Scott Gullan: AFL has reached tribunal ‘tipping point’ after Toby Bedford, Charlie Cameron verdicts

The AFL is risking the sport becoming “unrecognisable” as legal eagles change football each week at the tribunal. SCOTT GULLAN delves into the issue and asks, what constitutes the “reasonable player” the AFL is demanding?

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JULY 14: Tim Taranto of the Tigers is tackled by Toby Bedford of the Giants during the 2024 AFL Round 18 match between the Richmond Tigers and the GWS GIANTS at Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 14, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The AFL wants a competition full of reasonable players.

That’s the buzz term in overdrive from the AFL Tribunal and why non-reasonable players are being handed hefty suspensions for what many see as football acts or football accidents.

The league is fast getting into dangerous territory in the way they want the game played. We all understand the importance and necessity of trying to make the game less dangerous in terms of concussion, that is not up for debate.

LATEST: GIANTS TO APPEAL BEDFORD SUSPENSION

There is no-one out there saying don’t do anything but the AFL legal eagles need to get their heads around that there is only so much which can be done before the game becomes unrecognisable.

Bedford had better get off or game is stuffed

— Wayne Carey (@waynecarey27) July 16, 2024

Six hours of tribunal hearings on Tuesday further clouded the issue unless you are a “reasonable” player.

If you’re one of those then the world is a good place, you’re free to go about your work and have a long distinguished career. But according to the tribunal, the numbers are dwindling because every week they’re coming across unreasonable players.

Toby Bedford has received a three-match ban for this incident involving Tim Taranto.

Full Match Review findings: https://t.co/1KgAEYVkjrpic.twitter.com/uwLrsdAy9W

— AFL (@AFL) July 15, 2024

Toby Bedford is certainly one. According to tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson a reasonable player would have done three different things when tackling Tim Taranto.

He would have realised that by leaping at Taranto from behind that he was going to drive him into the ground. They would have also calculated that the Richmond midfielder was in a vulnerable position and that his head may well hit the ground with force.

And here is the kicker which has become a common thread for the “reasonable” player, he would have released at least one of Taranto’s arms to enable him to attempt to brace for contact.

Toby Bedford decision means u don’t want your players to chase down and tackle. Our game is reaching ridiculous levels.

— Tony Shaw (@TonyShaw22) July 15, 2024

These reasonable players would appear to be superhuman, they’re seconds ahead of everyone else and able to predict the future movements of opponents.

Poor old Alex Davies was the least likely of the cases to get off. His front-on bump which concussed Port’s Lachie Jones didn’t look great on the video but the Gold Coast youngster made a pretty good case in the tribunal.

He talked about the technique he’d been taught to get ground balls, how his sole intention was to get the ball and his right hand actually got there before any contact with Jones who it must be said made a mess of his attempt to get the ball.

Alex Davies has received a three-match suspension for this incident involving Lachie Jones.

Full Match Review findings: https://t.co/37gRfPtspYpic.twitter.com/QgeMdWGfrn

— AFL (@AFL) July 15, 2024

Jones was off balance with his arms stretched out, reaching for the ball. What the tribunal wanted Davies to do was not to protect himself by slightly turning his shoulder but instead follow Jones’ lead and put his arms out and basically lead with his head.

That doesn’t sound like what a reasonable player would do as Davies pointed out to the AFL counsel during the hearing.

“Am I supposed to just run face first into him?” Davies asked.

Apparently that’s what the AFL wanted or they wanted him to pull out of the contest when he realised Jones had stuffed up his attempt to get the ball. All of this in a split second mind you,

Can’t stand the way things are going in the @AFL with ridiculous 3 week sanctions for both Toby Bedford (on Taranto) & Charlie Cameron (on Duggan)

Both received a grading of careless, severe & high from the MRO, which is just not right.

1/2

— Jude Bolton (@Jude_Bolton) July 15, 2024

When not going for the ball and withdrawing from a contest is the way the AFL wants the game played, we are in a world of trouble.

Charlie Cameron wasn’t reasonable because he went into a tackle too quickly. According to the AFL he should have sat down (yep that’s what they said) rather than stand up in his tackle on Liam Duggan.

The fact he lost momentum, helped by Duggan kicking his legs out and the Eagles defender pulling him towards him, and then there was an accidental head clash was not how a reasonable player would have approached that incident.

Could someone can explain to me what Charlie Cameron is supposed to do here to make this safer? Looks set for a big ban #AFLpic.twitter.com/QgDgIvR3dh

— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) July 15, 2024

Apparently those guys would have slowed down, politely grabbed Duggan and then tried to sit down together like kindergarten kids when the teacher wants them to pay attention to reading time.

One major problem which you can sense is frustrating the player cohort is these lawmakers clearly have no grasp of how hard it is to play the game.

Former Essendon premiership player Jason Johnson and ex-Carlton player and former umpire Jordan Bannister were the tribunal panellists on Tuesday night.

Their memories have clearly faded.

We know Michael Christian, the match review officer, has forgotten about his playing days at Collingwood although to be fair to him he’s now more of a box ticker.

Oh my God. Have we completely lost the plot when it comes to blokes getting suspended for 3 weeks when they tackle. @GWSGIANTS Toby Bedford & @brisbanelions Charlie Cameron must challenge their sanction. The AFL are just jumping at shadows. The fabric of our game getting tested

— Mick McGuane (@MickMCGU34) July 15, 2024

The guidelines he has to work with make it tough for him to express how hard the game is to be played. He is in charge of an outcome-based system, if a player is concussed then tick the boxes to ensure the player who did it is suspended with three weeks clearly the preferred number at the moment.

It feels like the Bedford and Cameron cases are the tipping point. The players are genuinely confused and frustrated – (by the way where is the AFLPA on this?) – and the league can’t just dismiss the comments of former legends of the game as being out of date.

Surely, all of these people haven’t lost their marbles post-career?

Former West Coast Eagle Will Schofield on X: “There is no genuine understanding of what the players are being asked to do, and what not to do. This is embarrassing for the AFL as a whole.”

Collingwood premiership captain Tony Shaw: “Toby Bedford decision means u don’t want your players to chase down and tackle. Our game is reaching ridiculous levels”.

Former Sydney Swans skipper Jude Bolton on the Cameron decision: “FFS‍. 3 weeks! Seriously … Where are we at?

And then this from one of the game’s all-time greats Wayne Carey: “Bedford had better get off or game is stuffed”.

Well, he didn’t King because he doesn’t have the required superpowers of a “reasonable player” to play the game as the AFL wants it played today.

Originally published as Scott Gullan: AFL has reached tribunal ‘tipping point’ after Toby Bedford, Charlie Cameron verdicts