Crows ruckman Sam Jacobs joins the fight against on-field violence in suburban football
ADELAIDE ruckman Sam Jacobs has volunteered to help stamp violence out of suburban football describing recent on-field incidents as “sickening’’.
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ADELAIDE ruckman Sam Jacobs has volunteered to help stamp violence out of suburban football.
The star Crow has described the latest on-field incidents, which saw Salisbury West suspended from the Adelaide Footy League finals and its captain Adam Jones banned for life for four separate incidents, as “sickening’’.
And the Ardrossan boy hast put his hand up to help “in any way I can’’ to rid the game of violent on-field incidents.
“How that looks, I'm not yet sure, but this type of behaviour has to stop because it's ruining the game for a lot of people and giving clubs and the sport a bad rap,’’ Jacobs said.
“In the past couple of years there’s been far too many cases where blokes have been king-hit or knocked out and we’re seeing players not only hurt but players and clubs kicked out of competitions.
“It’s crazy, rubbish that this sort of stuff goes on because footy at these levels is all about playing for the love of the game, not going onto a ground and getting your head knocked off.
“People playing footy with their mates shouldn’t have to put up with this type of behaviour.’’
Jacobs, who follows local football closely and personally sponsors his old club Ardrossan, is already an ambassador for the Motor Accident Commission and R U OK campaigns.
Now he wants to spread the message to suburban and country leagues and clubs about the need to play fair.
“How that looks, I’m not quite sure yet but I am open to anything because violence on the football field does need to stop,’’ Jacobs said.
Crows teammate Tom Lynch backed Jacobs' move to try to stamp out on-field incidents, saying “you want to go out there and have fun and play with your mates’’.
“You shouldn’t have to be going out and dealing with (this) stuff,’’ he said.
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley also joined the chorus of AFL identities to make a stand against football thuggery.
“There is no place in this game for violence,’’ he said.
“Uncontrolled violence has no place in football, it’s unfair and it’s unreasonable.
“There is people’s health at risk and if that’s what happens people should be ashamed of it.
“If you play football you should play it in the right way, with the right attitude.
“That is to compete fairly and squarely on the football field as a sportsman.
“Sportsmen play the right way, they don’t play the cowardly way.’’
andrew.capel@news.com.au