Well I was cursing our trainers.....

[saintsRrising]

Well late in the game I was cusring our trainers wondering why they did not just take Ball straight off the ground since he obviously could not play in the game again...

The trainers were right and I was wrong!


The rules have changed (though the new rulle looks odd).

Luke Ball exit close call for St Kilda
Mark Stevens | August 05, 2008 12:00am


http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/ ... 42,00.html
QUICK-thinking medical staff saved St Kilda from embarrassment, and possible defeat, in the moments after Luke Ball was injured on Sunday. Ball tore his hamstring deep in time-on in the final term, and it is believed some players were urging staff to quickly help the midfielder over the boundary line in the Saints' forward line.

But the staff were sharp enough to realise that under new rules, implemented mid-season, all players must now leave the playing surface through the interchange gates.

In the past, a replacement could enter the field of play the moment the injured player crossed the boundary anywhere on the ground.

But the rules are far more stringent under the interchange crackdown, and St Kilda would have paid a heavy price had Ball been immediately helped across the boundary.

Related LinksMedical room: Saints unlikely to take eye off Ball
The ball would have been taken back to the centre and a 50m penalty paid, handing Port Adelaide an almost-certain goal.

It serves as a warning to other clubs coming to grips with the new rules.

Considering the game was in the balance when Ball crashed to the ground, the coaching staff were understandably relieved when the medicos followed new procedures.

There was also some relief at Moorabbin yesterday when scans showed Ball had suffered a routine hamstring injury that will sideline him for two to three weeks.

When coach Ross Lyon fronted the media after the game, confidently predicting Ball had suffered no more than a corked thigh, he had not watched a replay of the brutal collision with Justin Koschitzke.

Once Lyon and his support staff saw the dramatic vision an hour after the game there was more concern.

"Once we saw the footage, we thought, 'OK, this could be interesting," St Kilda football manager Matthew Drain said. "Given we saw how much he extended it, yes, it is a good result.

"Having said that, it would have been better if it was just a corkie."

Although a standard hamstring layoff is three weeks, Drain said there was still a chance he could be back in two. "We don't really know. We'll wait and see," Drain said.

.

[Mr Magic]

Another inadvertant result from a hastily implemented mid-season rule change?

If you used to come off anywhere on the ground instead of through the 'interchange gate' you were not allowed back for the rest of the game.

Given that it was past the 25 minute mark of the last quarter, the Saints obviously decided that Ball would not be returning in the game and wanted to get him off the ground as quickly as possible so that he could be replaced and we wouldn't be a man 'down'.

But no, this new 'Shytney Swans Rule' means we have to wait for Ball to hobble off assisted from the forward pocket all the way to the wing before we can have outr legal limit of fit players on the ground.

Watch now how many times the stretcher is called for in games as the only way to stop the game legally and redress the situation.

[saintspremiers]

Another inadvertant result from a hastily implemented mid-season rule change?

If yuo used to come off anywhere on the ground instead of through the 'interchange gate' you were not allowed back for the rest of the game.

Given that it was past the 25 minute mark of the last quarter, the Saints obviously decided that Ball would not be returning in the game and wanted to get him off the ground as quickly as possible so that he could be replaced and we wouldn't be a man 'down'.

But know, this new 'Shytney Swans Rule' means we have to wait for Ball to hobble off assisted from the forward pocket all teh way to teh wing before we can have outr legal limit of fit players on teh ground.

Watch now how many times the stretcher is called for in games as the only way to stop the game legally and redress the situation.

Exactly.

But Muppett Anderson who is hopefully getting lung cancer in the Beijing Smog at the moment wouldn't quite understand your point!

[perfectionist]

From what I saw, it seemed it was Luke Ball who told them to take him to the interchange gate. But, I did not hear what was said and by whom. The runner (the slow one) indicated to take him straight off to the boundary!

I must say, I was unaware of this new section of the rule, which is a bit of an ass.

[St. Luke]

From what I saw, it seemed it was Luke Ball who told them to take him to the interchange gate. But, I did not hear what was said and by whom. The runner (the slow one) indicated to take him straight off to the boundary!

I must say, I was unaware of this new section of the rule, which is a bit of an ass.

That's what I'm thinking! From what I saw during the game it now appears it was Ball who was indicating where to head off the ground, but I had no idea until I read that article this morning! Has anyone got video footage they can link up?? Whoever did make the call.......fanatastic! Had they taken him straight off it would most definately cost us the game! My money is on Balls sharp thinking

[Eastern]

You can bet your bottom dollar that Mesers Head & Vosso would have been sweating on our mistake with their whistles poised !!

[Mr Magic]

You can bet your bottom dollar that Mesers Head & Vosso would have been sweating on our mistake with their whistles poised !!

They wouldn't have had to - it would have been the interchange nazi who alerted them that no player came off through the interchange area and a player went on.

We could have screamed all we like but would the commission have done anything about it?

