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Shepherding (Australian rules football)
Encyclopedia
Shepherding is a tactic and skill in Australian rules football
, a team sport.
Shepherding is the act of legally obstructing or preventing an opposing player from gaining possession of the ball or reaching the contest.
The term originates from the word shepherd
, someone who influences the movement of sheep in a paddock
. Through shepherding, Australian football players are able to influence the movement of their opponents.
The prevalence of shepherding is distinctive in Australian rules football as it is an illegal form of play in many other codes of football where it is subject to obstruction rules. It is completely banned in soccer. Even full contact rugby football
codes and ice hockey
(body checking
) which allow such contact only on a player in possession, as does gaelic football
. The concept of shepherding, however, is very similar to blocking
in American Football
.
Under the Laws of Australian Football
, a player can block or obstruct any opposition player at any time, with the exception of contests where players contest the ball in the air, viz. marking contests and ruck contests. In such contests, all players are allowed to contest the ball and a free kick
is paid against a player who is seen to shepherd an opponent; in practice, this rule is inconsistently applied, and free kicks are paid only against blatant shepherds by a player whose eyes are not on the ball. Players may not make high or low contact during a shepherd, nor hold their opponents; free kicks should result from any of these infractions. Nevertheless, there have been a number of incidents in the professional Australian Football League
which have caused controversy and caused the rules regarding shepherding to be reviewed.
Shepherding is classified as a "one percenter
" skill and is an important aspect of team play.
Because shepherding can be applied regardless of whether the player is in possession, this gives players the choice of "playing the man" and not the ball. In circumstances where two players contest a loose ball, a player in an inferior position or with a weight advantage might decide to take his opponent out first and then to retrieve the ball. Others, however, may have no intentions for the ball at all and simply aim to hurt their opponent. Although correct technique can be taught, given the high speed all directional nature of the game, the decision to make the ball the primary objective and the execution of a bump is often a split second tactical decision and left to player instinct. The decision process effects the way players are perceived. A player may be commended for their protection of their teammates, setting up play and controlled aggression. At the same time players who bump but do not contest the ball too often can be seen by some as "dirty" and unsportsmanlike (See "Australian rules football culture
").
.
As bumps can cause serious injury, there are rules to protect players, particularly to protect the head of a player being bumped. A bumping player's feet should not leave the ground, and a player may not bump an opposition player if both of their feet have left the ground. Mid air collisions can happen in a marking contest when both players are committed to the ball, however these collisions are considered accidental or incidental when both players make either the ball or the man their primary objective.
Although arm contact is allowed whilst shepherding, no contact can be made with the head of an opponent whilst bumping. Stray elbows can be extremely dangerous. Typically, if any high contact is made in a bump, a free kick
is paid to the player who is infringed. Decades ago in the VFL/AFL, there were less strict rules on bumping, and hard bumps, particularly on players with their head over the ball could often send players to hospital with concussions and broken bones. The bones, particularly of the hip are extremely hard and can cause plenty of damage, although some players who frequently bump other players can later suffer hip complications. Incidental clashes of heads can sometimes happen when players bump or collide at full speed and this can cause serious head and or facial injuries.
An aggressive front-on bump is often called a shirt front and is an illegal and reportable offense (but again, often subject to interpretation). In some cases, for example, both players will charge each other, sometimes in opposite directions, resulting in a high impact collision. Other times, both players charge at each other with full commitment to the ball. Also, a player with the ball may aggressively bump opponents that are attempting to tackle them. These incidents are generally not reportable.
Bumps can come from any direction and are often unexpected by a recipient. Playing the game therefore requires considerable courage, as little padding is worn by players to protect their bodies from high impact collisions. It is generally deemed the responsibility of anyone in play to protect themselves from bumps. Players will sometimes wait for an opponent to be within 5 metres and line up an opponent for a bump; if they begin running to lay a bump for a distance greater than 5 metres, they can be reported for "charging".
Bumping is often described as happening behind the play, meaning that unless it occurs during a contest for the ball, it is not always the focus of television cameras or spectators. This can also makes it difficult for field umpires to detect infringements. An umpire will often call "fair bump", or "play on" in response to a legal bump. If a bump is late and the player has already kicked the ball, then it often results in a relayed free kick, which is given to a player on the same team further towards their goal.
is often used instead against a player in possession of the ball. Although a bump can be a harder physical hit, however it is less likely to be effective in dispossessing a player of the ball and more likely to concede a freekick than a tackle. Additionally, an effective tackle can rewarded with a free kick, whereas a bump cannot. Like tackles, a bump from behind will often cause a push in the back
and the penalty is a freekick.
and match tribunals in recent years have typically penalise bumps on players with their head over the ball (when picking the ball up off the ground) and interpreted it as high contact, dangerous and rough play. The following shepherding incidents have been reviewed by the AFL match review panel, AFL Tribunal
and AFL Rules Committee and therefore surrounded by media attention and controversy.
