Dempsey and the sling tackle to come under fresh scrutinyEmma Quayle
The Age
August 30, 2015 - 5.45 pmThe slam tackle will again be placed on the match review panel's agenda, with Essendon defender Courtenay Dempsey the latest player to come under scrutiny.
Dempsey, who is a free agent and yet to be contracted for 2016, was also upset on Sunday by a racist message posted to his Instagram account by a Richmond supporter after the tackle.
He was booked during the final quarter of the Bombers' four-goal loss to Richmond on Saturday night, after throwing Brett Deledio to the ground in a heavy tackle.
Having stripped Deledio of the ball, Dempsey then lifted him up and backwards while standing, with Deledio then hitting the MCG turf with the back of his head.
Dempsey may not have known Deledio had lost hold of the ball when he began to tackle him, but drove him forcefully to the ground head-first regardless.
The move was compared in some parts to a professional wrestling move known as the German suplex, and Deledio spent a few moments on the ground being attended to by trainers before getting back to his feet.
Deledio and Dempsey spoke on the ground after the final siren, and the Richmond star was not considered in any doubt for the Tigers' final-round match against North Melbourne.
Dempsey is not the only player set to come under scrutiny, with a tackle laid by North's Shaun Atley also likely to be assessed by the panel.
Atley lifted Lachie Hunter, but appeared to turn the Western Bulldog on his side as he sent him towards ground. Hunter hit the turf with his right shoulder – as opposed to his head – and was awarded a free kick.
The dangerous nature of sling tackles has been a talking point all season, with Carlton onballer Bryce Gibbs receiving a two-match suspension for his tackle on Port Adelaide's Robbie Gray in June.
Gray was taken from the field on a stretcher after his head hit the ground heavily, and then subbed out of the match with mild concussion.
Power forward Jay Schulz was later cleared for a tackle that concussed Sydney defender Ted Richards, on the basis that the tackle was "not unreasonable" in the circumstances.
Melbourne's Jeremy Howe also avoided penalty for his tackle on Essendon midfielder Alex Browne, who was subsequently subbed out of the match.
The AFL's football operations manager, Mark Evans, said "on reflection" Schulz should have been charged with rough conduct, as Gibbs was.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said after Saturday night's game that the lift was the most dangerous element of such tackles, not the slinging process.
"The sling to me is – I'd better be careful how I say this – part of AFL football. But as soon as you lift you're probably in a little bit of trouble. You probably owe the duty of care," Hardwick said.
"I've got no doubt Courtenay didn't mean it. It was just one of those things, how we tackle, but now it's probably changed a little bit with the goal posts moving in that area.
"I'm just glad everyone walked away OK."
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/essendons-courtenay-dempsey-and-the-sling-tackle-to-come-under-fresh-scrutiny-20150830-gjb2ta.html
