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Robert Heatley Stand / Re: AFL Rd 11 2024 Post Game Postulations Carlton vs Gold Coast
Last post by ElwoodBlues1 -If the ball is knocked free in the tackle it is holding the ball if there was prior opportunity and play on if there wasn’t.Grey area is reasonable...for name players its reasonable, for joe average in a crucial time of the game and in a crucial situation then it becomes inconsistently unreasonable. eg If Pendlebury or Nick Daicos get tackled in front of our goal it will be seen as no prior but if its Lachie Young or Lachie Cowan down the other end and its Nick Daicos doing the tackling then i know who my money is on to get the call...
Similarly, a player must dispose of the ball immediately when tackled if he had prior opportunity. If there was no prior opportunity, the player must be given a reasonable time to dispose of the ball.
That’s where the confusion lies; identical tackles can have different outcomes depending on whether there was prior opportunity.
Get rid of prior opportunity, adjudicate every tackle on its merits but don’t disadvantage players who take on the tackler. Ping them if they don’t make an attempt, but give them a reasonable time to dispose of the ball.