'Stop tinkering with the rules': Hardwick on mooted tackling changesCharlotte Grieve
The Age
18 July 2019Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said the AFL should stop "tinkering with the rules" following football boss Steve Hocking's comments around tackling.
Hocking said the AFL is examining the issue of excessive tackling to reduce the number of collisions per game. He didn't specify the number of tackles he would like to see per game, but said tackling had become a "feature" of the game and the league wanted to change that.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said there should be less rules, not more.Credit:AAP
But Hardwick hit back on Thursday, saying the game has been around for a long time and his opinion was there should be no changes to the rules.
"We’ve got to be very careful with what we do. I think we’ve just got to let the game settle for a while and stop tinkering with the rules."
The coach said defensive measures kept the game close and that was a benefit to the sport.
"I think it’s the closest it's been this season in any amount of time. Is it because of the defensive tactics? Well my opinion of that is it probably is. It keeps the game closer, it keeps fans in tact which increases viewership as well," he said.
Hardwick was against the idea of reducing the number of tackles.
"We want to see three phases of the game played equally," he said.
"Just let the game sort itself out. It’s been around for a long time."
Hardwick said that if there had to be changes to the rules, he would like to see the red tape around the game reduced.
"There are so many [rules]. We’ve got rules for kicking a guy in the face, it happens once every 25 years," he said with a grin.
The number of new injuries per club has increased by more than 11 per cent this season. When asked if reducing tackling would make the game safer, Hardwick said players have a duty of care to opponents and the majority of the time that is respected.
"Guys know when they’ve got a player in a situation that could be dangerous and they limit that," Hardwick said.
"Overall our players of all the AFL clubs are very good at understanding when they’ve got a player in a compromising situation and will generally look after that guy."
At a separate press conference later in the day, Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said he thought the AFL was in good hands, with reference to Steve Hocking and his lieutenant David Rath.
"The AFL are collecting the right information. They’re making decisions based on facts and looking at how they can influence the game in a positive manner," Buckley said.
Buckley said the "physicality" would always be a defining feature of the game, adding he assumed the move to reduce tackling would be to ease congestion.
"I think there’s got to be a combative element to the game no doubt ... We all still want to see that in the game."
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/stop-tinkering-with-the-rules-hardwick-on-mooted-tackling-changes-20190718-p528da.html