, Essendon's
Michael Long bumped Melbourne's
Troy Simmonds
while his head was over the ball, causing Simmonds to be knocked out and carried off the ground on a stretcher. Given the large audience of the AFL Grand Final, the AFL applied a significant penalty and in the first major crackdown on head high bumps, the league handed Long a four match suspension for unduly rough play.
with rough play for bumping James Begley
with his head over the ball during the pre-season NAB Cup, even though both players were involved in the contest. The incident caused controversy and many commentators had called to "Ban the Bump". The league's reaction in suspending Pickett for six matches also caused controversy, accused by many of handing Pickett a heavier penalty and inventing a new rule and using a vague ruling to unnecessarily victimise Pickett. In response, the league progressively introduced a range of new interpretations giving it the power to penalise players for similar actions. Many players had learned the game and grown up knowing how to protect themselves and with the instinct to bump in these situations and the rule changes drew criticisms for these reasons.
was rendered unconscious by Daniel Giansiracusa
with a legal hip and shoulder after both players accidentally clashed heads. Koschitzke appeared not to be aware of the oncoming Giansiracusa bump.. However the AFL tribunal later cleared Giansiracusa of any wrongdoing. Koschitzke was diagnosed with a fractured skull, and was expected to miss 4–6 weeks. The incident sparked a media circus in many parts of Australia. This intensified when Koschitzke later dramatically fainted during a television interview. Many immediately assumed it was connected to the bump and head injury, however subsequent brain scans found nothing abnormal. In future matches, Koschitzke wore a soft head padding to protect himself.
suffered a career-ending neck injury after an accidental bump from former teammate Tim Notting
which fracturing several vertebrae and bruising his spinal cord. The injury horrified the football community. AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou
saying that the speed of the game and the professionalism and physiques of modern AFL players were to blame (something that recent AFL rules have actually been designed to increase). In a speech, he used the unfortunate phrase "break neck speed" to highlight the problem. Caracella revealed that scans had shown his spinal column was naturally narrower than average. This condition would have ruled out a career in any professional contact sport had it been diagnosed earlier, and added to the sense of relief that the injury was not considerably more serious. However, he claims that he now suffers virtually no ill effects resulting from the collision. Other players, such as Carlton's Nick Stevens
, have sustained similar injuries.
's elbow. Brodie Holland
(on Brett Montgomery
) and Ben Johnson (on Daniel Bell
) have attracted maximum penalties (the same number of weeks as Pickett's 2005 bump) for bumps of this nature. In defence, the AFL has released reports by medical experts claiming that serious head and neck injuries could be caused by this type of bumping, especially at high speeds. Despite these claims, the only case of quadriplegia
in the history of Aussie Rules was suffered by Footscray
's Neil Sachse in the 1970s, and which was both accidental and not related to a bump.
executed an old fashioned front-on bump or shirtfront on David Wirrpanda
as both players ran at full speed from opposite directions. Ablett flattened Wirrpanda with his hip and shoulder which appeared on video to be legal. Both players played on without visible injury. Later published photographs of the incident revealed head high contact during the shirtfront bump, Wirrpanda had slid to the ground causing incidental contact to be made to his head. The AFL match review panel ruled the severe impact of the collision as rough play and charged Ablett. Geelong appealed the decision. The AFL tribunal subsequently cleared Ablett of any wrongdoing despite the forceful front-on bump and headhigh contact.
again brought the bump under scrutiny from the AFL match review panel. In a match between Collingwood and West Coast, Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell
executed a side to front on bump on young opponent Patrick McGinnity
as they contested the loose ball. Although McGinnity's head was not over the ball and he was within 5 metres of the ball so would have reasonably expected contact, Maxwell's copybook bump executed with the hip and shoulder resulted in an incidental clash of heads from the impact broke McGinnity's jaw and sideline him for up to 10 weeks. Some argued that Maxwell's eyes were taken off the ball, and that his sole intent was to take McGinnity out of play. The AFL Tribunal handed Maxwell a 4 week suspension ruling that Maxwell had a duty of care, even in a split second onfield decision to commit to a bump. Several media commentators including Mike Sheahan
and AFL greats Kevin Bartlett and Nathan Buckley
claimed that the decision brought into question the very fabric of the game and could set a precedent which would see the innate physicality and unpredictability which endears the game to spectators to be removed. However some, such as Rodney Eade
defended the AFL's position.. Collingwood launched successful appeal, the only one in the history of the AFL tribunal and the decision was completely reversed. However weeks later, in light of clearing Maxwell, the AFL announced it intended to clarify the rules further to prevent similar appeals.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, a team sport.
