The AFL lawmakers are threatening the fabric of the game with its attitude to tackling, Cam Mooney writes

The very fabric of the game is being torn once more with the AFL’s recent crackdown on apparent dangerous tackles, Cam Mooney writes.

I’m frustrated, but mostly I’m concerned and worried.

I’m concerned we’re on the verge of taking further physicality away from the great game of Aussie Rules football.

I’m also worried that pure, football acts are now getting players suspended, like legitimate tackles.

And it all started with the bump being largely outlawed by the game’s lawmakers.

Anybody who says the bump is still very much a thing needs their head read.

The bump has gone the same way as the drop kick. It’s dead.

Following the three-week suspension handed to Hawthorn’s James Siciliy, it’s further evidence I’d hate to be a physical player in today’s game.

Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage in the hands of trainers after a final quarter tackle from Hawthorn’s James Sicily in round 13 at the MCG. Picture: Michael Klein.

The lawmakers have made the game as hard to play as it’s ever been.

A record number of 21 reports resulting in 29 weeks of total suspensions from apparently dangerous tackles after just 14 rounds is testament to that.

So are we getting to the point where players just won’t tackle in certain situations for fear of being suspended?

Don’t get me wrong with regards to the bump, I’m all about protecting the head.

Even though there’s nothing better than seeing bodies flying and players getting knocked on their backside.

Think of Scott Burns putting Michael Voss flat on his back in the 2002 grand final.

It was an iconic moment.

And we want to protect the players from dangerous and silly acts.

Sicily leaves the ground with his victorious Hawks after beating Brisbane. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

But it feels like players are getting rubbed out for legit aspects of the game like tackling.

We’re simply asking too much of the modern day player, and the way things are going, we’ll see the fabric of the game torn even further.

Take the Sicily suspension for instance.

After running past the ball, the guy made a desperate tackle around the waist, was rewarded for it on the field, but still got suspended for three weeks.

As a player, your instincts kick in and you just launch when the opportunity arises.

His legal team described it as a fair tackle while the AFL tribunal said the Hawthorn captain rotated Hugh McCluggage across his body.

But momentum needs to be taken into consideration.

The Dan Butler tackle was also another example.

While it was eventually thrown out, it was a complete embarrassment it got that far.

I’m concerned we’re getting to get to a point where a coach might instruct his players to go easy on tackling during finals, or a player missing a grand final due to a pure, footy act.

Is that seriously where we are headed?

McCluggage leaves the field after the Sicily tackle. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images.

I tell you who will love the way the game is evolving and that’s the Irish.

We may have every Gaelic footballer coming over to take part in a watered-down version of Aussie Rules.

I say that tongue in cheek, but you know what I mean.

So what does the future look like?

It feels like we’ll see more broken tackles, or players considering a tackle, but with a fear of taking an opponent to ground and causing a head knock, will simply let them slip away.

And then they’ll be bagged for being poor tacklers, even though they’re just trying to avoid a suspension.

It’s just a really tough situation for players these days, especially if you’re a physical beast.

I’m thankful my career ended before the game threatened to change into something I don’t quite recognise anymore.

Originally published as The AFL lawmakers are threatening the fabric of the game with its attitude to tackling, Cam Mooney writes