Under ‘spirit of the game’ rule, Richmond can’t target Lachie Whitfield
Giants star Lachie Whitfield is set to play in a Grand Final a week after his appendix was removed. If his surgery scar is hit by a Richmond player, Mark Robinson expects an umpire to step in.
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Lachie Whitfield will be sore if he plays on Saturday.
He had his appendix ripped out a week ago and unquestionably he will be feeling tender.
In other words, he is injured.
So, in the spirit of game, which was the law invoked by umpire Shaun Ryan in Brisbane two weeks ago, what happens if a Richmond player hits Whitfield near his surgery scar?
Should there be warning and subsequent free kick paid if it continues?
He is injured, after all, and in the spirit of the game law, an injured player can’t be tampered with.
It shouldn’t matter if the injury was sustained while Whitfield was playing, or while living his normal life.
That’s the logical conclusion, even if you think it’s ludicrous.
Most injuries are largely secret, but the controversy was brought to life after Brisbane’s Charlie Cameron suffered an obvious elbow injury during the Lions’ qualifying final clash against Greater Western Sydney.
When he returned to the field, with his arm heavily strapped, he was targeted by Giant Adam Kennedy.
Kennedy was then warned by umpire Ryan to cease fire.
“Do not be knocking his arm, OK? You’ve been warned,” Ryan said.
“You knock his arm, it’s against the spirit of the game, OK?
“If you continually knock his arm, I will pay a free kick. You’ve been warned, I’ve told you.”
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In the same game, Whitfield, who we have since learnt, suffered a back injury. He was then continually hit in his back by Lion Nick Robertson, and fell to the ground.
Giants skipper Phil Davis said at the time he wasn’t clear on the spirit of the game rule, but believed if a player was out on the ground, it was sort of open slather.
“I think once you say you’re out there, whether it be Lachie Whitfield getting punched in the back repeatedly after getting kneed in the back, or Charlie Cameron and his elbow, for me is when you’re out there, you’re out there,” Davis said.
But Davis, and a truckload of former players who agreed with Davis, were wrong.
The AFL supported umpire Ryan’s actions two days later.
There you have it. Shaun Ryan was right. The old 17.12 (e). #AFLLionsGiants pic.twitter.com/FAKarD3epN
— Lauren Wood (@LaurenHeraldSun) September 14, 2019
The Giants were in a combative mood in the past week, but even before the Toby Greene business, they were annoyed that Robertson got away with hitting Whitfield.
And when it was revealed Whitfield needed an operation, the Giants wondered if Robertson had helped bring on the appendicitis.
It will be intriguing to see how it plays out.
Will a Richmond player target Whitfield’s sore spots?
What will an umpire do if sees it?
Is it even an issue if Whitfield is declared fit to play?
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The Cameron v Kennedy clash prompted strong debate.
The former players — the gladiators of the game — were gobsmacked that Kennedy was singled out by the umpire.
On the flip side, there were parents watching who were appalled at the treatment Cameron received when the injury was known.
The AFL also didn’t like the image of it and acted accordingly.
So, what can we expect this week?
If Whitfield goes near the ball, he will be dumped and jumped on and tackled hard.
If Whitfield is deliberately hit behind play in the area of his appendix, the umpires will have no alternative but to issue a warning to the offending player.
Because the spirit of the game, according to the AFL, is there to protect injured/sore players.
It sounds ridiculous, but that’s modern footy and, more to the point, modern feelings.
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