Shepherding is the act of legally obstructing or preventing an opposing player from gaining possession of the ball or reaching the contest.
The term originates from the word shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
, someone who influences the movement of sheep in a paddock
Field (agriculture)
In agriculture, the word field refers generally to an area of land enclosed or otherwise and used for agricultural purposes such as:* Cultivating crops* Usage as a paddock or, generally, an enclosure of livestock...
. Through shepherding, Australian football players are able to influence the movement of their opponents.
The prevalence of shepherding is distinctive in Australian rules football as it is an illegal form of play in many other codes of football where it is subject to obstruction rules. It is completely banned in soccer. Even full contact rugby football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
codes and ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
(body checking
Checking (ice hockey)
Checking in ice hockey is any one of a number of defensive techniques. It is usually not a penalty.- Types :There are various types of checking:...
) which allow such contact only on a player in possession, as does gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
. The concept of shepherding, however, is very similar to blocking
Blocking (American football)
In American football, blocking is a legal move occurring when one player obstructs another player's path with his body. The purpose of blocking is to prevent defensive players tackling the ball carrier, or to protect the quarterback while attempting to pass or hand-off the ball...
in American Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
.
Under the Laws of Australian Football
Laws of Australian football
The laws of Australian football describe the rules of the game of Australian rules football as they have evolved and adapted, with the same underlying core rules, since 1859....
, a player can block or obstruct any opposition player at any time, with the exception of contests where players contest the ball in the air, viz. marking contests and ruck contests. In such contests, all players are allowed to contest the ball and a free kick
Free kick (Australian rules football)
A free kick in Australian rules football is a penalty awarded by a field umpire to a player who has been infringed by an opponent or is the nearest player to a player from the opposite team who has broken a rule.-Protocol:...
is paid against a player who is seen to shepherd an opponent; in practice, this rule is inconsistently applied, and free kicks are paid only against blatant shepherds by a player whose eyes are not on the ball. Players may not make high or low contact during a shepherd, nor hold their opponents; free kicks should result from any of these infractions. Nevertheless, there have been a number of incidents in the professional Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
which have caused controversy and caused the rules regarding shepherding to be reviewed.
Shepherding is classified as a "one percenter
One percenter (Australian football)
A one percenter is a statistic kept in Australian football, and relates to a variety of actions which benefit the team, but are infrequent or defensive.-History:...
" skill and is an important aspect of team play.
Because shepherding can be applied regardless of whether the player is in possession, this gives players the choice of "playing the man" and not the ball. In circumstances where two players contest a loose ball, a player in an inferior position or with a weight advantage might decide to take his opponent out first and then to retrieve the ball. Others, however, may have no intentions for the ball at all and simply aim to hurt their opponent. Although correct technique can be taught, given the high speed all directional nature of the game, the decision to make the ball the primary objective and the execution of a bump is often a split second tactical decision and left to player instinct. The decision process effects the way players are perceived. A player may be commended for their protection of their teammates, setting up play and controlled aggression. At the same time players who bump but do not contest the ball too often can be seen by some as "dirty" and unsportsmanlike (See "Australian rules football culture
Australian rules football culture
Australian rules football culture is a descriptive term for the cultural aspects surrounding the game of Australian rules football, particular as it applies to Australia and areas where it is most popular...
").
Techniques and Tactics
There are varied techniques of shepherding:Bumping
A player can legally bump (also known as a hip-and-shoulder move) any opponent (not just the player in possession) who is within five metres of the ball.As bumps can cause serious injury, there are rules to protect players, particularly to protect the head of a player being bumped. A bumping player's feet should not leave the ground, and a player may not bump an opposition player if both of their feet have left the ground. Mid air collisions can happen in a marking contest when both players are committed to the ball, however these collisions are considered accidental or incidental when both players make either the ball or the man their primary objective.
