Darren Winter unimpressed with state of game after losing star to serious injury

Lauderdale coach Darren Winter has let fly on the AFL rule makers after losing one of his most important players to a potentially season ending knee injury. WATCH THE VIDEO

LAUDERDALE coach Darren Winter has let fly on the AFL rule makers after losing one of his most important players to a potentially season ending knee injury.

The Bombers have suffered a massive blow ahead of the State League grand final replay against North Launceston with talisman Thor Boscott ruled out following an incident against Clarence last Saturday.

It is feared the explosive midfielder-forward has suffered a torn ACL after he was crunched in a contest while mid-air.

TSL Boscott in action in last year’s grand final. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Winter, who told the Sunday Tasmanian after the victory against the Roos players were not being looked after under the current interpretations of the rules, again unloaded on the rules committee.

“The way it happened was disappointing, this goes back to the stuff I have been talking about for the past few weeks that I don’t think the players are getting looked after well enough in our game,” Winter said.

MORE: ROOS MAKE BOMBERS FIGHT FOR WIN

“This is definitely not a shot at the umpires, but I think the game is letting our players down at the moment, it is not good enough.

“Thor has a really serious injury now because somebody thought they could run straight into him while he was in the air and take him out of the contest, with no free kick.

“He flew for the ball and someone cannoned straight into the back of him without going for the ball … he twisted his knee.

“Guys are putting their head over the ball, no free kick [is paid] because somebody bends down to pick the ball up and keeps their head down for an extra second and gets smashed front on, that’s called ducking now.

“That’s not ducking, it is called protecting your bloody scone.”

Football. Tasmanian State League. Thor Boscott tackles Launceston’s Tyson Miller earlier this season. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Winter said the club would need to wait for the swelling in Boscott’s knee to subside before getting scans to determine the extent of the damage.

While agreeing with Winter that the incident which led to Boscott’s injury was reckless, Roos counterpart Jeromey Webberley played a straight bat when he asked if he was concerned with player welfare.

“It is probably not for me to comment on, I thought the umpiring on the weekend was inconsistent, I was on the bench so I don’t know, you would have to ask [TSL umpire boss] Cameron Lee what the umpiring performance was like on the weekend.

“I saw it live, I didn’t think there was much in it, on the tape it was probably a little bit reckless, I will agree with that.

“Should a free kick have been paid? Yeah it should have been but there was probably 10 incidents like that throughout the game where no free kick has been rewarded.

“On the weekend there were a couple of sling tackles throughout the game that were a bit dangerous too.”