[bozza1980]

Why if they were certain he wasn't coming back on, did they not call for a stretcher??

This would surely have been much more beneficial for a player with a hamstring injury than being dragged off in a sprint??

[Bernard Shakey]

The law is an ass.

[Moccha]

Goes to show that a lot of people could be wrong about a lot of things especially if they're not in the inner sanctum so maybe some should stop jumping up and down about how certain players play or why this or that doesn't happen if they don't know the full story. Interesting isn't it!

[st_Trav_ofWA]

without going into too much detail i can tell you there has been a big enthisis on this new rule at the club where all players have been told exactly what to do in these instances (Ross and the coaching staff obviously dont want to give away any more stupid goals to this stupid rule )

[BAM! (shhhh)]

Well late in the game I was cusring our trainers wondering why they did not just take Ball straight off the ground since he obviously could not play in the game again...

The trainers were right and I was wrong!
... [/i]

I wondered both with Ball and with Harvey. Harvey was unconscious, they weren't going to throw him on in the next 20 minutes, and play started again while he was still being hauled off.

This is a really bad loophole. The 20 minute rule wasn't there to punish anyone, it was there to protect players while maintaining some semblance of control over interchanges (though I always thought it had the potential to be very badly misused late in the game).

[Griggsy]

Looked at the ch7 recording. Hard to tell but it may have been the trainer. When Ball was hopping when only one trainer there, they seemed to be heading to the line, then changed direction when the other arrived.

Obviously nothing to go by as Ball may have remembered just at that moment. Would need fox sports active to have a good look.

But regardless it was a good pick up when in the heat of the moment like that instinct could have taken over.

[barks4eva]

Another inadvertant result from a hastily implemented mid-season rule change?

If you used to come off anywhere on the ground instead of through the 'interchange gate' you were not allowed back for the rest of the game.

Given that it was past the 25 minute mark of the last quarter, the Saints obviously decided that Ball would not be returning in the game and wanted to get him off the ground as quickly as possible so that he could be replaced and we wouldn't be a man 'down'.

But no, this new 'Shytney Swans Rule' means we have to wait for Ball to hobble off assisted from the forward pocket all the way to the wing before we can have outr legal limit of fit players on the ground.

Watch now how many times the stretcher is called for in games as the only way to stop the game legally and redress the situation.

Exactly, how many times must we be subjected to laterally challenged dingbats implementing new rules without thinking them through.

FAIR DINKUM, the game is run by halfwits who go off half cocked and by my estimation that would be somewhere around 2.5 inches.

[karnak]

exactly, the umpires, the tribunal and the afl are a bunch of cu.ts

[SB10]

From what I saw, it seemed it was Luke Ball who told them to take him to the interchange gate. But, I did not hear what was said and by whom. The runner (the slow one) indicated to take him straight off to the boundary!

I must say, I was unaware of this new section of the rule, which is a bit of an ass.

Remember this incident clearly. The runner was definitely yelling at the trainers to take him straight off the ground and not through the gates. Must admit at the time I thought it strange the trainers kept ignoring him. Thank Christ for that!

[Pilgram]

i'm so phuking sick of those fat-arsed doughnut-eating bum-bashers!

[Moccha]

Another inadvertant result from a hastily implemented mid-season rule change?

If you used to come off anywhere on the ground instead of through the 'interchange gate' you were not allowed back for the rest of the game.

Given that it was past the 25 minute mark of the last quarter, the Saints obviously decided that Ball would not be returning in the game and wanted to get him off the ground as quickly as possible so that he could be replaced and we wouldn't be a man 'down'.

But no, this new 'Shytney Swans Rule' means we have to wait for Ball to hobble off assisted from the forward pocket all the way to the wing before we can have outr legal limit of fit players on the ground.


Watch now how many times the stretcher is called for in games as the only way to stop the game legally and redress the situation.

Exactly, how many times must we be subjected to laterally challenged dingbats implementing new rules without thinking them through.

FAIR DINKUM, the game is run by halfwits who go off half cocked and by my estimation that would be somewhere around 2.5 inches.

Well thought out answer

[Huzzad]

When they were helping Harvs off the field the ball was heading right down that wing. A few quick kicks and Harvs and the trainers would have been right in the middle of the play. This interchange rule is a joke. Get them off the field if they are injured.

Good on the trainers for remembering the rules but. Had port kicked a goal from that breach though, all hell would have broken loose from the public and media over that rule.

[my les foote]

The trainers owed us one after gifting Motlop a 50m penalty and certain goal in the first quarter.

[saint66au]

So let me ge this straight..

The umpires will restart the game with an injured player in the arms of multiple trainers, knowing full well that a team could be one man short for anything up to 2 mins while they carry him up to 120m to get off the ground..not to mention the possibility of the players cannoning into the trainers (as nearly happened with Harvs)

Yet...

If a team has one EXTRA man on the field for 0.0000001 of a second, you are pretty much penalised a goal

Brilliant