AUSTRALIAN SPORTS IS attempting to clean up its act but several moves by officials have met with resistance from its leading lights.
Australian Rules has long prided itself and its hard-hitting nature but officials have begun handing out suspensions to players that ‘bump’ and target the head area. The art of bumping often occurs mid-air and involves bashing an opponent out of the way, as long as he does not have the ball.
In archaic terms, bumping gives players free rein to take players out of the game off-the-ball. Side-on hits and shoulder barges are the most common bumps but the airborne collisions are the most spectacular. Here are some of 2014′s biggest ‘bumps’.
Former Kerry forward and Sydney Swans star Tadhg Kennelly spoke about bumping or, in his words, ‘the bomp’ on Australian TV show Clubhouse Sports Fan on Tuesday. “Players now clearly understand that if you choose to bump and you hit someone in the head, well, you’re going to wear the consequences.
“It is has cleared it up [in recent weeks] because if you choose to bump and you head someone in the head, you’re in trouble… if I was the coach of an AFL team, I’d tell my players ‘Don’t bump’.”
Meanwhile, the powers that be in rugby league [NRL] are seeking to eliminate the dump tackle and the tactic of players running into contact with forearms raised. New South Wales back-rower Greg Bird has blasted NRL officials for his dangerous tackle on Nate Myles in last night’s State of Origin contest.
Bird, who had a previous dangerous tackle sentence reduced to play in the game, made a similar move on the Queensland prop. The NSW man believes the rules should be different for State of Origin.
He declared, “That’s ridiculous. Can someone please explain to me how I am supposed to tackle?”
“It’s stupid,” Bird lamented to New Zealand Herald. “Origin, we are all told, is a different game – there should be different rules. It’s always been drummed up as the most intense encounter in sport. If that’s the case, how can it be like every other game?”
Maroons beat the Blues, incidentally, in S.O.O game three. Here are the highlights.
“8 pictures and videos that prove that Nelson Mandela was a sporting icon” – ridiculous title
Im not trying to disrespect Mandela but claiming Mandela is a sporting icon is just laughable. He met a view sports stars, all Heads of state do that.
Have to agree with you Sean despite the red thumbs! Not taking away from his legend as a human but a sporting legend aswell is a bit of a stretch. Plus he’s defo using big toeing that ball in the football pic.