Fremantle Defender Jordan Clark has added his voice to a growing list of player who are confused and frustrated by the lack of clarity surrounding dangerous tackles.
The AFL Tribunal had handed both Brisbane’s Charlie Cameron and GWS’ Toby Bedford a three-week suspension for dangerous tackles over the weekend before them being overturned by the AFL’s Appeals Board.
Before the decisions being overturned these long suspensions served as a reminder of the stricter penalties handed out for tackles causing concussions.
However, it has sparked growing confusion from AFL players and coaches surrounding tackling rules and what is constituted as dangerous.
On SportFM, Clark has chimed in on the debate and has stated he doesn’t know which tackles are ‘right and wrong’ anymore.
“I am aware that you’re not allowed to pin both arms and slam the opposition’s head into the ground,” he said.
“I don’t really know what’s right and wrong. I don’t actually know what else you want someone to do there.
“That’s the frustrating one for players. What’s he supposed to do there? Is he supposed to just not tackle him at all?
“That’s the one that is quite confusing. Even the Charlie Cameron one is an interesting one.
“If you slam someone’s head into the ground, then obviously you deserve what comes your way but it’s hard at times to actually do anything else.”
The AFL has since defended these decisions, and reiterated the rules are designed to protect player welfare amid growing concerns about concussions and head trauma.
Cameron’s tackle resulted in West Coast co-captain Liam Duggan receiving his second concussion for the season, ruling him out of this weekend’s clash against St Kilda.
Clark acknowledged that while concussion awareness is in a positive place at the moment, but is creating a lot of grey area.
“Certainly I think the game’s going in the right direction in terms of looking after the head and the concussion stuff and that space,” he said.
“It’s a really positive moment in the game, but at the expense of a grey area around the rules.
“The players probably don’t even know what to do anymore and some of the umpires probably don’t really know how to adjudicate it. I think it’s a bit frustrating.”
When asked about the AFL rules and the confusion surrounding them, Clark says more clarity would be beneficial to the playing group.
“The AFL has its rules and we’ve just got to abide by them,” he said.
“A little bit more clarity on what you’re expected to do or what you can and can’t do might help the playing group.
“At the end of the day, I think they’ve tried their best and the AFL is a very hard game to adjudicate.
“Everyone’s doing as best they can and I think we just got to keep that way and keep trying a move forward.”
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