st kilda's formal complaint over tunnelling

[bigcarl]

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/ ... 42,00.html

ST KILDA last night made a formal complaint to the AFL over dangerous "tunnelling" tactics it says Sydney used to stop Saints spearhead Nick Riewoldt. Sydney coach Paul Roos was quick to defend himself and his players yesterday, saying he had never heard of tunnelling and denied he had ordered his defenders to use it.

Roos said the first time he became aware of the basketball-style tactic was after the Saints claimed Riewoldt had been a victim of it at Telstra Dome on Saturday night.

Tunnelling involves a player bumping an opponent under the ball by making lower-body contact while in mid-air.

Roos said any allegation he had instructed undersized defender Craig Bolton or any of his other players to use tunnelling was insulting.

Bolton, an All-Australian defender, was shocked at St Kilda's alleg ation that his tactics were dangerous.

He said his actions in marking contests with Riewoldt had not been premeditated.

"It certainly is not deliberate," Bolton said. "It wasn't premeditated or planned. It was incidental.

"I hope there isn't any insinuation it is deliberate because that is not the case. I am just trying to get in the best marking position."

St Kilda chief executive Archie Fraser last night sent the AFL a DVD showing the contests and a letter explaining the club's concerns.

St Kilda spokesman Matt Schmidt said the club had contacted the league because "there are obvious risks to players".

"It is incredibly dangerous because it can result in a player falling on their head," he said of the tactic.

"Tunnelling is a basketball tactic. It is using your body to knock them off balance while they are in the air."

Just over two weeks after being cleared of match-fixing by the AFL, Roos said he was offended by being caught up in a potential dirty play issue.

"I would think that would be insulting," Roos said.

"Ross (St Kilda coach Ross Lyon) knows me and Archie Fraser knows me . . . I don't know if that's what they're insinuating, but if they are, then that's a bit of a slur on us as a footy club."

"I'd never heard of the tactic, so it's pretty hard to use something you've never heard of," Roos said. "I'd need to go over the tape to see the incidents, to be honest.."

AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said tunnelling breached the rules and Riewoldt should have been awarded at least one free kick.

Body: "The initial view internally is there certainly could have been one or maybe two that should have been paid," Keane said.

"It comes under dangerous play. You'd usually see one or two of them paid a game, usually around ruck contests, where a player will step under an opponent who has jumped for the ball.

"Looking at one or two instances of marking contests from the weekend, they probably should have paid a couple."

Fraser said yesterday tunnelling was a tactic that was creeping into the game.

"Just the fact that it happened three times on the same player and then it happened again later on, we just thought it was worth looking at in more detail," he said.

"Obviously we don't want any of our key players or any other key players getting injured by something that may be illegal."

Former North Melbourne hard man Glenn Archer said he had regularly done what Bolton did but didn't accept that players on the end of tunnelling were more at risk of serious injury.

"You could do a knee, or get your head smacked into the ground, in a million different types of contests," he said.

"It looks dangerous but it's not a ploy to hurt the bloke."

[JeffDunne]

I am pleased to see the club finally backing its players and getting on the front foot with this issue.

Not the coach, not the players, but the CEO and the club putting it out there.

Good stuff.

[bozza1980]

I am pleased to see the club finally backing its players and getting on the front foot with this issue.

Not the coach, not the players, but the CEO and the club putting it out there.

Good stuff.

I feel pretty much the same way.

I was pretty irate during the game, and the AFL have since supported my view, that a free kick was not awarded when it was warranted.

Surely common sense dictates that this is dangerous and warrants a free kick??

[saintspremiers]

We all know now that if it occurs this weekend there will be a free kick.....hopefully the dumpires remember to pay it for the remainder of the season, as the media "forgets" issues very quickly!