Although arm contact is allowed whilst shepherding, no contact can be made with the head of an opponent whilst bumping. Stray elbows can be extremely dangerous. Typically, if any high contact is made in a bump, a free kick
Free kick (Australian rules football)
A free kick in Australian rules football is a penalty awarded by a field umpire to a player who has been infringed by an opponent or is the nearest player to a player from the opposite team who has broken a rule.-Protocol:...
is paid to the player who is infringed. Decades ago in the VFL/AFL, there were less strict rules on bumping, and hard bumps, particularly on players with their head over the ball could often send players to hospital with concussions and broken bones. The bones, particularly of the hip are extremely hard and can cause plenty of damage, although some players who frequently bump other players can later suffer hip complications. Incidental clashes of heads can sometimes happen when players bump or collide at full speed and this can cause serious head and or facial injuries.
An aggressive front-on bump is often called a shirt front and is an illegal and reportable offense (but again, often subject to interpretation). In some cases, for example, both players will charge each other, sometimes in opposite directions, resulting in a high impact collision. Other times, both players charge at each other with full commitment to the ball. Also, a player with the ball may aggressively bump opponents that are attempting to tackle them. These incidents are generally not reportable.
Bumps can come from any direction and are often unexpected by a recipient. Playing the game therefore requires considerable courage, as little padding is worn by players to protect their bodies from high impact collisions. It is generally deemed the responsibility of anyone in play to protect themselves from bumps. Players will sometimes wait for an opponent to be within 5 metres and line up an opponent for a bump; if they begin running to lay a bump for a distance greater than 5 metres, they can be reported for "charging".
Bumping is often described as happening behind the play, meaning that unless it occurs during a contest for the ball, it is not always the focus of television cameras or spectators. This can also makes it difficult for field umpires to detect infringements. An umpire will often call "fair bump", or "play on" in response to a legal bump. If a bump is late and the player has already kicked the ball, then it often results in a relayed free kick, which is given to a player on the same team further towards their goal.
Shepherding
Shepherding typically involves a player using their whole body to stop an opponent from reaching a contest, and usually to stop an opponent from tackling a teammate or getting to the ball. The most effective shepherding is done with outstretched stiff arms and use of strength and body weight between the player and his teammate. Shepherds are typically classed by effectiveness:- Strong shepherd - which completely stops the opponent in his chase;
- Weak shepherd, which has the positive effect of slowing the opponent down, maybe causing him to change direction, but does not completely stop the chase.
Blocking
Blocking is a subtle form of shepherding in marking contests. While it is often technically illegal (depending on the interpretation), it will almost never be penalised. The most common way to block is to run between a leading forward and his pursuing opponent, slowing down the defender so that the forward will take his mark uncontested. It is also often used by defenders as a defensive tactic to prevent their opposition forwards from leading into space.Bumps vs Tackles
A tackleTackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
is often used instead against a player in possession of the ball. Although a bump can be a harder physical hit, however it is less likely to be effective in dispossessing a player of the ball and more likely to concede a freekick than a tackle. Additionally, an effective tackle can rewarded with a free kick, whereas a bump cannot. Like tackles, a bump from behind will often cause a push in the back
Push in the back
A push in the back is a free kick awarded in Australian rules football against a player who illegally tackles or interferes with a player from behind. The rule is applied in two different circumstances: tackles and marking contests.-Push in the Back: Tackle:...
and the penalty is a freekick.
Controversy
Although there is no specific rule against it and in the past it was tolerated, umpiresUmpire (Australian rules football)
An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football.-Origins:Unlike many other codes of football, where the official is called a referee, in Australian Football, the officials borrow their title from the game of cricket, which is played on the same types of fields and was an...
and match tribunals in recent years have typically penalise bumps on players with their head over the ball (when picking the ball up off the ground) and interpreted it as high contact, dangerous and rough play. The following shepherding incidents have been reviewed by the AFL match review panel, AFL Tribunal
AFL Tribunal
The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary tribunal of the Australian Football League .-Points system:Source: AFL Tribunal 2011 Guidebook...
and AFL Rules Committee and therefore surrounded by media attention and controversy.
Long / Simmonds Incident (2000)
In the 2000 AFL Grand Final2000 AFL Grand Final
The 2000 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and the Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 2 September 2000. It was the 104th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian...
