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Western Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli and Geelong’s Joel Selwood give their say on AFL’s high tackle clarification

Marc McGowanNCA NewsWire
Geelong captain Joel Selwood is one of the best at drawing high tackles. Michael Klein
Camera IconGeelong captain Joel Selwood is one of the best at drawing high tackles. Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia

Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli has gone in to bat for coach Luke Beveridge and teammate Cody Weightman as the AFL’s high tackle rule continues to polarise.

Beveridge accused league headquarters of “another flinch” after this week’s high tackle clarification, including that free kicks would not be paid if the ball-carrier was responsible for the high contact.

Collingwood’s Jack Ginnivan is at the centre of the debate, but Geelong skipper Joel Selwood and Bulldogs small forward Weightman are also masters of the shrug while being tackled.

“I do appreciate that players are able to exploit different parts of the game and add layers to their game that are within the rules essentially and make it, in this situation, difficult to tackle them,” Bontempelli said.

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“‘Bevo’ has his thoughts and opinions, as he always does, and I think we all get somewhat frustrated with the different interpretations and how difficult that might be for umpires, so I can definitely see where he’s coming from.”

2021 AFL Grand Final
Camera IconMelbourne’s Jake Bowey (right) catches Cody Weightman high in last year’s grand final. Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia

Bontempelli said Weightman may have to “tweak an aspect or two” after the rule clarification but said he was “tough as nails”.

“You’ve got to earn everything you do as a small forward, so I think if there are aspects you can exploit to your advantage in the game, then, I guess, full credit to you,” he said.

Selwood said he would seek greater understanding of the rule via the Cats’ coaches but declined to comment directly on Ginnivan’s approach.

Adelaide’s Brodie Smith praised the change, saying it had become a dangerous situation that didn’t set a good example to juniors.

“You don’t want to see guys leading with their head and kids at the lower level starting to practise that,” Smith said.

“Concussion is a serious issue and this can also bring that into play, so I like that we’ve tweaked it a bit, so that it’s not always going to be paid ... the more we can let the game go and not pay so many free kicks, the better.”

Melbourne vs Geelong
Camera IconGeelong captain Joel Selwood is one of the best at drawing high tackles. Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia

Melbourne forward Ben Brown believes, like many of the AFL’s rules, there is “still a little bit of grey” but appreciated the clarification, which the Demons addressed as a collective.

“At the end of the day, if you can get your team an extra goal or an extra kick downfield, it’s worth something,” Brown said.

“If there are players who are actually trying to exploit those rules; I think that’s actually a skill.

“There was a clarification made at the start of the year and I thought it was pretty clear then what constituted a high free kick versus giving up your opportunity for prior opportunity.

“But as the year went on, it became a little bit more grey, which was going to happen at times as the umpires have a tough job, so to have a little bit of clarity probably helps.”

Originally published as Western Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli and Geelong’s Joel Selwood give their say on AFL’s high tackle clarification

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