'd suggest he wouldn't be full-back of the century, and probably wouldn't be getting a game these days."
But his call to the players association to involve itself in the row is unlikely to be heeded. AFLPA chief executive Brendon Gale, who is on the AFL rules committee, said while sympathetic to the plight of players struggling with the new interpretation, he doubted whether the player union had the mechanisms in place to make an immediate difference."