, Essendon's
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
Michael Long bumped Melbourne's
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
Troy Simmonds
Troy Simmonds
Troy Simmonds is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne, Fremantle and Richmond in the Australian Football League.-Melbourne: 1999 – 2001:Simmonds was first drafted by Melbourne in the 1999 Preseason Draft...
while his head was over the ball, causing Simmonds to be knocked out and carried off the ground on a stretcher. Given the large audience of the AFL Grand Final, the AFL applied a significant penalty and in the first major crackdown on head high bumps, the league handed Long a four match suspension for unduly rough play.
Pickett / Begley Incident (2005)
The game's governing body, the AFL, set a precedent in 2005 when it charged Byron PickettByron Pickett
Byron Pickett is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with three clubs in the AFL. He was known as a big game player as well as for his strength, hard bumps and tough approach to the game. Pickett is one of 12 players with two premiership medallions, a Norm Smith Medal...
with rough play for bumping James Begley
James Begley
James Begley had a promising career ahead of him after being named an AFL Rising Star nominee in 2001. In 2002 he returned to his hometown of Adelaide to play with the Crows....
with his head over the ball during the pre-season NAB Cup, even though both players were involved in the contest. The incident caused controversy and many commentators had called to "Ban the Bump". The league's reaction in suspending Pickett for six matches also caused controversy, accused by many of handing Pickett a heavier penalty and inventing a new rule and using a vague ruling to unnecessarily victimise Pickett. In response, the league progressively introduced a range of new interpretations giving it the power to penalise players for similar actions. Many players had learned the game and grown up knowing how to protect themselves and with the instinct to bump in these situations and the rule changes drew criticisms for these reasons.
Giansiracusa / Koschitzke Incident (2006)
In 2006, Justin KoschitzkeJustin Koschitzke
Justin Gregory Koschitzke is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.-Career overview:Recruited in the 2000 AFL Draft at pick number two, there were high expectations on Koschitzke from a young age...
was rendered unconscious by Daniel Giansiracusa
Daniel Giansiracusa
Daniel Giansiracusa is an Australian rules football player for the Western Bulldogs who plays in various positions such as the midfield, half back flanks and half forward flanks....
with a legal hip and shoulder after both players accidentally clashed heads. Koschitzke appeared not to be aware of the oncoming Giansiracusa bump.. However the AFL tribunal later cleared Giansiracusa of any wrongdoing. Koschitzke was diagnosed with a fractured skull, and was expected to miss 4–6 weeks. The incident sparked a media circus in many parts of Australia. This intensified when Koschitzke later dramatically fainted during a television interview. Many immediately assumed it was connected to the bump and head injury, however subsequent brain scans found nothing abnormal. In future matches, Koschitzke wore a soft head padding to protect himself.
Notting / Caracella Incident (2006)
The bump caused further controversy later in 2006, when Blake CaracellaBlake Caracella
Blake Caracella is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .-Essendon career:Selected by Essendon in the 1995 National Draft at pick 10, Caracella finally debuted with the Bombers in 1997...
suffered a career-ending neck injury after an accidental bump from former teammate Tim Notting
Tim Notting
Tim Notting is a former two-time premiership winning Australian rules footballer with the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League .-Australian Football League career:...
which fracturing several vertebrae and bruising his spinal cord. The injury horrified the football community. AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou
Andrew Demetriou
Andrew Demetriou is the chief executive officer of the Australian Football League and a former Australian rules footballer. He is the youngest son of Greek-Cypriot immigrants and, before becoming a VFL player, he worked in the dental import industry...
saying that the speed of the game and the professionalism and physiques of modern AFL players were to blame (something that recent AFL rules have actually been designed to increase). In a speech, he used the unfortunate phrase "break neck speed" to highlight the problem. Caracella revealed that scans had shown his spinal column was naturally narrower than average. This condition would have ruled out a career in any professional contact sport had it been diagnosed earlier, and added to the sense of relief that the injury was not considerably more serious. However, he claims that he now suffers virtually no ill effects resulting from the collision. Other players, such as Carlton's Nick Stevens
Nick Stevens
Nick Stevens is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Originally from St Marys in the VMFL, Stevens was recruited in the 1997 AFL Draft to the Port Adelaide Football Club where he became a very prominent outside midfielder...
, have sustained similar injuries.
2007 Rule Interpretations and Penalties
The league introduced further rule interpretations in 2006, highlighting these incidents as examples. It continues to be accused of inconsistency and a lack of clarity in the interpretation of such rules, particularly after a bump incident involving Collingwood's Alan DidakAlan Didak
Alan Didak is a professional Australian rules footballer of Croatian descent playing for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.- Early life :...
