AFL great Malcolm Blight says the AFL could be on the path to eradicating tackling due to the legal threat over concussion lawsuits, and to reduce the congestion that tarnishes the modern game.
Concussions – and potential future lawsuits stemming from brain injuries – are an obvious concern for the sport and the AFL has responded by introducing suspensions and free kicks for what it deems dangerous tackles which would have been perfectly legal just a couple of years ago.
Blight, who won two VFL premierships with North Melbourne in the 1970s before turning his attention to coaching where he was a couple of flags with Adelaide in 1997 and 1998, says its not just the legal threat that threatens the future of tackling.
He said the sport is also suffering as spectacle, with coaches too preoccupied with tackling and pressure, preventing the skills of the game being displayed.
‘There have been close to 14,000 tackles this year already, whereas when stats were first recorded back in the late 1980s, there was only 7,400 tackles in 314 games,’ Blight said on SEN’s Sportsday SA.
‘Tackling is now a massive part of the game and the numbers will only to continue to rise.’
AFL great Malcolm Blight (pictured) has called for the code to ditch tackling completely
Hugh McCluggage of the Lions was badly concussed in a recent game against the Hawks following a tackle from Hawks defender James Sicily
Blight pointed to the success of Collingwood’s style of footy under coach Craig McRae, which encourages quick movement of the ball to prevent congestion.
‘Kick goals, make it a more exciting game, rather than that congestion game of crap we’ve seen for years,’ Blight said.
‘I was fortunate enough to go to Ireland to play Gaelic football, there’s no tackling in that game. You can bump and lean on players and strip the ball, so the ball is the object but not the body.
‘Are we going to get to that?’
He then addressed the AFL’s greatest fear – concussion litigation.
‘It will make the game go broke,’ he added.
‘The lawyers are at 20 paces now, they are just lining up to have a crack.
‘If you’re going to go down the litigation path and you are worried about head injuries, get the coaches to stop playing like that with congestion.
‘Don’t get 36 players around the ball like under-12s do, make it a positional game.’
Blight is likely to have a supporter in Brisbane midfielder Hugh McCluggage.
Hawthorn captain James Sicily was later banned for three matches following his tackle on Hugh McCluggage
The Lions star was the victim in an ugly tackle recently at the hands of Hawks defender James Sicily that left him lying prone on the MCG.
McCluggage’s head was slammed into the deck in a late scramble for the ball and lay motionless as he received medical attention.
Sicily was later banned for three matches, with the tribunal grading the incident as ‘careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.’
Carlton forward Matthew Cottrell and GWS star Lachie Whitfield have also been banned recently for dangerous tackles.
It followed a three-game suspension for Collingwood enforcer Jordan DeGoey for a savage bump on West Coast Eagles youngster Elijah Hewett earlier this month.