Sydney coach John Longmire says AFL trying to outlaw accidents

As the AFL world digests the results of Tuesday’s tribunal, one coach has declared the game is in a serious state of flux over tackling.

Sydney coach John Longmire says the AFL has created an environment of confusion for players when it comes to tackling and that it’s ‘very hard to outlaw accidents’ in the wake of Tuesday’s divisive night at the tribunal. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Sydney coach John Longmire says the AFL has created an environment of confusion for players when it comes to tackling and that it’s “very hard to outlaw accidents” in the wake of Tuesday’s divisive night at the tribunal.

Hawthorn captain James Sicily was banned for three games for a tackle which concussed Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage but left the AFL world divided, asking whether there was anything else he could do.

Richmond’s Rhyan Mansell was also suspended for three matches, while St Kilda’s Dan Butler successfully fought his charge and avoided a ban for his chase-down tackle on Sydney’s Nick Blakey, who passed his head injury assessment but was subbed out of the game with a toe injury.

Nick Blakey is tackled by Dan Butler. Picture: Mark Metcalfe / AFL Photos / via Getty Images

The AFL sent out a video to clubs last week detailing what constitutes an illegal tackle and what is considered fair game, but it’s been revealed a number of teams chose not to show the clips to their players.

Longmire didn’t get the chance to show his troops, given the club received the video just before the game against the Saints.

He says the subject is “really difficult” given there’s a fine line for defenders to choose what to do.

“It’s a real challenge when you ask your players to show a level of intent in a tackle – and there needs to be a level of intent that you need to do to get hold of a player and grab him and try to dispossess him,” he said.

“You’re also at the same time asking halfway through that tackle to be very gentle and make sure he has a duty of care. It’s no surprise that it’s not right all the time because we’re asking a hell of a lot of our players.

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“There’s been a lot of talk and chatter about it and I don’t know where it’s going to go, other than the fact that if a player does hit his head in any tackle, what we’ve said to our players is that we’re not sure what will happen.

“We hope that there’s a good outcome for the player because we hope he’s not hurt. We have to make sure there’s a duty of care, but also it could be either a free kick or the tribunal.

“We feel like as an industry that we’re going through a ‘where is this going to go’ kind of phase.”

Hugh McCluggage is taken from the MCG after being concussed in a tackle. Picture: Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

Longmire says the game will slowly find a balance, as it always does with controversial tackles, but warned the AFL it must look at these incidents differently before the confusion deepens.

“I just hope there’s a level of understanding of how difficult it is to show a level of intent and then halfway through make another decision,” Longmire said, having seen co-captain Luke Parker banned last month for a dangerous tackle.

“(There needs to be an) understanding that that’s what we’re trying to teach our players, while also understanding that they’re not always going to get it right and that in slow motion (it will look worse).”

Originally published as Sydney coach John Longmire says AFL trying to outlaw accidents