's elbow. Brodie Holland
Brodie Holland
Brodie Holland is a former professional Australian rules footballer best known for his playing days at the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League....
(on Brett Montgomery
Brett Montgomery
Brett Montgomery is a retired Australian rules football player and current assistant coach with the Western Bulldogs.-Early life:...
) and Ben Johnson (on Daniel Bell
Daniel Bell (Australian rules footballer)
Daniel Bell is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League .He was originally from the town of Kingston SE, South Australia....
) have attracted maximum penalties (the same number of weeks as Pickett's 2005 bump) for bumps of this nature. In defence, the AFL has released reports by medical experts claiming that serious head and neck injuries could be caused by this type of bumping, especially at high speeds. Despite these claims, the only case of quadriplegia
Quadriplegia
Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is paralysis caused by illness or injury to a human that results in the partial or total loss of use of all their limbs and torso; paraplegia is similar but does not affect the arms...
in the history of Aussie Rules was suffered by Footscray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
's Neil Sachse in the 1970s, and which was both accidental and not related to a bump.
Ablett Jr. / Wirrpanda Incident (2008)
In 2008, the bump was again in the spotlight. During a match between Geelong and West Coast at Kardinia Park, Gary Ablett, Jr.Gary Ablett, Jr.
Gary Ablett, Jr. is a professional Australian rules football player and current captain of the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
executed an old fashioned front-on bump or shirtfront on David Wirrpanda
David Wirrpanda
David Selwyn Wirrpanda is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League between 1996 and 2009...
as both players ran at full speed from opposite directions. Ablett flattened Wirrpanda with his hip and shoulder which appeared on video to be legal. Both players played on without visible injury. Later published photographs of the incident revealed head high contact during the shirtfront bump, Wirrpanda had slid to the ground causing incidental contact to be made to his head. The AFL match review panel ruled the severe impact of the collision as rough play and charged Ablett. Geelong appealed the decision. The AFL tribunal subsequently cleared Ablett of any wrongdoing despite the forceful front-on bump and headhigh contact.
Maxwell / McGinnity Incident (2009)
Further controversy during the 2009 NAB Cup2009 NAB Cup
The 2009 NAB Cup is the Australian Football League pre-season competition that was played before the Australian Football League's 2009 Premiership season begins. It culminated with the Final on 13 March 2009 played between Geelong and Collingwood and was won by Geelong...
again brought the bump under scrutiny from the AFL match review panel. In a match between Collingwood and West Coast, Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell
Nick Maxwell
Nick Maxwell is an Australian rules football player and current captain of the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Early life :...
executed a side to front on bump on young opponent Patrick McGinnity
Patrick McGinnity
Patrick McGinnity is an Australian rules footballer, currently playing with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. He was recruited with pick no. 8 in the 2008 Pre-Season Draft from the Claremont Football Club in the WAFL, and made his debut for the West Coast Eagles in 2009...
as they contested the loose ball. Although McGinnity's head was not over the ball and he was within 5 metres of the ball so would have reasonably expected contact, Maxwell's copybook bump executed with the hip and shoulder resulted in an incidental clash of heads from the impact broke McGinnity's jaw and sideline him for up to 10 weeks. Some argued that Maxwell's eyes were taken off the ball, and that his sole intent was to take McGinnity out of play. The AFL Tribunal handed Maxwell a 4 week suspension ruling that Maxwell had a duty of care, even in a split second onfield decision to commit to a bump. Several media commentators including Mike Sheahan
Mike Sheahan
Michael "Mike" Sheahan is an Australian journalist who specialises in Australian rules football. He is Chief Football Writer and Associate Sports Editor for the Herald Sun, a panelist on the Fox Sports program "On the Couch" and former Media Director for the VFL .Sheahan attended Werribee High...
and AFL greats Kevin Bartlett and Nathan Buckley
Nathan Buckley
Nathan Charles Buckley is a former professional Australian rules football player, commentator and coach, best known for his time as captain of the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
claimed that the decision brought into question the very fabric of the game and could set a precedent which would see the innate physicality and unpredictability which endears the game to spectators to be removed. However some, such as Rodney Eade
Rodney Eade
Rodney "Rocket" Eade is a former Australian rules footballer and the former coach of the Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League...
defended the AFL's position.. Collingwood launched successful appeal, the only one in the history of the AFL tribunal and the decision was completely reversed. However weeks later, in light of clearing Maxwell, the AFL announced it intended to clarify the rules further to prevent similar appeals.