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There have been rule interpretation changes made by the AFL Umpires department in recent weeks, in an attempt to combat high-tackle rulings against players who seem to be putting themselves in dangerous positions with their heads and necks in order to win free-kicks.
The rule change, cheekily referred to as the, “Joel Selwood Rule,” tries to stop players from raising their arms in order to have a tackling opponents’ arm slip up and hit them in the head.
However, the change has lead to widespread confusion about what is, and what isn’t a free-kick, with many calling for the interpretation to be scrapped altogether.
The issue reared its ugly head in the Round 11 clash between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Sydney Swans on Saturday night.
Late in the final quarter, when the game was on the line, North Melbourne captain Andrew Swallow was the only player willing to put his head down over the ball, and when tackled by Swans veteran Adam Goodes, was called for holding the ball, much to the dismay of North players and fans alike.
When decisions like this are made, you can see why. This never has been, and never should be a free-kick in Australian Rules Football.
Since when is punishing players for putting their head over the ball at a contest ever been part of AFL? Never! And it never should be.
Take a look at the incident and make your mind up for yourself.
Understandably, North Melbourne fans went ballistic, with some taking to Twitter in a public outcry against the ridiculous rule change.
That free kick against Andrew Swallow was an outright disgrace.
— Clint Wheeldon (@ClintWheeldon) June 13, 2015
The footy gods squared the contest up however, with Goodes’ resulting shot on goal not even bothering the scorers.
However, the Swans ran out 16-point winners, in a tight and tough contest under the roof at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.