AFL UMPIRES' boss Jeff Gieschen last night gave exciting Hawthorn forward Lance Franklin's unconventional curved run-up to goal the thumbs-up.
Gieschen described the run-up, where Franklin deviates to the left no less than two metres, a natural movement and that which is replicated across the league.
The clarification should force clubs to re-think their strategies in trying to curb the gun forward's routine shredding of their defences, tempered somewhat by his frustrating inaccuracy in front of the sticks. Collingwood practised having a player run parallel to Franklin's left outside the allowable five-metre distance at the MCG last Friday night. The Magpies were also seen practising the drill before the match.
Franklin's movement was questioned by some in football as a 'grey area' of the rules that should be looked into but Gieschen's clarification yesterday should end that debate.
"If he steps straight off his line, and he steps sideways, that's intent to play on. But what we are seeing with Lance is a natural movement towards goal," Gieschen said. "He is heading towards goal and has a natural curvature in the way he walks in. Under those circumstances, we won't call play on. But where he deviates off the line immediately, or is in his natural approach, then he deviates again, then we call it play on immediately.
"At the moment in that natural curve, we don't see that as a play-on call."
Gieschen said Franklin's two-metre curve was acceptable under current AFL rules. AFL rule 16.3.1 states a player's kick must 'be taken along a direct line from the mark to the centre of the goal line'.
Rioli wins Round 17's Mark of the Year nomination
Meantime, Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) club St Mary's could be in line for $5000 from the AFL should young Hawk Cyril Rioli win this year's AFL Mark of the Year award.
Saints product Rioli has won last week's nomination after polling a whopping 50 per cent of the vote in mark of the year voting. The AFL debutant took a sensational grab over Geelong's Harry Taylor in their Round 17 clash at the MCG.
Weekly winners' nominated grassroots football club's are in the running to win $5000 cash courtesy of primary sponsor, Toyota. There were no Indigenous players nominated for mark or goal of the year in Round 18 matches at the weekend.
DARREN MONCRIEFF
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Last Modified on 05/08/2008 22:55